I loved the first book of this series so I was really happy to see that the second book is out already. Happy to read more about this cosy mystery tied with gardening vibes and I loved the characters too, great in-depth characterisation. Waiting for book 3!

This is book 2 of the series, the first was a decent read and pulled me in enough to read the second book.

Steph’s latest gardening project is further up North at Ashford Manor working for Lady Clara. Soon after her arrival the Manor is shocked by the discovery of one of the staff. The death appears to be suicide, however, Steph doesn’t buy it and her amateur detective side takes over. As in book one, Steph is clumsy and bordering in annoying in her approach. Yet she always seems to find allies.

These books seem to work best if you don’t get to analytical or take it too seriously, as so much is unrealistic, but I have managed to look pass this still managing to enjoy it.

I’m still not hugely taken with Steph, she seems like she would be a slightly annoying colleague. Mouse the dog is always the favourite, however, the things Steph says he does make you think this is some super intelligent dog.

If you like Agatha Raisen, this could be a book for you. I give this 3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

Murder Takes Root is the second gardener cozy mystery featuring Steph Williams by Rosie Sandler. Released 3rd April 2024 by Bonnier on their Embla Books imprint, it's 272 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series (there's a 3rd due out from the same publisher in 1st quarter 2025) are also available on KU.

This is a well written, eminently readable, action driven cozy murder mystery. It's got a sympathetic amateur sleuth who's a gardener to the rich and privileged in the main role, a varied selection of quirky-to-downright-dislikable suspects, murder, blackmail, and lots of fun facts about gardening and plants. It's abundantly clear that the author is a keen horticulturalist or employs a stable of fact checkers/researchers.

The setup mechanic of the series is appealing and fresh; each new book will be set in a new place with the same main character in new gardening situations and with new mysteries to figure out.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A great addition to an incredible series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

I liked this cosy mystery series! It was fun and easy read! Nice to read about a fun way to do gardening too, I hope to read more in the series

Murder Takes Root is the second novel in this Rosie Sandler series. A refreshing cozy set in England, it follows Gardener Steph and her dog Mouse, as they take on a new assignment to restore the historic gardens of Ashford Manor to their former glory. She spends the first few days settling into her tower room! getting to know the other staff, interacting with the family and pissing off the head gardener.

From her tower room Steph hears some mysterious bangs at night and wonders what could be happening in the servants quarters? These goings on lead to finding one of the staff dead in his room. The police think it's suicide, but Steph is less convinced. She takes on the mystery and begins to unravel what is really going on behind the walls of this estate.

Lots of interesting characters and interesting gardening information too. I love how this series jumps right into things,as Steph moves from place to place for each book. You still get such vivid side characters and get invested so quickly in the story. A modern cozy and well worth a read!

I never thought I would enjoy a book about gardening so much! Steph is interesting and her dog, Mouse really makes the story. I think it's interesting that Steph changes jobs every book. In this one, Steph is restoring a garden to it's former glory.

Steph meets a charming and funny young man named Jamie. When she and another staff member find Jamie dead of a supposed suicide. Steph doesn't believe it for a minute and starts asking questions. The house is full of intersting characters, including the eighty or ninety something (he keeps changing his age)!

I love the subplot of the drama of Steph's missing ex-husband and evolving relationship with her family.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This book is a definite “no can do” for me. When will authors stop writing fiction in present tense?! Good gravy!!

Steph Williams consults on gardens. She is just arriving at her latest estate with her very large dog, Mouse, when the book opens. Her main point of contact is Lady Clara although there is a plethora of other characters. Though Sandler tries to space out introductions, there were so many characters, I got confused.
Steph is put into a bedroom in a round tower which is fantastic, but she keeps hearing arguments late at night in the servants' corridor. Thin walls but she has to leave her tower to go to the main house in order to access it. While she's there, Steph is dealing with some hard personalities including the manor's gardener who would prefer she weren't there, a number of people who are running around on each other, and an elderly gentleman who keeps dropping cryptic warnings. And then, there's the body. Though it's an apparent suicide, the police aren't so sure.
I hadn't read the first book in the series and Sandler does a good job of explaining without info dumping but I did feel like I was missing some things, especially in regard to Steph's ex-husband. I also wish we had gotten a few more clues to the solution.

The Gardener Mysteries #2
Three stars
This book comes out April 3, 2024
ARC kindly provided by Embla Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Another lovely addition to this series, perfect for any gardening&mystery lover.
Well plotted, compelling. I was glad to catch up with well rounded characters and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I really love this series and am so glad I took a chance on it!

