I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Jemima Cotton, a police officer, has transferred from London to Little Cote, looking for a simpler life but before she can unpack her belongings in her new home on Foxglove Close, she is called into action for a murder that is only 2 doors down! What a way to meet the neighbors.

While conducting the murder investigation in her own neighborhood, Jemima meets all the busybodies, town drunks, and ladies looking for love outside their marriages, but who keeps killing people?

What an interesting way to introduce not just a new cozy series but the characters as well.

Great start for a new series!

I'm very pleasantly surprised with this book!
It's actually a cosy mystery, with likable characters and a little bit (well, maybe more than little) od small community pettiness which I loved.
The mystery itself is not the most groundbreaking, but it's interesting enough.

I'll be definitely reading the next book in the series.

An enjoyable cosy mystery set in a Sussex village with a rural police officer as the main protagonist. This is not a traditional police procedural, although the authenticity of the procedures is evident. This is a study of human nature, village dynamics tinged with humour, mystery and romance.

PC Cotton is an engaging protagonist and a resourceful sleuth. The rural police team are convincingly portrayed. The vibrantly created villagers provide Jemima Cotton with many suspects and constant interference in her personal life.

The plot is well thought-out and, this promises to be an entertaining cosy mystery series with noteworthy originality.

I received a copy of this book from Hodder and Stoughton via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Jemima a police constable, moved to a quiet village seeking peace, quiet, no judgemental neighbours and wanting to live a quieter paced life.
She did not expect such nosy neighbours who would monitor her every move, describe all her actions on a neighbourhood Whatsapp group (which she has joined under
an assumed name!) and then get dragged into a murder which develops into murders just down the road.

Despite the murders, there is a lot of humour and plenty of action of every kind - from the free wheeling marital high jinks in a seemingly conservative
village to characters of every kind. It all adds to the interest and expands the story to cover so much of interest that your attention never wavers.

It was a light hearted cozy mystery, set in idyllic surroundings but with human elements of greed, bad decisions and very human mistakes.

This book was a fun small town/village cosy murder mystery. We follow police constable Jemima Cotton who moves from London to a small place in Sussex and is immediately thrust into a murder investigation amidst her new neighbors. All the characters were interesting with distinct personalities. My only qualm is that the ending was underwhelming and not surprising. If there are more books in this series, then I'd surely give them a try cause I like the characters.

The Murders at Foxglove Close is the début instalment in Rose Temple's Neighbourhood Watch Mystery series featuring Police Constable Jemima Cotton Jemima, 34, has recently moved from London to the country for a more relaxed life. Foxglove Close in the village of Little Cote, Sussex, doesn't necessitate such a chaotic work schedule as to when she was a Met officer and she's glad to be free of her ex and her soured relationship. However, her new neighbourhood is swarming with gossips though Jemima's enjoying her role in Sussex Constabulary's neighbourhood policing team based at Laversham police station. Jemima has been staying in her Aunt Natalie's spare room but is moving to her own house. But on this warm July day, a gentleman named Daniel Drake has been found dead while dining in his back garden.

This is an absorbing and compelling series opener and I took to Jemima almost immediately. The small community descriptions are just right and the people are vividly brought to life by the author. The humour, lighthearted mystery, characters and rural setting all inject oomph into the story. An extremely enjoyable, terrifically good read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

OMG! This drew me in quickly and there was that instant tension of a drama unfolding. An incredibly well thought out, very original plotline and one I had not foreseen. I turned ever quicker and devoured this- the sign of a gripping, well written read. A captivating, rollercoaster of a book. Loved it.

The Murders at Foxglove Close is the first instalment in the Neighborhood Watch Mystery series and features Police Constable Jemima Cotton who has recently moved from the hustle and bustle of London to the country for a slower pace of life. Moving into Foxglove Close in the village of Little Cote, Sussex, she certainly doesn't miss her chaotic work as a Met officer or the break up in her relationship, but little does she know, this isn't going to be a piece of cake in terms of policing either. The local neighbourhood is positively teeming with gossips who even have their own WhatsApp group to ensure they don't miss anything. But soon murders begin to occur with one even happening on her very own street and this results in her recruitment to local CID.

An elderly gentleman has seemingly been mercilessly slaughtered while dining al fresco in his back garden. Who would do such a thing and wreak such havoc in the tight-knit community? This is a compelling, absorbing and utterly charming opener to a brand new cosy mystery series and the fact that it is written by a former Hampshire Constabulary rural beat officer means both the police procedures and the small community descriptions are spot on. The descriptions of the village and its people are so vivid and evocative reminding me of those English country villages such as Midsomer. The witty humour, lighthearted mystery, idiosyncratic characters and beautiful rural setting help bring both the story and characters to life. Highly recommended.

