Not sure what it was about this but it failed to hold my interest. It sounded interesting and I love Rhys Bowen’s various mystery series but I couldn’t connect with Liz and found the story to be a bit dry. The premise was fascinating but it was very slow moving and, while it was tied up nicely in the end, it was too little, too late for me.

In the realm of historical mysteries, Rhys Bowen has carved out a niche for herself with her compelling narratives and strong female protagonists. Her latest offering, “The Rose Arbor,” is no exception to this tradition. Set against the backdrop of 1968 London, the story plunges readers into an engrossing tale that intertwines a contemporary investigation with secrets dating back to World War II.
Liz Houghton, the protagonist of “The Rose Arbor,” finds herself in the monotonous world of obituary writing, yearning for a breakthrough that would catapult her into the bustling newsroom. The disappearance of a young girl presents Liz with just such an opportunity. Accompanied by her best friend Marisa, a police officer on the case, Liz’s pursuit of the truth leads them to Dorset. Here, they stumble upon a chilling connection to a decades-old mystery involving three girls who vanished during their evacuation from London—one found murdered and two never seen again.
Bowen’s narrative prowess shines as she deftly weaves the present-day investigation with the wartime past, drawing readers into the desolate village of Tydeham. Once requisitioned by the military and now abandoned, Tydeham becomes more than just a setting—it emerges as a silent witness to the long-buried secrets that Liz is determined to uncover. The author’s ability to create a sense of place is so potent that the village itself feels like a character, imbuing the story with an atmosphere that is both haunting and vivid.
As a fan of Rhys Bowen’s work, I found “The Rose Arbor” to be a refreshing departure from her previous novels. While it retains the hallmark elements of a historical mystery, there is an added layer of suspense that elevates it to the realm of a historical thriller. The plot is unique and meticulously crafted, ensuring that the suspense remains taut throughout the narrative.
Bowen’s characters are, as always, endearing and relatable. Liz Houghton stands out as a testament to Bowen’s skill in creating strong, intelligent women who drive the story forward. Her determination and journalistic instincts make her an engaging character whom readers will root for as she delves deeper into the enigma of Tydeham.
“The Rose Arbor” is a testament to Rhys Bowen’s storytelling abilities, with her descriptive writing transporting readers to another time and place. The novel captivates with its blend of history and suspense, leaving one eagerly anticipating future works from Bowen’s imaginative mind. For those who have followed her previous works, this novel is a thrilling addition to her repertoire. For newcomers, it serves as a perfect introduction to the enchanting worlds that Bowen creates.

My first book by this author .What a great story .The grass may not always be greener on the other side .One may question if you had chose another path then where would you be .It also shows sometimes you may not get over the past unless close the door .Ben dying gave Harper a new life to love with their son.Maybe things work out just as it should.

Rhys Bowen always writes an atmospheric, character driven novel, and the Rose Arbor didn't disappoint. My imagination led me down several dead ends as I tried to figure out what was going on with the central theme of this story. Along with newspaper writer Liz Houghton and her roommate, detective Marisa, I dreamed up some wild theories about what had happened to the missing girls. I suspected the wrong people, and was ultimately surprised by the plot resolutions. The dual time-line that had a wartime village being evacuated to serve as target practice for the British army was interesting and connected well to the present day mystery.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Although I don't think this is the best book this author has written I still enjoyed it and I always go for any books that by her. The dual timeline worked well and I particularly enjoyed the parts where she felt recognition from her own past but couldn't fit the pieces together. A good storyline and interesting characters made it an enjoyable read

Rhys Bowen has become a very reliable author for me over the past few years. I have enjoyed reading The Molly Murphy mysteries and a few of her standalone novels. The Rose Arbor was no exception. It was a well written historical fiction mystery that followed a dual timeline. Rhys Bowen never ceases to impress me with her strong female characters that she creates for her books. In The Rose Arbor, Liz Houghton was not only a strong young woman but she was determined, confident, intelligent and capable. I was in awe of her never ending tenacity. She possessed an unrelenting desire to prove that she was not only competent in her role as a newspaper reporter but that she deserved the position that she had been denied. The Rose Arbor took place in both 1968 and in the 1940’s during World War II. It was set in London and in a tiny little fishing village called Tydeham. The Rose Arbor was loosely inspired by actual places and events that existed and occurred during World War II.

Liz Houghton and her flatmate, Marisa had met years ago in school. Marisa had attended the school on a scholarship. The girls came from completely different backgrounds and upbringings but they became loyal and steadfast friends. In 1968, Liz and Marisa had become flatmates despite Liz’s parent’s hope that Liz would remain living in their home. Marisa had followed in her father’s footsteps and had become a police officer and Liz was working for the Dailey Express Newspaper in London. Liz had recently discovered the hard way that uncovering a noteworthy story was not always rewarded. In Liz’s case, it removed her from the role of reporter and placed her in the department that’s sole responsibility was writing obituaries. Not only was Liz’s career aspirations in journalism in a slump but the man that Liz had developed feelings for had followed a job opportunity that led him to Australia. Liz had hoped that she would have heard from him but not a single word came. Her hope for a future with this man was diminishing very fast. On top of all of that, Liz’s mother was suffering from the beginning stages of dementia.