This one was sadder than book 1 was [<spoiler>No murder in that one</spoiler>], but it was an excellent mystery with a baddie I didn't see coming until close to the end and there was a great cast of characters that added to the red herring aspects, which this author excels at. Add in her father and his crazy gardening, an important upcoming meeting and fantastic dogs and cats galore, and this story was one of the better ones I have read as of late. I also really like that each book is a new job/location, with new characters to get to know; I find that very refreshing and it keeps the stories fresh as well.

My only issue was the rushed [and a little flat] reveal [which is my least favorite thing with some of the new mysteries I have been reading]. After all it took to get to the end, with all the clues, I felt the end could have had a little more oof than it did [though Mouse ftw right?], but ultimately it didn't take away from the story as a whole.

I am so looking forward to book 3 [and hopefully beyond]!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosie Sandler, and Embla Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Murder Takes Root is the second book in the Gardener Mysteries series by British author, Rosie Sandler. In mid-November, gardener and tree surgeon Steph Williams arrives at Ashford Manor in Derbyshire where Lady Clara Fanshawe is hoping she will be able to restore the gardens to their former glory. Her big shaggy dog Mouse is at her side, and she is accommodated in the Round Wing, a genuine tower, to the envy of some of the other nine staff, whose rooms are much more basic, and unheated.

She’s made welcome by all the staff, with the notable exception of William Blythe, the head gardener, who seems to resent her appointment, somehow feeling his own role is being usurped. Mouse takes well to everyone except Blythe, soon becoming a much-needed support dog when things turn nasty. Mouse is also overjoyed to spend time with Mirabelle, the wolfhound owned by Lady Clara’s brother, Dickie Spencer.

But barely two weeks into her stay, a favourite member of staff, Jamie Lennox is found hanging in his room. Steph is one of the first on the scene, and although the police conclude that Jamie took his own life, a few things that Steph has noticed have convinced her otherwise.

Steph initially spends a lot of her time measuring and sketching, consulting the plans Geroge London had made for the gardens back in the eighteenth Century, which include a yew maze, a croquet lawn and two fountains; later, she pulls out diseased box hedge and the brambles that cover one of the fountains, but she still has time to investigate Jamie’s death.

Her (mostly subtle) enquiries lead her to find a diary whose entries point to a staff member, and later, when she teams up with ninety-two-year-old Sir Angus, what looks like a treasure map. A sketch book and a St Christopher medallion also offer clues.

Unlike the first book in the series, this one doesn’t have an unwieldy cast to remember, but the story does rather drag in places and the resolution is not entirely satisfactory. Mouse the dog saves this instalment from a lower rating, and more of this cast in #3, Murder in Bloom is not really tempting. An adequate cosy.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Embla Books.

If you are like me and started the series just now (from book 2) do not worry. Rosie Sandler has mercy on such readers and provides enough backstory to catch up.
Murder Takes Root is the second adventure of blossoming gardener and budding snoop Steph. If anything, this book is a very long. Mystery is no hurry to take place (murder that is). This book is full of gardening descriptions (that might be boring and too descriptive). But a whole bunch of colourful characters and their interactions make up for any long round about roads.
I enjoyed this book because of the setting (manor and gardens, upstairs-downstairs, a real princess tower, etc.) and characters. I felt like I was inside the story and watched people go about their ways.
Murder Takes Root is a cozy mystery set in the English country manor where gardener gets her hands and knees dirty to uncover the culprit and restore original gardens to the owners' liking.

The second Gardner Mystery finds Steph working at a manor restoring the gardens. When one of the young workers is found dead, believed to be a suicide, Steph is not convinced. She thinks it is murder and starts to investigate.

I’m enjoying this series a lot! It took a little while to get to the murder, but I did enjoy the build up. I can’t wait to see where Steph’s mysteries take her next!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Steph arrives at her next assignment. She's been commissioned by Lady Clara of Ashford Manor to restore the home's formerly lovely gardens to their glory.

She meets the staff, most of whom are happy to get to know her, and the totally adorable and friendly Mouse. The only exception is the head gardener, who is adversarial and dismissive of Steph from the get go. The other staff members assure her that he's always like this.

When one of the staff appears to have killed himself, everyone and everything is thrown into chaos and depression. The young man was well liked by everyone; he was kind and funny and always willing to go a little further to welcome and care for others.

Though some are willing to accept that the young man committed suicide, Steph knows immediately that this makes no sense, and she begins looking at everyone at the estate in an effort to find out why anyone would want to harm such a kind person.

