Many thanks to Netgalley, Bonnier UK Audio and the author for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Seeds of Murder follows the story of Steph, a gardener and her beloved Dog 'Mouse'. It starts with Steph travelling to her brand new job as the head gardener in a wealthy gated community. The people she is working for is standard wealthy people with too much money, drama and secrets. And soon Steph finds herself getting dragged into the secrets and drama leading to her past being revealed and her becoming the suspect in anything and everything, hence leaving her with no choice but to become her own detective and advocate with Mouse as her trusty Watson (I don't think he knew that) to solve the mystery and clear her name and reputation (plus keep her job).

This book can be considered a cozy mystery confined in the space of an estate and the affairs within it. It was a pretty easy listen and the narrator did a great job.

TW: Loss of a child, betrayal, mental health issue, substance abuse, animal abuse, physical violence.

Seeds of murder is a lighthearted novel full of interesting characters and many different storylines. Steph Williams has just been appointed head gardener in the wealthy community of Beaulieu Heights. Her predecessor left a legacy of intrigue and her dog, Mouse keeps finding interesting items that seem to point to something sinister. The entitled residents enjoy over sharing their personal details with Steph, until threatening letters start arriving and she becomes the main suspect.
This is clearly the first in a series of novels featuring Steph and there is a feel of story lines being setup and lots of characters being introduced. I felt this led to a slow pace which failed to keep my interest as a result.

Seeds of Murder revolves around Steph Williams who takes up a gardening position Beaulieu Heights. Soon after she starts working there, the residents begin receiving blackmail notes and she is accused of being the sender. In order to keep her job, she must clear her name and find the real culprit.

As a huge fan of both cozy mystery and dogs, this book should've been right up my street. However it just really didn't work for me. The pacing in the first half of the book is extremely slow and we are introduced to so many characters, none of whom had very distinct personalities, so I found myself confused as to who was who. In the second half the plot does pick up slightly and secrets start coming out however I thought a lot of the secrets revolved around sensitive topics which seemed to have been thrown in for shock value and not properly explored.

In general I found Gesella Ohaka's narration pleasant to listen to. I do wish she would've used a wider range of voices as listening to it I did find myself losing track of who was speaking at times. The volume of the audiobook was inconsistent so I did find myself having to keep adjusting the volume on my phone.

Overall this book really wasn't for me however if you are looking for a slow paced book about gardening this might be for you.

Seeds Of Murder is the first book in the Gardener Mysteries series by British author, Rosie Sandler. The audio version is narrated by Gisella Ohaka. Even though some of the residents are demanding, a bit snooty and entitled, thirty-one-year-old gardener and tree surgeon, Steph Williams feels she’s lucked into the perfect job at Beaulieu Heights: five residences of varying descriptions, fully staffed to serve the families they house, she spends a day a week on each of their gardens, and Mouse, her big shaggy dog, welcomed by most.

Some of the gardens are more challenging than others, and it’s quickly clear that the previous gardener’s work was, at best, erratic. It seems that, rather to her dismay, Steph has the sort of face and demeanour that invites confidences: within the week, a flakey teen and a talented artist have shared secrets, and she wonders “how many confidences one person can absorb before they explode, secrets bursting from them like the seeds from Himalayan Balsam”.

Before she has been there very long, Mouse has alarmed at the woods behind her cottage, where she discovers a set of footprints. Mouse also brings her some puzzling items he has dug up: a child’s shoe, then another, a stuffed rabbit, and a piece of faded cloth, apparently belonging to a child about whose death everyone is circumspect.

While most of the staff make sure she is well and deliciously fed, some of her employers have strange requests and restrictions about where she might enter, and with one husband, Steph needs to exert her physical strength to curb his lecherous conduct. The behaviour of a teenaged son towards the teen girls on the estate is also disturbing.

Steph also has to deal with a constant stream of calls and texts from the ex-husband who bankrupted her business. She’s not sure if the first threatening note is from him. Then, expensive statues begin to go missing; and others on the estate receive threatening notes: Steph somehow becomes the prime suspect, and has a limited time to prove her innocence and keep her job.

In this gated community, between the families and staff, there is a large cast and it helps to take notes to keep track of them, and their various lies and secrets. There are copious mentions of plants, something that is bound to appeal to gardeners; there are one or two plot holes and in some aspects of the story the author’s fingerprints are apparent, but these can be forgiven for a twisty plot and appealing protagonists, including the dog.

The story plays out against a background of the mystery of Steph’s birth parents, something likely to be the subject of further instalments, of which there are two so far: Murder Takes Root and Murder In Bloom. And Steph’s departure from Beaulieu Heights is presaged by the job offer she receives in the Epilogue, looking like she’ll be off to Derbyshire. An enjoyable cosy.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bonnier UK Audio.

