Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley: European Reading Challenge 2020

European Reading Challenge hosted by Rose City Reader

Death in Kew Gardens

Title: Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley 
Setting: London, Kew Gardens
Time: Victorian era
Genre: mystery 

The book caught my eye because of my interest in plants, gardens, and gardening! This is the third in the Kate Holloway Mysteries set in Victorian London. Published June 4, 2018 by Berkley. Book from my shelves.

An unknown Chinese man gives Kate a box of Chinese tea when she meets him by chance on the street in front of the house where she is employed as a cook. She tries to clear him, with the help of her beau, Daniel, when Mr. Li is later suspected of the murder of Sir Jacob, Kate's neighbor and a collector of Asian antiquities and exotic plants. 

A lot of the action takes place in Kew Gardens as well as in Kate's household and the house of Sir Jacob. The descriptions of the plants and trees in Kew's Palm House and the Temperate House add to the interest of the novel, its plot and characters. 

The book is well planned and written, and transports us easily into the Victorian era of obsession with new plant collection and amassing items from the East.


Five stars. 


Have you joined this reading challenge? Which books are you reading?

Sunday Salon: First Reads of the Year - Mystery Novels

I can't get away from reading mystery novels. For the first books of the year, I have chosen, or rather, these book have fallen into my hands - from the library and from my TBR pile.

The Girl Who Lived Twice, #6 in the Millennium series first created by Stieg Larsson, 2019, library book

Death in Kew Gardens

Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley caught my eye because of my interest in plants, gardens, and gardening! This is the third in the Kate Holloway Mysteries set in Victorian London. Published June 4, 2018 by Berkley. Book from my shelves.

The House of Brides

The House of Brides, a first novel by Jane Cockram, October 22, 2019, Harper

Genre: psychological suspense. Book from my shelves

A young  woman flees to a family estate in England, but finds not safety, but only danger, there. 

Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron, August 2019, William Morrow, library book

I chose this book because of the main character - a professional organizer who helps people declutter. An unusual plot with great possibilities for a mystery. Seems like Emily Harlow not only has her clients to deal with, but a hoarding husband as well...

I plan to read non-mystery novels as well in 2020 and have a few on my list already, thanks to suggestions from fellow readers. 

What are your first reads this year?

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon: Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to one and all! Unfortunately, we are housebound for the most part because of flu in the household and rain on the way! But we are enjoying chicken soup and hot cider nevertheless. Hope all the other moms are having a good day.

Some new books:

Death in Kew Gardens

Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley caught my eye because of my interest in plants, gardens, and gardening! This is the third in the Kate Holloway Mysteries set in Victorian London. Published June 4, 2018 by Berkley.

Invitation to Die

Invitation to Die by Barbara Cleverly is the second in the Inspector Redfyre Mystery series, This one is set in Cambridge in the 1920s. Its publication date is August, 2019 by Soho Press. 

The Book Supremacy

The Book Supremacy is the 13th in the Bibliophile Mystery series. This one is set in Paris and San Francisco, with book restorer Brooklyn  and her new husband Derek, solving a crime. Thank heavens that the books in the series can be read on their own and not sequentially. 

After the End

After the End by Clare Mackintosh is a novel of contemporary fiction about family dynamics, to be published June 25, 2019 by G.P. Putnam Sons. 

Finishing up a mystery series

The Stone Circle

The Stone Circle is the 11th in the Ruth Galloway mystery series set in the swamplands and saltflats of Norfolk, England. I recommend that readers read the books in sequence because of Ruth's intriguing personal life that changes with each novel. I hope there will be a 12th in the series! This one was just printed May 7 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 

Memes:

The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer,  Stacking the Shelves, and  It's Monday, What Are You Reading by Book Date. and Mailbox Monday