There are multiple suspects, and definitely something shady going on under the nose of Lady Clara, with greed and the fear of exposure of a lucrative but criminal scheme forming the motive.

Steph is relentless, even while she digs out weeds, invasive plants, and finds ways to bring the gardens back to life.

Author Rosie Sandler does a good job of characterizing the relevant support characters, and laying the groundwork for the revelation of the killer.

Mouse remains a superstar, doing a fantastic job of opening doors for Steph's nosy questions, while also making friends, whether dog or human, wherever he goes. And he's a fantastic protector of cats, making him even more lovely as a character.

I like that Steph's ongoing issues with her parents discomfort with Steph's desire to meet her birth mum is still present, though diminished, and that though she's eager, Steph is also nervous about what this could mean to her life.

I also like that Steph moves from location to location for each new book, as it keeps things interesting (and more credible than sticking to one village with an insane body count).

I am eager to find out where Steph and Mouse and up next!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Embla Booksfor this ARC in exchange for my review.

Steph and Mouse have moved on to a new gardening project at Ashford Manor.
All is going well on the restoration until a body is found , the police rule it as suicide but the ever inquisitive Steph doesn’t believe this and starts to do some sleuthing of her own .
The family at Ashford Manor have their own secrets and it doesn’t take Steph long to start uncovering them .
The writing makes it easy to read and Steph is a a great character.
I enjoyed the first in the series but enjoyed this book even more .
I look forward to Steph and her trusty sidekick Mouse next adventure.
Thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books.

Book two in The Gardener Mysteries series is set in Derbyshire. Steph's new job is as a garden designer at a stately manor. Steph soon discovers some of the people she meets have dark secrets. When there is a tragedy, Steph is sure it isn't accidental. In the audiobook, the narrator brings the characters and events to life as she did in the first book, 'Seeds of Murder', and it is enjoyable with horticultural details to add authenticity to the story. I like the characterisation, suspense-building and pacing. It's an entertaining listen/read.

I read an advanced copy from the publisher and purchased the audiobook.

A superb cosy mystery that will keep you riveted. Whilst this is the second in the series, it can be read as a standalone. One woman and her dog are a force to be reckoned with when a hanging occurs. The flower settings displayed by Jamie in the hours before his death indicate something more sinister may have occurred to him. The hunt is on to follow the clues and find a murderer before the case is dismissed as suicide. The book is so well executed and despite the subject matter, it makes for a fun and entertaining mystery read. Mouse the dog remains my favourite character #murdertakesroot #rosiesandler #embla #netgalley

The Gardener mysteries book 2

Stepth has a new job as a consultant to restore the garden's at Ashford Manor.
Stepth is only there for a week when one of the other staff members is found dead. The police deem it a suicide whilst stepths instincts tell her otherwise.
She sets off on a mission to uncover the truth.
Good plot. I loved the descriptions about gardening and mouse her dog is adorable.
Look forward to the next mystery.

Murder Takes Root by Rosie Sandler is the second in a series featuring Steph Williams who is a landscape architect who works primarily for wealthy people designing or makomg a plan to refurbish gardens that have been cared for poorly. She arrives at the home of Lady Clara Fanshawe and her husband and is immediately taken with the number of odd people who live there. She is given the tower, yes, tower, in which she and her dog, Mouse, will spend the next several months. Almost on the first night she hears a fight(?) coming from a room in the house parallel to her space. As she tries to follow the noise, she finds locked doors. Everyone is welcoming enough, except for the head gardener who resents her presence and doesn’t like her dog. She tries several more times to follow the disconcerting noises until one day she comes upon an, apparently, autistic youth, curled up outside. Turns out he is the brother of one of the staff and staying here surreptitiously. Just another odd coincidence until that same brother is found hanged in his room.

Steph is a good guest. She communicates well with the people for whom she works and the other employees. She is clever and creative and truly cares for the people she knows. There is an over-arcing plot line in which her ex-husband has disappeared and his girlfriend, who has befriended Steph, is still trying to find him. The police want to call Jamie’s death a suicide but Steph sees it as a murder and works to prove her viewpoint. It was a good mystery and Steph is a good sleuth, as well as keeping up with her redesign and dog sitting for Lady Clara’s brother’s dog, with whom Mouse is infatuated. It is a fun story with plenty going on as well as some gardening tidbits thrown in for good measure. Thanks Rosie Sandler for a fun read!

I was invited to read Murder Takes Root by Embla Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #EmblaBooks #RosieSandler #MurderTakesRoot