A really cute cozy story. Perfect for cold nights in front of the fire.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this book

Loved the start of this series. I loved Steph and of course Mouse! Some of the extra characters I didn’t mind, some annoyed (possibly on purpose) and I found the whodunnit part of this story to be very enjoyable. Also enjoyed the gardening side, looking forward to book 2.

A new to me author, which i am always happyto experience.

A cozy mystery set in the world of horticulture, what more could be done my street!

This a 'on the back burner' type of mystery, a slow burn one if you like, one that takes quite a lot of the book to build up to the main crux, so if you like that type of book, you like cozy murder mystery and gardening, then what are you waiting for snap this up!

Thank you Netgalley and Rosie Sandler for the ARC of Seeds of Murder.

We join Steph and her faithful dog, Mouse as she starts her new job as a grounds person/gardener in a gated community. As she starts to settle into this idillic place, she starts to realise that something isn't quite what it seems and she starts to unfold the mystery in Beaulieu.

Steph reminds me of a young Miss Marples , with her analytical mind and slowly pricing things together. There are a fair few characters to keep track of but most, if not all, have an individual voices/quicks to make them stand out from each other, I loved the narrator, Gesella Ohaka. She has a lovely story telling voice, with slightly adjustments in the character voices to make them stand out but not uncomfortably so.

The narrative has some very nice twists and turns and the pay off at the end is great. Definitely a nice cosy mystery to curl up with.

This was a decent whodunnit style book with an amateur sleuth.

Steph Williams has moved to Beaulieu, a private high end estate of exclusive homes, to be the estates gardener. No sooner has she started than she becomes embroiled in to the private lives of these rich, entitled residents. Before she knows it she is being accused of blackmailing the residents over their sordid secrets.

She is given 9 days to clear her name and find out who the real blackmailer is. She received one of the notes from the blackmailer at the same time as the residents, but they think she sent it to herself. No sooner has she started investigating than she gets more threatening messages to stop digging into this.

This is an easy read with a flowing investigation. There isn’t a huge amount to Steph’s character apart for her love of her beloved dog mouse. As lovely as her relationship with mouse is, the way she translates his behaviour is bit bonkers. The owners of the various houses in Beaulieu are all pretty vile with the exception of Fiona who does befriend Steph.

This was tied up well at the end and has set itself up well for the next in the series. I give this a 4/5.

Steph is excited to start her new live-in role as Gardener at the lavish Beaulieu Heights. Her trusty dog - Mouse accompanies her as they get to grips with all elements of the new job. Beaulieu Height is a beautiful gated community for the wealthy, just outside London. Soon mysterious items begin being stolen, and notes begin to appear. Steph is told various areas are out of bounds, but with no explanation; something very strange is going on and regardless of that the residents have told her, she is determined to get to the bottom of it.

This is a modern cosy mystery, perfect for unwinding. I love the characters of Steph and Mouse, they are well rounded and relatable. I found it quite funny that they mentioned the show The Doghouse as I also watch that as a feel good show! Steph does come across as a little ‘holier than thou’ at times, but overall a really entertaining and enjoyable listen. I will be keeping an eye out for sequels!

Perfectly relaxing narration which works well with the writing style.

Seeds of Murder is a highly addictive cosy mystery and the start of a promising new series.

Steph and her adorable dog Mouse are tasked with their new job of maintaining the gardens in an upper-class gated community after the previous gardener proved to be unsatisfactory and quite a dubious character. However, it soon becomes clear that her job role will also entail being a sounding board for all the residents' complaints, secrets and problems which leads to her becoming suspect number one when blackmail letters start appearing.

I enjoyed reading about the characters of Beaulieu Heights as there was never a dull moment with them. I also liked the interesting snippets of gardening information that were thrown in making Steph sound very authentic and knowledgeable about her job.

The mystery proved to be quite complicated to solve as each household seemed to have an eccentric character or someone behaving suspiciously. There are a lot of red herrings to distract and keep the reader guessing.

The narration of the audiobook is excellent and I found myself listening to the whole thing in one day. A fun read from start to finish. I'm looking forward to continuing with this series.

Steph Williams was offered her to be a gardener, which was her dream job. However she got accused in blackmailing the resident. She urgently needed to clear name and now she could only rely on herself. During her investigation, more secrets were going to reveal.

A great concept of the cozy mystery story. Probably it worked better with multiple narrators as it has too many characters. It might be confusing and could not follow the story. But the story itself was entertaining and interesting!

I wanted to like this book. A small town mystery AND a dog? Unfortunately, I didn't. I HATED everyone. Whiny, annoying, snobby, invasive - name a bad trait and a character will have it! There was also so. many. characters! And I just didn't care about any of them or their various secrets. I also found Steph frustrating - she wasn't professional, and very much felt like someone who lives by 'don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness'. I also found the audiobook narrator a bit annoying too, but that may be due to the characters. I wish this was a cute, cosy mystery but it was just all negative at best.

