A summer garden party is in full swing at a grand old house, but under a gorgeous apple tree laden with ripe fruit… a body is discovered.Sukey Reynolds is treasuring the late summer sun, taking long walks in the countryside, and enjoying the golden views across the Cotswold hills. But when she is called to photograph a crumbling manor, the day suddenly turns cold.In the charming garden, Sukey … cold.
In the charming garden, Sukey finds the body of the beautiful estate manager Una May. All fingers are pointed at the tempestuous owner of the house, a rich lord who was overheard arguing with Una that morning…
Is this wealthy man truly the rotten apple in this beautiful orchard?
The party was supposed to celebrate a painting of the residents and staff. When the picture is found slashed, the police close in on the owner, but Sukey is sure they are barking up the wrong tree, and she decides to do a bit of snooping. Which of the smiling faces in the new painting hides a villain: the lustful lord, the aloof artist or perhaps the heartbroken housekeeper?
Despite her sleuthing, Sukey is no closer to catching Una May’s killer, until she finds a pair of shoes covered in mud from the orchard. With the police convinced they’ve caught the right man, Sukey must solve this baffling case alone. But to find the killer holding the poisonous fruit, she may have to delve deep into the garden…
If books by Agatha Christie, P.D. James or Faith Martin have you hooked, then you will love this murder mystery by the queen of cozy crime!
This book was previously published as Party to Murder.
What readers are saying about Death under the Apple Tree:
‘Betty Rowlands is the mistress of cozy whodunits… I simply cannot wait for the next book in the series to be released… A fantastic series.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Extremely well-written. The characters have depth as well as great personalities (both good and bad)… I recommend this book to those that enjoy cozy mysteries and I look forward to reading more of this series.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘I am running out of ways to say how much I am enjoying this series. Not that that is going to stop me from writing these reviews or reading the books for that matter… So enjoyable.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘Love this series, devour each book as soon as I get it. This was the perfect holiday read for me: cozy, interesting and exciting. I’m already looking forward to next book in the series.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Addictive… perfect cozy mystery with satisfying resolution… Looking forward to reading more of Sukey’s crime solving successes’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘This story has an interesting twist… Another excellent story in a great series by a wonderful author. Highly recommend this one, as I found it hard to put down.’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars
‘I truly enjoyed it!… There’s a lot of twists and deliberate red herrings, especially those involving deceptions by the principals in the case. Well written!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Well written and plotted. Betty Rowlands has obviously thought carefully about the story. Her stories are entertaining and read quickly.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘This series keeps getting better and better with each book… the story never lets me down.’ Spooky’s Maze of Booksmore
A womanizing art collector: could Digby be a murderer too?!
4.5 stars
My second read in this Sukey Reynolds mystery series, I found the plot good, the murder mystery twisted enough to keep me guessing through most of the book. The rural setting and the author’s ability to describe the early fall landscape also set up an idyllic backdrop for the sad violence that ensues.
As cozy mystery heroines go, this single mom with a well-adjusted, inquisitive son, now off to university, is appealing. She’s almost unflappable and not ready to let her police inspector boyfriend allow her to dictate her actions (no matter how much he wants to). And she seems to attract the confidences of the friends, neighbors, colleagues and family of murder victims and suspects alike, all to the good of finding the culprit who eludes the police. Go, Sukey!
I totally enjoyed this story and will definitely look out for more by Betty Rowlands.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book provided through NetGalley; this is my voluntary and honest review.
A summer garden party is in full swing at a grand old house, but under an apple a body is discovered.
In the charming orchard, Sukey Reynolds has to photograph & process evidence surrounding the body of estate manager Una May. All fingers are pointed at the tempestuous owner of the house, a self made man who was overheard arguing with Una that morning
The party was supposed to celebrate a painting of the residents and staff. When the picture is found slashed, the police close in on the owner, but Sukey is sure they are barking up the wrong tree, and she decides to do a bit of snooping. Despite her sleuthing, Sukey is no closer to catching Una May’s killer, then a young girl goes missing.
I’m totally hooked on these murder mysteries. I love Sukey & how she can’t resist betting involved to the annoyance of Jim Castle & DCI Lord. I love the red herrings thrown in the way. Sukey is always in the right & sometimes wrong place at the right time. Each of the books is very easily read on its own but there is the thread of Sukey’s home life running through the books, her relationship both with Fergus & Jim also is riveting. Another well written, very well paced book with strong believable characters that drew me in from start to finish
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Another Un-Put-Downable Sukey Reynolds Mystery Book 7
In this episode, things get pretty dicey for Sukey as she tries not to investigate a murder. This is very addictive series that the reader will hate to put down. The plot is pretty tight with only a few suspects, but they all have issues with the truth. The story is woven with such skill that the picture created the reader’s mind eye is is quite detailed. The story flows by faster that could be imagined. The ending has a few twists that will keep me thinking for a while.
I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
law-enforcement, relationships, murder-investigation, art, egoist, cosy-mystery
***** I truly enjoyed it! But I was surprised that the term SOCO was out of fashion and the designation used is CSI. Sukey is a forensic evidence collector with a somewhat hidden relationship with a DI in her precinct, and this makes for some interesting problems. The main mystery is pretty much covered by the publisher’s blurb but there’s a lot of twists and deliberate red herrings, especially those involving deceptions by the principals in the case. Well written and rather brain grabbing!
4 stars
This book is another great entry into the Sukey Reynolds series by Betty Rowlands.
Sukey’s son Fergus is off to university. Throughout the series we have seen him grow up and develop into a fine young man. ( I miss him and his interactions with DI Castle and his mom already.) Sukey’s relationship with DI Castle is still going strong even though he still gets exasperated at her getting too involved in cases.
This time she is called to the stately home of Sir Digby. There are been an art show and after the show the estate manager named Una May has been found dead. Of course Sukey can’t help but go above and beyond her normal duties in the case.
Who could the killer be? The owner of the manor was seen to be arguing with Una that same morning. But there are more suspects as well: an artist and a housekeeper among others.
As another reviewer stated, I am running out of ways to praise Ms. Rowlands’ work. Her characters are likable (for the most part), and interesting. The reader wants to get to know them better. This little cozy/police procedural is well written and plotted. Ms. Rowlands has obviously thought carefully about the story. Her stories are entertaining and read quickly. I look forward to the next in the series. Perhaps now that Fergus has gone away to university, Jim and Sukey’s relationship will really take off!
I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.
Death under the Apple Tree by Betty Rowlands is a cozy mystery, but it is also a police procedural. While this is the seventh book in the series, it worked as a standalone. However, I believe it would add even more to the enjoyment of the novel if I had read books one through six first.
The novel takes place in England and is extremely well-written. The characters have depth as well as great personalities (both good and bad). Additionally, the author does a great job with helping the reader to visualize the various scenes.
Sukey Reynolds is one of the crime scene investigators and her boyfriend is DI Jim Castle. On the personal side, Sukey’s son, Fergus, is starting his courses at the university and Jim still doesn’t want to be very public about their relationship at work..
For the mystery, both the police and CSI are called to Sir Digby’s countryside manor due to a murder. Sometime during a garden party and after a painting reveal, Una May, the estate manager, is killed. Who did it? Why? Will the killing stop at one? Sukey gets drawn into helping to solve the crimes that are committed in this story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the character interactions as well as the assortment of personalities. There are a few twists in the story line which includes murder, relationships, art reproductions and so much more. I recommend this book to those that enjoy cozy mysteries and I look forward to reading more of this series.
Many tanks to Bookouture, Betty Rowlands and Net Galley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.