The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton
5/27/25; 304 pages
Kensington
The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton is a highly recommended cozy murder mystery.
Daphne and James Brewster and their three children have moved from London to the Cranberry Farmhouse in Pudding Corner with the neighboring village of Pepperbridge, in Norfolk. The family is settling into the country life and their children are happy at Pepperbridge Primary School. Daphne is known as the "Vintage Lady" and she has a shop with restored and hand-painted furniture.
Life in the country, however, means Daphne is actually meeting her
neighbors, something that didn't happen in London. When the headmaster
of Pepperbridge, Charles Papplewick, is found dead in his potting shed
on his allotment patch, the list of suspects and motives, along with
plenty of secrets and accusations begin to appear.
Daphne is the amateur sleuth in this cozy mystery as she carefully pieces clues together that could determine who was responsible for the murder - and there are several suspects. Some suspects are unlikable right from the start, others are sympathetic. There are several flashbacks exploring motives. The narrative follows Daphne and all the various people who could be suspects in the death of Papplewick. Daphne is also a very appealing character and it would be nice to see her return in another mystery.
The writing is descriptive as it creates a picture of the setting and
introduces all the people in the village. The pace is even but slow for
much of the novel, picking up toward the end. It's actually the quality
of the writing that elevates the novel and encourages you to continue
reading even though the pace is so slow at first. Normally, I'm not a
huge fan of cozy mysteries, but this was a nice interlude.
The Potting Shed Murder is a good choice for cozy murder mystery fans. Thanks to Kensington for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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