Poppy desperately wants to pay off her debts, quit her dead-end job, find her missing father… oh, and keep a plant alive. But she knows that these are just hopeless dreams. Then a mysterious letter arrives and Poppy finds that she’s inherited a cottage garden nursery – complete with romantic climbing roses, scented herbs, a bossy, talkative ginger cat.. and a dead body!Now she must solve the … the mystery or risk losing her new home and the chance for a fresh start. But who would want to murder a gardener in a sleepy little village? Could a reclusive inventor have something to do with the killing? What about the brooding crime author next door? And why is her long-lost cousin so desperate for her to sell the cottage?
Poppy might not know her pansies from her petunias, but that doesn’t stop her digging for clues. The only problem is – she could be digging her own grave too…
This book follows British English spelling and usage.
Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.
Genre: cat mystery / cozy mystery series / gardening cozy mystery / women amateur sleuth / British detective mystery
THE ENGLISH COTTAGE GARDEN MYSTERIES
Deadhead and Buried (Book 1)
Silent Bud Deadly (Book 2)
Doom and Bloom (Book 3)
Trowel and Error (Book 4)
Fronds and Enemies (Book 5)
more
Deadhead and Buried, my eleventh read/listen from author H.Y. Hanna & the first book in her new English Cottage Garden Series. An enjoyable cozy mystery. I love the narrator’s British accent; I was impressed and enjoyed the vocal variety & inflections of narrator Pearl Hewitt, especially her oh so cute animal sounds. Cozy mystery, captivating primary character, what other blurbs can I use to describe these books? Oh well, buy the book, read the books, get into a good author and some good characters as I have. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
I love all of these books. They are a fun read after work.
I love this new series! It’s awesome! I couldn’t put it down. This is a must read series! I can’t wait for the next book!
I always enjoy a cozy set in England. Add in an English cottage garden, a mysterious neighbor, plus a dead body, and I’m one happy reader!
DEADHEAD AND BURIED is the first book in the English Cottage Garden Mystery series by H.Y. Hanna, and it lays a firm foundation for what promises to be a fun new series.
I enjoyed the run down cottage setting and the nursery with all of its beautiful flowery potential. After inheriting her estranged grandmother’s cottage, nursery, and surrounding gardens, Poppy abruptly quits her dead end job in London and heads to Oxfordshire. Though intent on selling the estate, she finds herself falling in love with it and getting mixed up in a murder mystery to boot.
I admit that I did not initially warm to Poppy. Honestly, she seemed kind of dumb, but she more than redeemed herself as the story progressed. Dr. Bertie Noble, her eccentric inventor next door neighbor is an endearing hoot, providing much of the comic relief within the pages. Poppy’s other next door neighbor crime writer Nick Forrest adds some moodiness, mystery, and possibly romance in the future, to the mix. Solicitor Charles Manning lends a fatherly influence on Poppy, and her cousin Hubert is smarmy. But, each one is not all they appear to be, or are they? Of course, there are animals to round out the character list, and they add so much to the tale.
There were some clues that pointed to the perpetrator, but I did not pay much attention to them, so I was surprised by the their identity. This revelation absolutely made the book for me. The mystery is well plotted and moved along at a steady pace. I look forward to more adventures with Poppy and friends.
Recommended.
I received a copy of this title from the author and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
I was so excited to hear about this new series by HY Hanna and hoped it would be just as good as her other series. Deadhead and Buried was such a fun read, the mystery was well done, the theme was fun and there are a lot of fun and quirky characters. It’s an awesome start to this new series and I am looking forward to see where this series goes next.
Deeadhead and Buried starts with main character Poppy having a bad day on her job, her boss doesn’t treat her well and she’s not enjoying her work. Luckily for Poppy thing are about to change for her. A letter comes informing her that she has inherited her grandmother’s cottage. She jumps on the train to check it out, planning to sell it and use the money to follow her dreams, but then she finds a body in the garden and she finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. And slowly falling in love with the lovely cottage and garden.
