This is one of those books where you can sit back in a comfortable chair and let yourself go into someone else’s world.

It gives the reader a historical account of a small coastal town which was taken over by the British Army during WWII. The inhabitants were told that they had two weeks to vacate to another location in 1943. It’s a situation that no one would want to think about especially those few villagers that had been there for generations.

The book also made me think about how strong a mother’s bond is with her child. During the war, children were evacuated without their parents by their sides. They were placed on trains with gas masks and some essentials and then sent to the country to live with a stranger where they would hopefully be safe. There wasn’t an internet or good way of keeping track of the children. How horrible this must have been.

In the story, Liz is a 27-year-old obituary reporter who wants to be in the news room. She calls in sick and secretly meets up with her roommate, Marisa, who just happens to be a police officer. She travels three hours to the South Coast and checks in at the Seaview Lodge where Marisa and a detective are also staying. Then she manages to join them for dinner and talks her way into helping them search for a missing little girl, Lucy, with high profile parents. To make things more interesting, Liz just discovered she has supernatural abilities that may help with the case.

There are a number of clues along the way and the story keeps you intrigued with the friendly characters. It makes you feel like you could be at a pub trying to capture everything Liz is investigating. As Liz digs deeper, she finds out there are more missing children from the war and she continues to use her sick days to work on potential news stories.

While the story had my attention with a good timeline, there were a lot of coincidences and it wasn’t too hard to figure out the plot. The message was that coincidences can alter someone’s life – for those of us who want to believe it. I did learn more about the effects of the war with the villagers and children. It’s heart wrenching to think about the situations they endured.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 6, 2024.

In World War II torn Britain, the army commandeered the hamlet of Tydeham. All of the residents had a short period of time to leave their homes, take a few possessions, and relocate. The army promised they would have their homes back, but they were all destroyed by the military operations.

During this time of strife, children were often sent from London to the country to live with other families and keep them safe from the bombing in the city. During this exodus, three little girls went missing. One child was discovered murdered, but the other two were never found.

It is now 1968 and reporter Liz Houghton shares a flat with police detective, Marissa. A child has gone missing and the entire country is searching for her. Liz wonders if this case might have something to do with the earlier ones and her investigation brings her to Tydeham where she has the strange feeling that she has visited there before. And thus, crimes are uncovered, long held secrets revealed.

I have only recently discovered prolific writer Rhys Bowen whose writing I continue to really enjoy. The multiple interrelated story lines raised questions that kept me engrossed and guessing. And just as in life, there were some (very few) questions left unanswered. I loved the historical perspective of both the war years and the late 1960s. History, mystery, and a bit of romance….what more could you ask?

What a wonderful mystery. This is a story of missing girls (one current case a 3 cold cases from the war) and one reporter who is trying to solve the years old mystery while racing the clock to find Lucy alive. Secrets are uncovered and sometimes the truth stings.

Rhys Bowen is a master at weaving stories set during WWII, and the Rose Arbor is no exception! I loved the setting of London in the 1960s and I felt like I was along for the ride as Liz set off to the southern coast of England to try to uncover the truth of missing girls from more than twenty years earlier, as well as any possible connection to a current missing child case.

As there were so many separate mysteries woven into this book, it was difficult at times to keep the various details and characters straight. The tightly woven mysteries didn’t begin to unwind until well into the fourth quarter of the book, and there were multiple mysteries that were never fully explained.

Overall, this was a very entertaining historical fiction novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review for this ARC!

Rhys Bowen‘s newest standalone features a young woman in 1960's Britain who is feeling unmoored and talks her detective roommate into allowing her to tagalong on the case of a missing girl. Along the way, Liz realizes that writing obituaries is not the journalism job of her dreams, nor is frequently visiting her declining mother a highlight. The two young women and another police officer explore the abandoned and ruined village of Tydeham, reduced to rubble during World War II. Liz shows grit and determination and an intense curiosity as she attempts to make connections between the history of the town, a history of several missing girls, and visions of scenes she believes she witnessed in the past. Along the way, she discovers important things about her own past and her future. Wonderful characters, very clever setting and a complicated mystery made this a terrific read for me.