Liz was at a real impasse with everything she was dealing with when she learned that Marisa was going to Dorset to investigate a lead about a missing little girl named Lucy Fareham. Marisa was accompanying Detective Inspector Jones on this investigation. The police department had received a tip that a little girl fitting Lucy Fareham’s description had been sighted in the Dorset area. Liz started to formulate a plan in her head. She knew that if she was able to find little Lucy, she would regain the respect she had lost at the newspaper. After much persuasion, Liz was able to convince Marisa to allow her to follow her to Dorset. When Liz bumped into Marisa and Detective Inspector Jones, Liz and Marisa would act surprised. Liz knew that this was her opportunity to show her supervisor what she was capable of doing. The morning Liz put her plan in action, she called her office and told them that she was sick and not coming into work.

In the early 1940’s, England’s armed forces were searching for the best place to practice their drills for the possibility of an invasion by Germany. The fishing village of Tydeham in Dorset seemed as good a place as any for this purpose. Its inhabitants were given two weeks to pack up their possessions and to find somewhere else to live. The village of Tydeham consisted of a church, schoolhouse, pub, modest cottages and the main house known as Tydeham Grange. There was a total of eight families that resided in Tydeham. In addition, Tydeham was located on the coast and had the land features that the British armed forces were looking for that would replicate the situations that they might face if confronted by the Germans. Before the war started, most of Tydeham’s inhabitants earned their living by fishing. Most of the people who lived in Tydeham, had lived there their entire lives. Some families had lived in Tydeham for generations. Their orders were that they had to evacuate before October 8, 1943. Some of the people of Tydeham went to live with relatives. Others were offered council houses to live in. The people of Tydeham were promised that nothing bad would happen to their homes and that they would be allowed to return once the war ended. Unfortunately, those were empty promises.

After a few days of separately tracking down leads about young Lucy Fareham’s disappearance, Liz convinced Detective Inspector Jones and Marisa to let her accompany them to a place called Tydeham where someone claimed to see a child in the back of a car matching Lucy’s description. The car had been seen headed toward Tydeham. The town of Tydeham was still considered a restricted area. If they wanted to access the town, they would have to get the army’s permission. The army agreed and even provided an escort for DI Jones, Marisa and Liz. As the three were driven to Tydeham, DI Jones told Marisa and Liz about three little girls who had disappeared during World War II years. During the war, many children were evacuated from the city to the countryside. Of the three little girls, two were never found. One of them was found dead near the train tracks. Liz became equally obsessed with solving the fates of these young girls who disappeared during the war as she was with trying to find Lucy. When DI Jones, Marisa and Liz reached Tydeham, what they saw was shocking. The town had been obliterated. Liz immediately felt as if she had been in Tydeham but she knew the possibility was unlikely. She would have been about two years old in 1943. There was something though that was so familiar and yet foreboding at the same time about the town to Liz. After a disappointing outing, Marisa and DI Jones left the next morning. Liz decided to stay on for another day or so. She felt compelled to go back to Tydeham again. When she found herself by Tydeham Grange, the manor house, Liz felt a presence and remembered things that happened there when she was a very young girl. Then someone was standing over her. James Bennington had come out of nowhere and scared her to death. As Liz began to recover from her scare, she turned white as a ghost and began to tremble as she saw a vision of someone that had been buried in the rose garden under the rose arbor. Could Liz’s visions be accurate? What would the local police discover? Would Liz discover a romance with James Bennington?

The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen was suspenseful and kept me guessing as Liz tried to figure out what had happened to young Lucy Fareham. She was determined to also discover what had happened to the three young girls that disappeared during World War II. Their cases had never been solved. Liz knew that DI Jones felt like he failed those three little girls and their families that disappeared during their evacuation. Could she help DI Jones get closure after all the time that had lapsed? I admired Liz’s character and how she grew in confidence and ability over the course of the story. The Rose Arbor was an enjoyable historical fiction mystery that I highly recommend.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed the premise of this mystery although I felt some of the execution was wobbly. Liz Houghton is a 27 year old newspaper journalist who has been demoted to the obituaries. Her roommate is a Metropolitan Police Officer and the nation is currently gripped by the disappearance of a young girl named Lucy. Liz becomes interested and ends up helping her roommate with the investigation. Through many twists and turns Liz solves the mystery along with one from her own past.

It was an easy read but there were times where I felt things were too convenient or fast moving. But it was a good book to escape in.