The mystery was well done, while it starts a bit later in the book as there is a bit of introduction first, it was still worked out very well. I liked trying to figure out who was the murderer and I liked the reveal when we find out who did it. I hadn’t expects that person to be the murderer and I liked being surprised. It did make sense, even tough there are only a few hints in that direction, but mostly it’s that I didn’t realize those things were clues, it’s great when things fall on it’s place and how much sense it makes. There are enough suspects and not many clues at first, which made for an interesting situation. It also felt realistic how Poppy slowly got into solving the mystery, she just wanted to figure things out and defend her new friend and slowly ends up solving it when she finds the right clue.
I liked Poppy, she seemed friendly and curious. Her situation is so typical for a cozy mystery with an inheritance sending her on a different road, but the way the plot was worked out still made it feel fresh. Poppy was a likable main character who just want to follow her dreams and get out of her dreary job and I love seeing her find her place. I admit I am not a fan of the plot lines where a character is set on selling a place, while you know they’re going to stay. But as here the focus wasn’t too much on it and it got resolved by the end of the book I didn’t mind as much and it did make sense that Poppy was planning to sell it first. I liked following Poppy’s story and seeing her grow attached to the town, cottage and people here.
There is a great cast of quirky side characters, from the elusive crime author to the quirky elderly inventor who lives next door. Then there is an orange tom cat called Oren and a terrier. And there is the friendly lawyer who helps her out, her rude cousin, some friendly villagers and a female detective who seems to know what she is doing. And there is even a potential love interest for Poppy, but we’ll see how that goes in future books. I liked getting to know these side characters a bit and I am looking forward to see more of them in future books.
I also liked the gardening/ plant theme, it’s infused in the book with enough about the plants and gardening, but also done in a way that makes sense. I don’t know as much about plants, but I do like plants and enjoyed reading about them. I also think it’s quite the unique theme for a cozie as I can’t remember seeing too many books with a similar theme. It’s also clear the author knows her plants with the many plant names and also the bits of information dropped throughout the book.
To summarize: Deadhead and Buried is an awesome start to this new series. Poppy is a fun main character and I was happy to see her luck turn around and see her slowly find her place in this new town and the cottage she inherited. The mystery was well done, it kept me guessing and surprised me with the murderer, but there are enough clues that looking back it makes sense. There is a fun cast of interesting and quirky side characters, among which an elderly inventor, a reclusive crime author and an orange tom cat and a terrier. The gardening and plant theme was a fun touch and well done. The author seems to know a lot about plants with the plant names and bits of information dropped throughout the book. All in all I had a lot of fun reading this one and can’t wait for book 2!
Poppy’s new home comes complete with a dead body and a mysterious neighbor or two. Good characters and an entertaining, light mystery.
Deadhead and Buried is the first book in a new English Cottage Garden Mystery series from H.Y. Hanna, and it is terrific. Poppy Lancaster is working a lackluster job with an absolutely horrid boss in London when she learns that she has inherited her estranged Grandmother’s nursery business near Oxford, England. However, to live in the cottage, Poppy must keep the nursery business going. Believing she has no gardening talents whatsoever, it seems an easy decision for Poppy to sell the cottage for the much-needed money it would bring in — but that was before she visited the cottage with its overgrown, large flower garden. Poppy decides to stay at the cottage for a few days, a decision that puts into motion life-changing events.
H.Y. Hanna creates such wonderful, relatable characters, and I was immediately drawn to Poppy and her story. I can’t wait to see what happens next and am looking forward to the next book in this great new series.
I received a copy of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.
WOW what a great start to a new series by one of my favorite authors. H.Y. Hanna has a true gift for writing and this book is fantastic. The plot was fresh and interesting and the flowers were gorgeous. I could see every one of them and wanted to smell them. The next book will be a delight to read about the transformation of the garden back to a show place. The characters were delightful. Poppy and Nell were true favorites, but Bertie is a definite pleasure to get to know. Of course, Oren and Einstein competed for attention throughout the story. The small village flavor of the story and the descriptions of Oxford were perfect and made you feel like you were walking through the areas. You will love this story.