Great addition to the series with a satisfying, if slightly predictable ending. Well written and filled with familiar characters, reading it is like meeting up with a best friend.

This book has an interesting mystery story at its heart. I liked the idea that we are going through a mystery in present and past simultaneously, it was quite a compelling read. I liked the main character and her development throughout the story. I liked the language and the style of the author, but I must say that I already know some of her books. What somehow didn’t fit with me was the point that the story evolved into a very personal ending. I would have preferred it to be more impersonal at the end, but I can understand why the author chose this ending.
I still can recommend the book.

I loved every moment of this mystery, a masterful fusion of history, romance, and tantalizing plot twists! Set in both WWII and 1968, this was a both a sweet story and a sad one. It is set partially in a real place, abandoned in the 1940s but mysteriously remembered by the main character, Liz. She first visits while investigating the disappearance of a little London girl. It also leads to her researching the disappearance of three other girls and answering questions about her own past.

The infusion of history enriches the narrative, lending it a profound sense of authenticity and depth. With every turn of the page, one finds themselves transported to different eras, exploring the mysteries of bygone times while unraveling the complexities of timeless human relationships.

Romance adds a layer of emotional resonance, infusing the story with warmth, passion, and heartache. The character descriptions made me care about them sufficiently to follow their drama, their struggles and triumphs. Amidst the twists and turns of the plot, the love story between James and Liz develops slowly, which I was pleased about!

And oh, the plot twists! Each subtle turn keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, anticipating the next revelation. While it did seem somewhat predictable, there were enough surprises to keep me wanting to know how it all turned out. After a slow and steady pace, the ending seems a bit abrupt but isn't that how life goes sometimes?

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author for an ARC of this book and the opportunity to provide a review!

You can always rely on Rhys Bowen! A great read, once again!
1960s London - Liz is a journalist and is bored to bits writing obituaries for a newspaper. She shares a flat with Marisa, an old school friend who is a police officer. Marisa is assigned a case which LIz takes interest in, knowing it could be the story that gets her out of the obituary section and into the newsroom proper. A girl has gone missing!

The trail takes them to Dorset - things get more intense . when they start investigating not only the initial story but three more disappearances of evacuees from London over 25 years earlier. Their investigation takes them to a village which was requisitioned in WW2 and still lays abandoned. Liz is sure she visited this village as a child ….. I loved this unexpected part of the mystery!
I thoroughly recommend this book if you love quality historical fiction with a murder/mystery twist. It was totally original and kept me guessing. I loved the characters - they were so believable and I could almost hear Liz and Marisa especially. Rhys Bowen has the gift of given just the right amount of detail so you aren’t overwhelmed with endless paragraphs of repetitive descriptions - she can set the scene in a few sentences and transport you.

Read and enjoy! I also recommend her earlier books, The Paris Sketchbook especially.

The Rose Arbor was a twisty historical fiction mystery. I enjoy Rhys Bowen's books and really like her newest turn into historical fiction. This book confronts misogyny, the sacrifices of citizens during wartime, and the chaos of the government program that moved children away from a dangerous city using mostly faith in the goodness of others. As someone born two generations after World War II, I see the outcome of the war as a net positive. I am easily able to forget that everyone, regardless of their service in the military, was affected by it. Villages were evacuated and destroyed to help train the military and children were taken away from their parents during a scary and chaotic time. After the war, the world was forever changed, but attitudes and culture struggled to change at the same pace. All these themes play out behind the main mystery of a missing girl 23 years after the war is over and how that girl's disappearance may connect to three girls who went missing during the war. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and kept me engaged as I tried to figure out the fates of all the girls. I would recommend this book.