Excellent start for a new cozy series, I hope there will be more books as I found it really entertaining.
The plot is tightly knitted and kept me turning pages, i read in one afternon.
Jemina is an interesting characters, strong willed and clever.
The Neighbourhood Watch phone group was a very funny idea and an excellent plot device as it makes you discover what's behind the quaint village image.
The characters are well thought and fleshed out, the mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Books.

I enjoyed this book, it gave me cosy mystery vibes.

I found the concept very interesting - poisoning by a plant grown down the street where the murders are happening!

It’s not a wow book but it’s one for those who was a light village mystery without gore or violence.

I am however intrigued to see if there will be a follow up book with more of Jemima’s cases!

The story is told through the eyes of Jemima Cotton, a police officer who has moved into a rural village from London. She has to fit in with her new neighbours, but the catch is that one of them is a murderer.
I liked the irony and humour about neighbours, rural life, and a small rural police force. The crime was also quite well woven and not obvious, with a touch of Agatha Christie in the use of herbs as poisons.
I was also reminded of Beatrix Potter (Jemima Puddle Duck meats a fox among the foxgloves...)
I just wish, however, that the "I'm running away from a cheating ex" trope had not been played.
I liked the characters and will read the next book when it is published.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The story engaged me early on. It had me guessing as to who the killer could be, and the identity of the killer came as a surprise to me. The one problem I had with the story was that the chapters were not delineated clearly. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.

Neighbours everybody needs good neighbours! (or do they)

A cosy murder mystery very reminiscent of Midsomer's Murders with a strong female lead character who sees her professional and personal life overlap as a newly appointed village bobby of Little Cote.

An easy read which I thoroughly enjoyed, look forward to seeing were this series progresses.

The first book I have read written by this author and was impressed. Enjoyed this story and look forward to the next ones.

About a third of the way in, I began to wonder if this was written by an actual police officer and it appears that I was correct! It’s not a masterpiece, but it was an easy, enjoyable read and I didn’t suspect the murderer until the housewarming party (although had no idea why!). It’s overall well done, although the characters feel a bit flat. Hopefully they will fill out a bit as the series moves forward - assuming that. this is a series - as I will be keeping an eye out for the next.

Neighborhood watch mystery.
Jemima transfers from London police to country police. She wasn't expecting a bunch of neighborhood busybodies.
Interesting characters small town murder mystery. Look forward to seeing what other secrets Jemima can unearth

If you like Midsomer Murders, Murders at Foxglove Close will be right up your (hopefully crime-free) street.

As recently-transferred PC Jemima Cotton soon finds out, nothing is quite as it seems in a neighbourhood full of gossips with their own Whatsapp group chat and a freshly murdered corpse just down the road at № 1 Foxglove Close. The move from London to Sussex policing and some uncomfortable questions to her new neighbours mean that Jemima is not the favourite resident of the close. She is, however, the most adept at solving murders.

Temple draws out the secrets of each resident bit by bit, building a picture of the area for both Jemima and the reader. The ending was a little surprising and seemed a bit rushed in comparison to the effort put into weaving the stories together, but the killer was logical and there was evidence to suggest their identity throughout.

Either way, a thoroughly enjoyable bedtime read; a laid back and clear writing style with a strong female lead who is good at what she does makes for a single sitting page-turner!

My thanks to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Rose Temple for this e-ARC.

A lovely cozy Murder mystery. Jemima has moved to a country village to escape London but soon realises that there is no escape from murder.

If firmly shelved with other fairytales, The Murders at Foxglove Close by Rose Temple is a perfectly enjoyable novel. The blurb led me to believe that it would be a police procedural but, if it is, it is certainly a cosy one! I don't mean to be dismissive at all. I read so-called cosy crime (I do wish someone would come up with a less pejorative description) a lot and enjoy it very much. And I enjoyed this too and would happily read more by the author.

Jemima has moved from London to Sussex, leaving the Met behind and joining the local force. She's a PC, not CID, which makes her unusual in the current crop of crime novels. However, for the story to work, she has to be drafted into CID enquiries which makes the difference purely academic. Of course she solves the crimes - too easily, thus my fairytale remark.

But the writing is good, the characters are developing nicely and the setting comes to life. As I say, I enjoyed it and read it in large chunks over the course of a day.