Thanks to net galley for the arc.

I'm not usually one for cozy mysteries but i LOVED this. It was a wonderful read, perfect for autumn/winter. The narration was perfect and easy to follow. I loved Mouse! The storyline was interesting and I enjoyed the gardening element.

This book was enjoyable, if a little silly. I liked the main character but thought the whole concept was a little far fetched. The other characters were almost caricatures of themselves.

Steph Williams has landed a wonderful job, gardener to five mansions set in endless acres where the wealthy owners have butlers, maids, automatic security gates – and incredible gardens. They’re also a rather peculiar and colourful bunch as Steph and her faithful hound Mouse soon find out. In a matter of days she has learned of a grave in the ponies’ paddock, a mysterious locked shed, an out of bounds garden wilderness, a philandering husband, two garden thefts and a camera in the woods, not to mention becoming a confidante to some secrets. And that’s before she receives a threatening letter warning her off, whilst also trying to avoid her scrounging ex-husband who has now gone missing. All she wants is a quiet life tending to the plants but when she is summoned by the committee and accused of a crime, Steph decides to resurrect her childhood ambition to be a detective and get to the truth at Beaulieu Heights. With no possibility to call in the police, she’s on her own, but with only ten days allowed, will she manage to clear her name?
I liked Steph and loved Mouse right from the start. It’s a gentle crime mystery story but with a great current setting and Steph is a no-nonsense lady who certainly doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. The various inhabitants are well portrayed and easy to picture, and there is plenty of gardening knowledge displayed by the author throughout the story. It’s a lovely start to a new series and I will definitely be reading/listening to more. Great narration too that really held my interest. 4.5*

DNFed after 36%…
I think it is better if I leave this book now, even though it is a NetGalley book and I try to finish them, but it would only end in a reading slump.
Usually, with books, there are 1-2 things that disturb or annoy me, but here, at a third of the way through the book, there are already 4!!! red flags, so I don't think I should have given it any more chances.
1) There were too many characters. She has her own family there, which is not small, then there are the people on the estate, and our lovely protagonist, Steph, also visited the village so there are a few characters from there, too. I had no idea who was who, I completely lost the thread during the series of visits to the houses. Then I didn't care anymore. And since it's an audiobook, the plethora of characters is even less memorable
2. The book runs on so many threads, but in a bad way. There's the garden and the things found by the dog, and there's also the case of the missing girl, which I don't know do they related each other. In addition, there are two threads to her own background story: divorce and adoption. And that's all under 36%. I couldn't dive in anywhere, because the next one had already arrived
3. Steph's character was antipathetic to me. Yes, often the main character of cozy mysteries is a character who pokes his nose into everything, but here she was really annoying. She hasn't even started working yet, but she's sniffling after everything. Seriously, she moved into the cottage and took her dog with her without saying a word to the landlord...
4. This is not a cozy mystery for me... Yes, there are mysteries, there is a small town, a quarter of what I have read so far was about what to do in the garden, but the base of a cozy mystery is the atmosphere... It should be pleasant, cozy, not depressing. Although death and murder usually appear in these books, they are always in a humorous form, in a light tone. So far, there have been disappearances, violence against women, divorce, adoption, and the writer took these topics too seriously for me, but that doesn't make the book cozy...

I'm really sorry for the book, and I'm in the mood to read a cozy mystery right now, so I will look for another one...

I really enjoyed this one. I think this is what is classed as a ‘cosy mystery’. I enjoyed the mystery and the main character’s journey in getting to the truth (I don’t want to give anything away). Some characters were very likeable and some not so. Gardening is not something I have ever been interested in, but I found the storyline interesting and it didn’t take over the story. The narration was also good. I am definitely going to be looking out for more by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

What a lovely story! A cozy mystery (although not a muder, which is rarely the case) involving gardening, an adorable dog, and rich neighbours. I did get a little confused at first with the amount of characters, but nothing thar harmed my understanding of events.
I listened to the audiobook and I feel that Gesella Ohaka did a good job. However, there were some parts when the volume was a little louder or lower, so the editing staff should check on that.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ALC of Seeds of Murder in exchange for my honest review.



PS: spoiler ahead! Did I miss the explanation on why the old friend though Apple was called Penny? I didn't get that part,

Loved this book!! The storyline was interesting, felt like I learned lots about plants/gardening as well as enjoying the book.
Characters were engaging, even the ‘bad guys’. The only negative I have, if you can call it that, is that the narration was a little stilted at points.

Recommend read and an author I’ll be following from now on