This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. about a mixed race family that moves from South London to a small village. The main character is a spunky, smart Black woman named Daphne, who’s raising her family along with her husband and running her own business. She gets drawn into trying to find out who murdered the local headmaster of her children’s school. It was a bit drawn out for me, but I didn’t guess who the killer was until close to the end. So that was well done. There was some suspense towards the end and then it wrapped up quickly. Daphne was a likable protagonist and I can definitely see this as a series.


#ThePottingShedMurder #NetGalley

Daphne Brewster, shoot producer for the Stylish Home magazine, has had enough of the hustle and bustle of inner-city London, not to mention the crime, and has relocated with her husband James, daughter Immy, and twin sons Archie and Flynn to the quiet town of Pudding Corner near Pepperbridge. Where it seems that "death, murder, secrets and betrayals were all wrapped up in the bucolic beauty of a village nestled within fields and country air." This was an excellent series starter for the Hill House Vintage Murder Mysteries series. With a few chapters that are multiple points of view and flashbacks, you get a story within a story, within a story.


Daphne is a strong character, but also kindhearted with a desire to defend the excluded and overlooked. She has no need to climb a social ladder like Marianne Forbes or try to be in the good graces of Augusta Papplewick, school headmaster's wife. Those two are a couple of mean gals. Daphne, on the other hand, really doesn’t care what the locals think and chooses to befriend Minerva Leek, a Wiccan who may have grown up in the small town and is a local, but because she is different, she is considered an outcast. These characters are so well described, and their emotions are so strong that you become engrossed in the story. There is a "mean girl," a quiet recluse, a frustrated housewife, and a couple of gossip gals. On the more positive side, Daphne and James’s children have adjusted quite well and made a friend of a young boy named Silver, the son of Minerva Leek. With the lower cost of living, Daphne is able to be a stay-at-home mom but finds that she has a knack and a creative flair for refinishing furniture and creating wonderful and decorative pieces. There is even an available storefront for the newly nicknamed Vintage Lady to conduct her new business venture. I like how Daphne is given an outlet for her creative nature. Her husband, James, would rather she didn’t find an outlet for her curious nature.


This was a mystery that kept me guessing. Every suspect has motive and opportunity to have visited the headmaster while he relaxed in his happy place. Each personal story that Daphne collects/learns is like a puzzle piece and a picture begins to take shape, and then Daphne discovers another clue that changes everything. Every suspect has motive and opportunity to have visited the headmaster while he relaxed in his happy place. This is going to be a most excellent series that has inspired me to look up a recipe for Jamaican Ginger Cake, so stay tuned.

5 stars

I loved this book so much more than I expected to. I was anticipating a run-of-the-mill cozy, and in many ways it is a very standard cozy. It’s just that the writing was so tight, the characters so real, and the feeling it gave me was so similar to reading a Miss Marple story. Paula Sutton has managed to capture the thing that makes the genre special rather than writing “just another” book of its kind.

Our amateur sleuth is a newcomer to a sleepy English village, a Black woman from South London who has moved into a picturesque cottage with her husband and children. As a newcomer, she’s able to see past some of what the locals take for granted, but her friendliness and helpfulness smooth her transition into the local social scene. Sutton neatly threads this tricky tightrope—outsider enough to have a fresh perspective, but not too much of an outsider for the locals to confide in—very skillfully, perhaps because of her own experience as a London transplant to rural life.

The central thread of the story, protagonist Daphne’s observations and eventual investigation, is laid out in chronological order, but the surrounding narrative is pleasingly nonlinear, vignettes from before and after the titular murder dotted in throughout the novel to give us a quilt-pieced view of the village story. Every piece of the story, however small, had a part to play, which was oh so satisfying to see as the mystery unfolded.

I would highly recommend this title to fans of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and other classic cozy mysteries. It beautifully encapsulates the charm of village mystery without indulging in the cutesiness that has turned me off of many contemporary cozies. It’s a good story, a good mystery, and a very good time.

Spoilers for a final thought on an element of the story: <spoiler> My one “off” note about the book is how odd I find it that the narrative never really addresses the fact that Augusta raped Charles in their early courtship. Perhaps it’s because taking advantage of a blackout drunk man wouldn’t have been viewed as rape at the time it was committed, but in the present day it certainly does, and I wish it had been addressed. </spoiler>

3.75 stars

Series debut featuring transplanted Londoner Daphne Brewster and family, who have moved to the country to escape crime and craziness. However, when the headmaster of her son's school is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Daphne can't leave it alone.

Daphne is a strong female character, and one of the few Black residents of her community so she brings a different and refreshing perspective. As she examines new friends and neighbors as suspects, she finds out a lot about her surroundings. She befriends another outlier -- a young mother who lives in a caravan outside town with reputed Wiccans and travelers. Daphne is clearly one to stand up for others.

