Haven’t read anything else of the author, but I’d love to (need to check if there is more to read). Good read, kept me interested all the way. Light and approachable in style and likeable characters. Worth your time.

Detective Harriet Taylor has moved to a new place after transferring from Edinburgh. She is soon called to investigate a gruesome discovery found by Alice, the beekeeper. Soon things turn from bad to worse.
This was a good read and I enjoyed the story and characters. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

In this murder mystery there are a lot of twists and turns. Although it is quite a serious book you can't help smiling at some off the characters.

It's really well written and easy to read.

The best way to get you to understand the type of book it is. Best I can do is remember those series usually on in the afternoon.A detective story or a murder or just a good old plain mystery. I remember my mum watching those. This is this book good clean fun. Although there is a murder to contend with.

It's a nice read

Enjoy!

I could not get into this book so am going to pass on this one

The story is quite different Alice is a beekeeper who sells the honey at the monthly market where Milly sells cakes and biscuits till one day Milly does not appear. The investigation starts here at the helm of Detective Harriet.
Harriet makes a great main character with her forthright attitude and her determination. It was nice to see her grow into her character and gain confidence as the book is read. The story has an undercurrent of dark humour running through which uplifts the book.
Some parts are described as in great details like workings of police stations and politics, which I didn't care much for and I skipped over those parts.
On the whole this is a good debut by the author, Stewart Giles

A good entry in the mystery genre although a bit predictable. I would read this author again.

what's its about:
A shocking discovery starts a trail of mayhem on the Cornish coast.

Alice Green is a beekeeper in the small Cornish village of Polgarrow. One evening, Alice finds something strange under the hollyhock bush in her garden. The gruesome discovery will change everyone’s lives.

Detective Harriet Taylor has just transferred to the area from Edinburgh. As she investigates a series of shocking crimes, she grows close to the old beekeeper and is determined to bring the murderer to justice.

A crime mystery with a streak of black humour. You’ll enjoy this fast-paced and dark unearthing of the underbelly of a sleepy Cornish village

my thoughts:
While The Beekeeper is a easy read its also ever easy to guess who the killer is after just reading some of the story, you basically know who the killer is when the murders start happening, while I like it and like the concept of the story ,I wished it was a little hard to guess, but it still a a good story to pick up if you want something fast and easy to read. With that said I would like to say thinks to Netgalley for giving me a chance at reading The Beekeeper

I will be honest I struggled with this book at first and I can't honestly understand why, maybe it was just me? But once I got going with it I really enjoyed it and am greatful that I was given the opportunity to read this

One of the things I have come to dislike about police procedurals by US authors is the obsession with serial killers. It’s gotten a little better in recent years, but given the unassailable fact most people are killed by someone they know, the whole serial killer schtick has gotten really old.
It’s not a spoiler to say Mr. Giles’s quirky novel set in Cornwall avoids that obsession beautifully, because the joy of this book isn’t solving the problem but watching the characters struggle with puzzles both internal and external.

Briefly, this is about how Detective Harriet Taylor, who has transferred to Cornwall mostly because it’s the farthest she can get from her native Scotland and memories of her cheating late husband, figures out (eventually) who did in three elderly locals. In the process, she meets Alice Green, a local beekeeper whose best friend is the first victim. The second, discovered belatedly, is Alice’s husband Stanley; the third is Stanley’s best mate. If you’re seeing a pattern, you’ll understand why I said mentioning the “killed by someone they know” isn’t really a spoiler. You may also never see hollyhocks the same way again.

Like DC Tayler, Alice put up with a cheating husband for years. “As the years went by I soon developed a thick skin. It’s what we do—we women,” she tells Harriet. And then: “You know what, Detective Harriet Taylor? You and I have more in common than either of us realizes."

What follows is a study in how we human beings, when we have an unhealed wound, can be drawn to trust others who share our experience of pain even absent any other element to support that trust. And how all too often that trust is horribly misplaced.

If you read mysteries and police procedurals solely for the pleasure of solving the crime, you may not find The Beekeeper to your liking. On the other hand, if you avoid this book for that reason, you’ll be missing out on a truly delightful reading experience. Mr. Giles combines the best elements of the genre with a character so superbly eccentric it’s hard to think of her as a cold-blooded killer.
Which is, of course, why instead of worrying about serial murderers, we might put out concern to better use watching out for Uncle Harry.

