Happy Publication Day to Clare Chase. Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove, the 12th book in the Eve Mallow series. Thanks to Bookouture for my copy of the book and opportunity to read and review.

Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove (Eve Mallow Mystery #12) by Clare Chase

Published May 2nd 2024 by Bookouture

Saxford St Peter is having an open gardens day! But one of the villagers has murder, not marigolds, in mind… And now Eve Mallow needs to unearth a killer.

Everyone in Saxford is delighted when jeweller Cleo Marbeck suggests a prize for the village’s best garden. Flowers are planted, grass is cut, and the competition is on. But the event only digs up dirt… Twenty-five years ago, a young woman fell to her death in Cleo’s house, and rumours soon resurface about Cleo’s part in the tragedy.

Eve’s best friend Viv is hosting Stevie, her son’s fiancée, ahead of the wedding. On the open garden day, Stevie has a horrible flashback: the memory of a woman lying at the bottom of a staircase. But she sees it in a totally different house from the one where Honor died…

Hours later Cleo’s body is found, drowned in her own pond. Almost everyone in Saxford has been in and out of her garden, sowing suspicion everywhere. But Eve is convinced the flashback has triggered the crime… and when the police turn their sights on Stevie, she’ll have to work fast to solve the case and save the wedding.

So who wanted Cleo in the ground? The son of the woman who died, out for revenge? The employee passed over for promotion? Her long-term lover, who she refused to marry? And why do so many suspects live on Meadowsweet Grove?

When someone else takes a tumble downstairs, Eve knows she’s close to grubbing up the truth. But can she catch the killer or is she heading for a fatal fall?

A page-turning and completely charming English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett.

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s summer time in Saxford St Peter and they are holding an open gardens competition. There are also weddings coming up, and Viv’s son’s fiancée, Stevie, has come to help with the planning. Her presence has tongues wagging about a 25 year old death that was closed as an accident, but most people in the village think she was murdered. The dead woman was Stevie’s aunt. Local obituary writer Eve Mallow is curious about the death, and with her curiosity, begins to ask questions. While on the garden tour, Stevie has a frightening flashback picturing a body lying broken at the foot of a flight of stairs in one of the houses, but not the one she was found in. Shortly after that, Cleo, a woman that is not very well liked, is found dead in her own garden. She has been bludgeoned and drowned in her own fountain. Stevie is the main suspect due to a rumor that Cleo was responsible for her aunt’s death 25 years earlier, and Stevie not forgiving her. To help Viv and in turn, Stevie, Eve gets a publication to purchase Cleo’s obituary, giving her permission to nose around and ask questions. With Eve and her crew sure that the two deaths are connected, they get to work, observing, sneaking around and asking questions. With a victim who has a lot of enemies, will they determine who killed Cleo now and Honor 25 years ago?

Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove is the 12th Eve Mallow Mystery, but I have only read a handful and have no problem enjoying these stories. Each book has a self-contained mystery, but there is character development along the way. I do love the setting of the small village, the pub, the tea shop and all the paths they walk on. The characters are great. Eve is smart, observant and able to get people to open up to her. Her fiancé is a retired police detective, so he helps her out in her investigations. Her neighbours and group of friends that keep her apprised of all the comings and goings in the neighbourhood are a great bunch and I love their messages and calls to each other. This is a complicated mystery due to the cold case that is connected to the murder. There are a lot of characters, but I was able to sort them all out and keep up with all their comings and goings. Of course, Eve’s dachshund, Gus is adorable. He gets lots of walks while Eve is out listening for clues and information. With several suspects, many clues, including some red herrings, I was kept guessing right to the end. With a satisfying ending, I smiled as I closed this book. Another great addition to this series. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, especially those set in a small village in the UK, then I recommend you pick up this book, or better yet, the first in this series.

Buy Link(s): https://geni.us/B0CM6ZN66Lsocial

Meet The Author: Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.

Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.

Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.You can find Clare’s website and blog at www.clarechase.com

Social Media: Facebook – Twitter/X – Website – Instagram – Bookouture Email Signup