Promising entry with a compelling main character. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

_The Potting Shed Murder_ by Paula Sutton is a humorous and fun cozy mystery book. Told from multiple perspectives, it follows residents of the small village of Pudding Corner as the headmaster is found dead. When local Minnerva is accused of the crime, her friend and new resident Daphne Brewster decides to investigate to prove Minnerva’s innocence. Readers of cozy mysteries will enjoy this new series.

The Potting Shed Murder is for fans of classic Agatha Christie whodunits set in the English countryside, except with an undercurrent of social commentary. Sutton deftly weaves an exposé about English-classism with a great murder-mystery. Every character had a unique complexity that made them all stand out. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this! There are so many amazing cozy mysteries but ones with black protagonists are almost never given the praise they deserve. You can’t help but fall in love with Pudding Corner, despise Marianne, and root for Daphne at every single turn. Can’t wait for the next one, I hope this becomes a long series!

A new voice in the cozy mysteries!

Where do I begin? I so love the idea and description of leaving a busy city behind to move the countryside for a slower and more quiet life. I would love to live in Pudding Corner, and frequently the description of the town and the residents made me feel like I was there. I just curled up with a great drink and enjoyed!
The small town gossips, the social ladder, the traditions , all were explained in a way that helped you understand village life.

Daphne is delightful, and the way she was able to find her place, and find an interest while also integrating herself into village life . (while falling into a murder.!) ..was seamless.

What I appreciated about this one is that it didn't shy away from addressing the different perspective of being a person of color in a new space and how you may be received and perceived. At the same time it showed how being confident in yourself and giving and expecting respect can totally change the experience.

I am already anticipating grabbing my blanket and a cup of tea to read the next installment. Well done!

Firstly, the names of the people and places in this book are so outrageously cozy and British. It deftly opens with the most tongue in cheek, hilarious satire of a cozy small town England mystery. Needless to say, I loved it from the first page. Secondly, I, of course, immediately googled to see if Pudding Corner was a real town name. (Pudding Norton seems to be the reference for other nerds like me). How in the world is that a place name? Anyways this book hit right on the money for a cozy mystery. The cast of characters is adorable and funny, and the wit that starts at the beginning carries through to the end. If you love a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, then this is one for you!

Daphne has moved from London to the village of Pudding Corner. She is busy planting beans when the local headmaster is found dead in his potting shed. When Daphne’s friend Miinnerva is suspected, she must find out what happened.

Daphne Brewster, her husband, and her kids have moved from London to a charming village. She has started a business working with restoring furniture. Her kids have made new friends. And she has also. She has bonded with on of the "travelers" from the edge of the village.

But the village harbors secrets. It also harbors people with secrets. The local school master is found dead. Are there any suspects? In fact, there are many of them. Daphne wants to get her new friend off the hook. Can she find the real killer?

With its rural English setting and cast of intriguing characters, this is a charming story. I highly recommend this book for lovers of cozy mysteries and English countryside murders.

dachshunds, new-beginnings, new-series, new-to-me-author, small-business, small-town, antiques, upcycle, unpleasant-neighbors, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, sly-humor, amateur-sleuth, Norfolk, suspense, falsely accused, contemporary, secrets, lies, bullies*****

An unusual and interesting cozy with a very nice MC and family, an equally nice falsely accused, and half a village of sneaky secret holders. The victim was just about to break out of his rut when he was struck down. Then the suspects started crawling out of the woodwork! Good read.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected digital galley from Kensington Publishing | A John Scognamiglio Book via NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail May 27, 2025 #ThePottingShedMurder by Paula Sutton #HillHouseVintageMurderMysteryBk1
@KensingtonPublishing #CozyMystery

(3.5 rounded down) This was a sweet, cozy murder mystery that made some interesting authorial choices that I don’t usually see in cozies - different character perspectives (including those of suspects) and a main character/detective who is extremely empathetic and kind. I also loved the setting in this - a small village in the English countryside. Clearly, Paula Sutton lives in one herself, and she really brings it to life with her descriptions. Overall, I found this to be a bit too much of a slow burn. The book was a little too long and the writing could be repetitive and a bit overwrought. It took about 50 pages before the mystery of the story really gets going. It’s also an easily solvable mystery, but I don’t view that as a negative, really. If you go into this knowing what to expect, you’ll have a fun, easy time with this. I also read this while watching the new tv adaptation of “The Marlow Murder Club” & the two were a perfect pairing.

I had fun and thoroughly enjoyed this well plotted and compelling mystery. Lovely setting, quirky and lovely characters, a solid mystery.
I hope there's going to be another book by this author soon.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Potting Shed Murder, the first Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery, had been highly anticipated by me as I've followed the author, Paula Sutton, on Instagram for quite a while. Mixing her love of all things vintage with a penchant for writing an entertaining cozy murder mystery, Ms. Sutton has created what I very much hope is just the first in a long series of books featuring amateur sleuth Daphne Brewster. When the headmaster at her childrens' school is found murdered in his potting shed and a local gypsy is suspected of the crime, Daphne discovers more secrets hidden behind the closed doors of Pudding Corner than she ever imagined. 5 stars, and I've already preordered the next in the series!!!