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
It’s not too often I call a book charming, but this mystery had such a light-hearted appeal, the word just fits. And I’ve never met such a demanding, lovable orange tabby. The cat’s owner–under his perpetual grumpiness–isn’t too shabby either. A fun read!
After several deep mysteries, it was time to indulge in an English cozy cottege. I hit the jackpot with this new series and book one about Poppy Lancaster. Poppy is abit down on her luck, mom died of breast cancer, she has to move and her boss is a dictator. Along comes a letter announcing she is the benefactor of a cottage, Hollyhock Cottage.
Poppy decides to live in it till she sells it, only to find a dead body in the overgrown garden.
She meets Oren, an orange cat, belonging to writer Nick Forrest. Also meets a small dog, Einstein, belonging to Bertie, another neighbor. Her solicitor, Charles Mannerly, tells her to sell the property before a cousin, Hubert, fights for it and the grounds.
This was a delightful read, full of information on plants, lots of suspects, and a handsome man next door. But thankfully, the mystery took precedence over Nick becoming her boyfriend. I hadn’t any idea why or who did the murder till Poppy figured it out.
If you are in the mood for a terrific and smart cozy cottage, read this…..4.5 stars.
“Deadhead and Buried” earns 5/5 Sprigs of Heather…Engaging Can’t Miss Read!
What would make one quit their job? Demanding boss. Personal rebukes. Docking pay. Twenty-something Poppy Lancaster acquiesces desperately needing her paycheck, but when the last straw comes, quitting is the only solution. Remembering a chance meeting and the gift of a papier-mâché sprig of heather pin, “Heather symbolizes transformative change—from the mundane to the extraordinary.” The mundane is left behind and the extraordinary leads to the Oxfordshire countryside, “…you are the sole beneficiary of her estate.” Extraordinary isn’t without its problems: missing keys, overgrown garden, need of repairs cottage, four-legged and two-legged intruders, and a dead body.
H.Y. Hanna is my most favorite author of my two most favorite series (Oxford Tearoom Mysteries and Bewitched by Chocolate), so I was ecstatic about her new series that would still be set in Oxfordshire, and weaving through the drama is fascinating English gardens, small village life, and a cat…a big one with a demanding nature! Love it! Although the murder investigation doesn’t get started right off, something I prefer, my attention was immediately engaged with introductions and a compelling back story. I prefer a first-person narrative, but that’s easily overlooked because Hanna’s style is well-paced, clever, and entertaining along with vivid descriptions and banter that illustrates well the tone, emotion, and personality of the characters. Poppy has joined a marvelous community of Hanna women (Gemma Rose and Caitlyn Le Fey) who lack confidence and struggle to overcome their past or insecurities, but they find their inner strength and their skill at amateur sleuthing. Romance? Maybe… I highly recommend this first in the series. Oh, I recommend anything from H.Y. Hanna!
A really nice start to a new series.
I really enjoy H.Y.Hannah’s Oxford tea room mysteries and the Bewitched by chocolate series so thought I would give her new series a go to. Some how it seemed more grown up but was still a lot of fun. The characters were great and I especially liked the inventor and think H.Y will be having a lot of fun with this character and his whacky inventions.
The mystery was set in a garden and is very usual by being based in the world of flowers. The flowers do play a part in the mystery but you are not bombarded with information that you get bogged down so need to be a keen gardener to enjoy the book just a lover of mysteries. It had a lot of suspects and the mystery was a fun cozy that flowed along nicely until the end. As well as the fun human characters you also had the four legged kind too and at times they were quite amusing. Can’t wait for the next one and hope this book get released as an audio book.
I love the English setting in this book. The mystery is fun, the cat is adorable, and I adore the little challenges our heroine has along the way (no gardening knowledge, a potential love interest, a tricky kitty) plus the murder to solve. A fun, easy-to-read mystery. Recommended.
No steamy romance, just a twisted tale of who dun it!
Another volume of a wonderful series.
A light, enjoyable, addicting read. I continued on to read all of the books in this series and am eagerly awaiting the next one. It also led me to the author’s other book series which I am also enjoying reading.
Flower crime and messages, interesting. Cozy mystery.
A fun trip the England where Poppy gets what we all dream of…a surprise inheritance. Quirky but realistic characters. Very enjoyable and entertaining. I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next
Here’s a fun series to latch onto. You will not be disappointed. I am just finishing the third book so that I can order the fourth. Especially great if you have a black thumb and love to garden. There are gardening tip clues. Splendid!
This was a cute cozy. I finished it but sometimes just shook my head at the main character who could only be defined as somewhat ditzy. It was an enjoyable read.
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written with very few errors, well-developed characters, and a fast-moving story line that kept me interested right to the end. This is the first book I have read from this author and I look forward to reading many more. I recommend this book and this author without hesitation or reservation.
Fun read!
Characters all are characters. i liked them and really wanted to see what would happen.
Very enjoyable cozy mystery.
Fun to read.
Fun story
Cute book!
It was pretty good. Kept me guessing till the end.