As an aside, this novel reminded me a great deal of the wonderful Cary Grant film of Arsenic and Old Lace, despite there being few if any actual parallels between the two. I wish I could say why, but there it is. Maybe it’s just the underlying theme that sometimes the deadliest among us are the ones we’d least expect.

In any case, I recommend you both read this book and watch the movie for a double-shot of entertainment.

Alice Green is a beekeeper in a small Cornish village. Something gruesome is discovered in her garden and things start heating up...

I must admit that the write up was more exciting than the book. I guessed early on what was happening and it was kind of unbelievable. It was well written though and was quite funny to see how the perpetrator had everyone hoodwinked.

It was definitely unlike any other book I have read in a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the copy of this book.

Quaint read. The mystery is pretty well solved at the beginning . Characters are intersting , especially the seniors who add some humor. Easy read .

I read this book in one sitting. I really enjoyed this quirky novel which was both humorous and black and gruesome. Great characters and description of Cornwall. Hope this is the start of a series

I read this book in a day, the pacing is excellent and there seems to be something happening to drive the story onward constantly without it being exhausting. I found it fairly difficult to put down. I think the author intended it to be simple for us the reader to guess who was behind these murders due to big clues given to the reader and not the police in the first few chapters.

The internal politics that happen when as expected after what they think may be a serial killer on the loose the big guns from Exeter are called in much to the annoyance and chagrin of the local plod. I also found the extensive glossary at the back of British terms for American audiences to be eye opening, as I didn't find the language very colloquial but then I am a UK native.

The narration is an all knowing third person which is different for a mystery novel as we have more information than the ones solving the case.

I would recommend this book to anybody who doesn't mind their mysteries being simple I felt it was a device to make us feel more concerned and frustrated for the unwitting police who didn't have the information we did. I really felt that Harriet was a great and well rounded character as the protagonist and I would like to read more about her in the future.

DC Taylor has moved from Edinburgh to join a small police team in Cornwall, following the death of her husband.
Alice Green is an elderly beekeeper who while tending to her bees, finds a body in her garden. Her best friend and neighbor is there, but they decide to call the police after the weekend as Alice has a stall at the weekend market, selling her honey and doesn't want to miss the event. She needs the money.
When Millie goes missing, DC Harriet Taylor gets involved in the case and becomes fond of Alice as they meet more and more. Millie's husband, who she hasn't seen in 10 years, ends up as a torso in the sea - they never found the legs. When another elderly neighbor dies in a house fire (a gas explosion), all signs point to him being the killer.
I really enjoyed this book, it was a cozy mystery, with not very cozy murders. The beekeeper is a very likeable character, as is DC Taylor.
Here's hoping this book is the first in a series, I'd love to meet DC Taylor again.
Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.

A light easy read where the killer is not really a surprise. A bit disappointing.

Meet Alice Green she's The Beekeeper she makes honey to sell at market with her friend and neighbour Milly Lancaster who sold her baking products. The two had been friends for a long time Milly was Alice's Maid of honour when she married Stanley 40 years previously.
They were there for each other when Millys husband died then when Alice's husband Stanley disappeared about 10 years ago.
Milly was helping Alice get her honey packed for market the next day when she left the two agreed they'd see each other as always at market next day. Alice makes her way there but Milly doesn't show up leaving Alice wondering where her friend is when she returns home she goes into Millys home her baking is cooling and her car has gone. Alice realises something's wrong and calls the police.
DC Harriet Taylor has just been promoted and moved from Edinburgh after her husband had been killed in a car crash where he is with another woman. Harriet hated the pitying looks from her colleagues and had decided to make a fresh start..
When a car is found and matched to Millys, Harriet is the officer who breaks the news to Alice.
Strange things start to happen to other neighbours leaving police wondering if there is a connection who would want to harm these people and why.
Great book I really enjoyed it's simplicity with an easy to follow plot. I personally would like to see more of DC Harriet Taylor.

This book was easy reading and although it was quite clear early on who the culprit was - I still really enjoyed it. I am not sure as to why such a big deal was made about the bee-keeping as this didn't really come into the story line. very much. Hopefully more books following DC Taylor's career will be forthcoming.