An interesting story mixing unsolved crimes from WW2 with a young woman’s need to find her true identity and what do the flashbacks she has really mean. Having visited Tyneham village in Dorset, the place that the fictitious village in this story was based on, the setting rings true, however, the story is let down by errors in the storyline – is the vehicle they’re using a Land Rover or a Jeep it changes so many times in one paragraph – an error not to be expected from such a prolific writer as Bowen. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
This story was fantastic! Liz is an obituary writer in London in 1968, when she becomes captivated by the disappearance of a little girl. Her investigation leads her to a village that was requisitioned by the military during the war. Now the village is in ruins. She also discovers three other little girls have disappeared. This is the story of how she discovers what happened to all of these little girls. It is very well written and keeps you guessing until the end. I highly recommend this book! Rhys Bowen is a fantastic author, and I just want to sit down and read all of her books. You will love this one!

Set in London, Liz Houghton is a newspaper reporter and her roommate/friend is a policewoman and wants to solve a case , about missing girl. They starts to investigate despite the risk involved and follows the lead to save more girls life’s. I am a huge fan of Rhys Bowen, and this book did not disappoint. It was a great read and I loved each and every chapters.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this early!
I enjoyed this book. It's a fun mystery that had me intrigued most of the time. I enjoy the character relationships, and the distribution of clues was pretty good.
One big thing that put me off was there wasn't a real sense of urgency. We have these characters looking for a missing girl, among other things, and it felt very relaxed. They will say things like we need to find her fast, and their actions are a lil not as fast. Idk if it was just me, but I wanted the stakes to be higher.

Overall a decent book, but will probably become one of the many mysteries that I read, but forget the name of.

Liz Houton and her friend Maria find themselves investigating a murder that took place in the beginning of World War 2. three girls were evacuated from London and never heard from again. Can this connect to a murder in modern times London?

The latest standalone book by one of my favorite authors, Rhys Bowen, did not disappoint.

In London 1968, Liz Houghton is a reporter trying to redeem herself and get out of her position in obits. A young girl goes missing and it is the perfect story for her to follow, especially since her roommate and friend, Marisa, is a police officer on the case. While on a lead, Liz ends up unearthing more about past missing girls during World War 2 when many children were evacuated to the country.

As they continue to investigate, Liz and Marisa find an old village, Tydeham, that the army used to practice during the war and is now left in ruins. Liz has strange feelings she’s been there before while visiting and might end up finding more about her own past as she tries to find the missing girl.

Rhys Bowen is truly an amazing author who always leaves you feeling like you need to read “just one more chapter” to find out what happens! This one kept me guessing and even when I thought I had it figured out!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC copy of The Rose Arbor. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 Stars
Title: The Rose Arbor
Author: Rhys Bowen
A woman reporter trying to earn her way back to the main newsroom instead of working obits gets involved in an open investigation into a missing girl and learns about several more missing girls, a destroyed village, and her own personal history.
What I liked: That characters and the storyline. The main story was interesting, and the perspectives of the little girls (1 chapter each) added to our sense of urgency and empathy. The heroines were respectable as well as likeable. The family history part was something I was invested in until the end, but the resolution was weak.
What I didn't like: It felt like the author was trying to do too much. I wish we could have learned more about the other missing girls' cases. In one case the papers were missing and it was just dropped, and in the other they need to find a reason to check their hunch but don't before the book ends.


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I love me a story like this! It kept me captivated from the first chapter. I just think a wide variety/range of people will really enjoy this! I recommend.

historical fic is one of my fave genres and mix it with mystery thriller you have all of my attention and im glad to say that it was not wasted on this one. i did not have any high hopes so i went in with little to no expectation and i think that helped because even though the mystery wasn't really unpredictable or mind blowing, it did manage to keep me hooked till the very end even after i had already figured everything out halfway into it. The writing and descriptions paint pretty pictures and it almost seems like youre one of the detectives running around with the characters to figure mysteries from the past in the late 1960s in the spectacular London. Oh and yes the plot being set around wartime and an english village and London added to the charm i suppose as i really lovee london-
my freedom fighter ancestors must be so ashamed of me smh. lol.

I enjoyed the idea of this novel, it had everything that I was hoping from the description. It had a great suspenseful atmosphere and enjoyed the mystery of the young girls disappearance. It had that historical element that I was hoping for and enjoyed going on this journey. Rhys Bowen always does a great job in writing a good historical mystery novel and that the characters were wonderfully done.