A great cozy little murder mystery! It was such a fun read. The Cotswolds seem like such a dreamy place to retire until the murders start. Lol.
The writing style was lovely with such a fun group of characters and plot was easy to follow but not too easy to guess who did it.
Excited to see what happens next.

former-social-worker, Cotswolds, small-town, puppy, country-life, murder, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, cosy mystery*****

A good book for unwinding/destressing.
Julia was newly divorced, newly left her job as a social worker in London, moved to the Cotswolds village, and decided to raise a few chickens. The first body was skeletal and probably twenty years in the ground. To get to know more people in the village, she joined the book club. Next project was to adopt Jake the chocolate lab puppy who failed Guide Dog school because of his inquisitiveness. And that led to the second body. In the weeds. A recent murder. The story moves along at a steady pace, and you really get to know the characters (and they certainly are!). I really enjoyed this escape from hectic living.
I requested and received a free temporary e-book from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!

This book was sent to me electronically for review…I did not get into the story, but others might really like this book…try it as it is a new series…

Rural British village life is more than just sipping tea and scones. This charming cozy is filled with quarky residents, charming description s and, of course, dead bodies. I read it practically non-stop and cannot wait for book 2.

I enjoyed reading An English Garden Murder. It is the first in this series.. Julia Bird is the main character who has moved to the town of Berrywick in the Cottswolds. She has retired from social services and recently divorced. The other characters add a delightful presence to the story. Julia has just moved into her new home and decides she wants to build a chicken coop for chickens.. Her best friend, Tabitha who is the librarian tells her that Johnny Blunt is the best person to do it. Julia decides to put the chicken coop where the old shed is. Brandon, Johnny's grandson discovers a body buried under the shed when taking it down. The body is identified as Samantha Howard who disappeared 15 years ago.. DI Hayley Gibson and Walter Farmer are assigned to the recovery. When walking her dog, Jake, who decides to go into the lake after ducks and gets stuck in the mud. Julia goes into the water to get Jake and discovers another body, Maeve Howard, Samantha's mother. This is where the story takes off with DI Hayley and Julia trying to find out who killed the two woman and why. Lots of things happen on their adventure to the surprising end.

I look forward to the next adventure in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

This is a nice, easy read and it’s fairly short too, I managed to finish it in one evening. I liked the writing style and I thought the plot was easy enough to follow, without being too simple. There was no big ‘plot twist’ per se, but the killer ended up being someone I didn’t expect which was good because I, among many others, I’m sure, hate it when I manage to figure out the killer so early that it ruins the rest of the book. I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 mostly because it wasn’t very special, and it didn’t really stand out to me from any other small town murder mystery books.

An English Garden Murder is the first in a new series by Katie Gayle. I admit I was hesitant when the publisher offered me an Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I love Katie Gayle’s Epiphany Bloom series – they are among the few modern-day mystery series that are guaranteed to make me laugh so hard that I snort my coffee up my nose or spill it over my keyboard. What if this new Julia Bird series wasn’t as good? Would my disappointment diminish my future excitement at a new Pip Bloom book? After all, Katie Gayle is the pseudonym for Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel, who both live in Johannesburg. I was gobsmacked at how note-perfect the London of the Pip Bloom books is – surely they couldn’t evoke the petty insularity of a small English village that well too?

Reader, they can. These two South African writers have described the quintessential English home of rural murder once known by Colin Watson as Mayhem Parva. I enjoyed An English Garden Murder even more than any of the three Pip Bloom books published to date. There was only one laugh out loud moment – and it will hit any Pip Bloom fan as emphatically as Will Smith greeted Chris Rock recently. The book has everything I want from a cosy murder mystery (let’s not challenge that non-sequitur but just accept that everyone recognises what it signifies): a curious single female; a hint of romance; at least one dead body; a brisk (but not too rapid) pace; and some colourful characters. Oh – and a lovable dog.

The way Julia finds herself working at the charity shop and a member of the library’s book club; the Buttered Scone café (what a brilliant name!) where so many locals exchange news and gossip; the acquisition of a dog: all those casual plot developments mean that Julia is at the heart of the community very quickly indeed. That was very very skilfully done, Katie Gayle.

Any bits that didn’t work perfectly? Two, I think – and these are both minor criticisms. Firstly, Detective Inspector Gibson was too accommodating and free with information, considering she’s only just met Julia. The friendly relationship is necessary for the series, but I think the DI should be more wary in the first week they know each other and the friendship could have developed off-stage between books one and two. Secondly, the cast list was quite long – there were a lot of women, many of whom had daughters, and thus a lot of names to remember. Again, I understand the first book is showing us the characters who can be brought in as required in future books, but did we need all of them at once?!

If you like cosy mysteries, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
#AnEnglishGardenMurder #NetGalley

Great start to a new series! This is like the Aunt Dimity series, but with murder. It was a very gentle read, but lots of fun and a solid mystery! A double murder to solve can be tricky and this was quite well done.

An English Garden Murder (Julia Bird Mysteries Book 1) by Katie Gayle is a great contemporary cozy mystery that is the first in a new series.

I enjoyed this first installment located within the Cotswolds. Julia Bird figured that moving to a quaint, picturesque location away from the big city would give her a fresh start and a breather, however she is in for a rude awakening when she is ensnared into a murder/mystery x 2. With bodies piling up, will she be able to solve the mystery, save the day, and escape the the same potential outcome herself?

I enjoyed following along and finding out. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Bookouture for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/5/22.

Loved this wonderful book Julia and her pupJake kept me involved entertained.The charming town a place I’d love to visit.When Julia relocates ther from England little did she know how her life would change.Not the quiet life she thought it would be instead she’s helping solve two murders a body discovered in her own backyard.I enjoyed getting to know the town the villagers looking forward to the next in the series.#netgalley #bookouture