Fast paced, interesting characters, convoluted murders and motives. Oh yes, a touch of dark humor throughout. Hard book to put down and get out of my head, keep going back and remembering bits and pieces. Really enjoyed the book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

The Beekeeper is a solid British police procedural that will readily appeal to fans of Midsommer Murders and the like.  DC Harriet Taylor transferred to Polgarrow from Edinburgh after the death of her husband.  The sleepy Cornish village has little crime, and until now a handful of burglaries have been the extent of Taylor’s experience.

Alice Green is an elderly beekeeper, happily living alone after being abandoned by her promiscuous husband.  Her best friend lives next door.  But the day after a shocking discovery, her friend disappears and Alice, greatly concerned, contacts the police.  Soon it becomes apparent that Alice’s neighbor was murdered.  Not long after, the body (only the upper half) of an elderly man is brought up by fishermen, and another man dies in an explosion.  Someone is killing elderly residents of Polgarrow.  The case is of such concern that outside detectives are brought in and Taylor is assigned to the team. While investigating, Taylor strikes up a friendship with Alice.  Little does she realize, the killer is hiding in plain sight.

I enjoyed The Beekeeper.  It is a solid police procedural that reminds the reader that we readily overlook the elderly, considering them to be harmless, incapable of the extremes of emotion/action leading to murder.  Alice Green is an odd, not altogether trustworthy woman, but her actions though suspicious are never suspect - at least not in Taylor's mind.  Preconceptions lead the visiting detectives into folly, only Taylor admits uncertainty.  It is an important reminder that preconceptions color what we see, and make us overlook the significant and the obvious.

4 / 5

I received a copy of The Beekeeper from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

If you just looked at the title of this book and did not read any of the blurb you could be forgiven for thinking that this book will be quite nice and gentle… after all what could possibly be sinister about a beekeeper??? Yes on the face of it at the start Alice seems like a nice old lady who looks after bees and makes honey to sell at the local markets and has a pet jackdaw that she rescued. And that’s where the nice ends. Alice has a secret that ends up setting of a chain of events that ripple through the village.
Apart from the fact that she seemed permanently obsessed with the fact that her latest batch of honey seemed a bit funny, she really does seem like a nice old lady who is just trying to make ends meet after her husband left her.
When a hand pops up from under the bushes in her garden wearing her husband’s wedding ring she persuades her best friend not to say anything until Monday so that they can go to the market. When her friend disappears but her car turns up over a cliff in a nearby village you know that the two things are linked but not sure totally how. As more people die there seems to be only one thing (or person) that is a constant in all their pasts… Alice
I am not sure if I liked the character of Alice or not. She was definitely obsessed with her honey and offered it to anyone that visited. She also seemed a bit stereotypical for an elderly person… nosey with not many good things to say about anyone. But then again it was those exact traits that were used very effectively in leading the police in the wrong direction in their investigations.
Although not the senior detective on the case the main character in the police force seems to be Detective Harriet Taylor. She has transferred to Cornwall from Edinburgh after the death of her husband. She decided that a change of pace would be good for her to escape all the gossip surrounding his car accident as he was found with another woman. Being new to the community she was befriended by Alice and Harriet had no issues offering her a place to stay when it looked like she may be the next potential victim. I liked Harriet. Despite what had gone on in her past or maybe because of it she was determined to find out the truth.
Her boss is dealing with a wife who has early onset Alzheimer’s and so his focus is not totally on the case. His temporary replacement brought in from another force puts everyone’s nose out of joint by bringing in his own team and with only Harriet from the local force. When he determines that they know who the killer is and closes the case, she goes against his orders and keeps investigating, putting her own life in danger.
Although after a while I knew who the killer was and why they were murdering people it was still an engaging read as you were not actually sure who else would end up dead or how. If you are expecting a hard hitting murder mystery type story then The Beekeeper is not the one for you but that being said I did enjoy it and found myself chuckling occasionally especially at how Alice disposed of the t finger at the beginning. Am not sure that says more about the Authors dark sense of humour or mine. This is the first book I have read by Stewart Giles however I am now tempted to check out others that he has written.