The Rose arbor is a story about a journalist Liz Houghton set in London, 1968. It’s a historical fiction combined with mystery of a missing girl Lucy.

I was excited to read this one as it is my first book by Rhys Bowen but it did not meet my expectations. The story is mixed with so many different mysteries and way too may coincidences, two of them cold cases from over 20 years ago. All the stories started to unwind in the last 20% of the book. Before that it felt like everything was happening at once and nothing made sense.

I think the story had more potential. I fast read the last 40% so I can review it but it’s not a book I will recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

A tremendous dual timeline masterpiece, The Rose Arbor was intriguing from start to finish! Though the plot was far-fetched at times, it was overall a great historical fiction story with a perfect amount of mystery!

The Rose Arbor
Rhys Bowen

This one was a historical fiction with mystery and suspense. It was very well written with dual timelines that were easily followed.

Liz, the FMC is wanting to get her way into the newsroom, so she starts looking into a girls disappearance. While searching, they also discover that 25 years prior, three other girls had also disappeared. Liz ends up traveling to a village called Tydeham, that was taken over by the British military and left in ruins years ago. The towns people had less than two weeks to get out. It was quite heartbreaking to put yourself in the shoes of the ones that lived there during World War II.

I enjoyed the characters in this one, they were relatable and you can easily connect with them. Rhys Bowen has a way of painting with words and I truly enjoy her writing style.

This one came out today, and I’m happy to be apart of her release day reviews.

What a brilliant story! The clues and twists in the tale just kept coming- I loved this book and was gripped by the story right to the very last page.
Set in the 1960s, Liz is a young female reporter who lives with her friend Marisa, a young DC in the Met. The story of the day is the search for a missing child, Little Lucy, who was snatched from a private park in broad daylight. Marisa is part of the team desperately trying to find Little Lucy and Liz is keen to help and also to get that big news story. Their investigations lead them to the lost village of Tydeham, taken over by the army during the war, and loosely based on the real village of Tyneham in Dorset. Their discoveries in Tydeham set the girls on the chase not just of Little Lucy, but also that of three evacuees who went missing during the war.
I thoroughly enjoyed the different strands that the author has woven into this story, which kept me reading til late at night, keen to find out how the story would conclude. The characters are well written and easy to relate to and their investigations unfold the story convincingly. This is a great historic mystery/crime novel- highly recommended!

Liz Houghton is an investigative reporter who got stuck writing obituaries after breaking a story about someone with important connections. When a child disappears from a London garden, Liz sees it as an opportunity to return to reporting if she can break the story of her rescue. Her roommate Marissa is a police detective who has been assigned to the case. A possible sighting of Lucy has Liz, Marissa and her associate DI Jones heading for the South Coast. In the early 1940s the village of Tydeham was chosen by the army as a training site for the invasion of Europe. The villagers were given two weeks to evacuate and the destroyed village is still abandoned and off limits. An army representative meets the investigators to protect them from unexploded ordinance. Liz has flashbacks of having been in the village as a child, yet her father insists that was impossible. One of her visions leads her to a body buried in the manor’s garden. The victim was an unidentified young woman who was buried during the war. Even though Liz was only two at the time, she senses a connection to the woman.

During the evacuation of children during the Blitz, DI Jones was responsible for the investigation of the disappearance of three little girls. The body of one of them was eventually discovered. The other children were never found. As Liz searches for Lucy she also interviews several of Tydeham’s former residents and writes a touching obituary for a village that lies forgotten. She is also determined to discover the fate of the missing girls to give DI Jones and their families some closure. She discovers a mystery from her own past that will change everything she knew about her own family. Rhys Bowen bases her story on the still abandoned village of Tyneham, chosen for the practice for D-Day. The Rose Arbor is a fascinating historical mystery that explores the heartbreak experienced when children were separated from their parents and the meaning of family. She brings her characters to life and once again gives her readers a story that will stay with them long after the conclusion. I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this book.

I absolutely tore through this mystery, which kept me guessing all the way to the end. As often happens with these sorts of things, the final outcome did feel a bit too pat, but it was the journey that was the most satisfying part. I loved Liz and Marisa’s relationship and how they supported and challenged each other throughout. It was also an interesting look at the 60s in Britain, a time period I don’t know much about. Overall very enjoyable read and highly recommended.

I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher to review for Library Journal. Please read my review in Library Journal.

Beautiful and atmospheric, I want this to be on the screen so I can see it come to life! It was exciting to read a historical fiction story whose MAIN focus wasn't WWII.

EXCERPT: 'So what is your theory, Inspector?' Liz asked. 'You must have handled cases as perplexing as this before.'
She was unprepared for the look of distress that crossed his face. 'I have,' he said. They paused waiting for him to say more. Then he took a deep breath. 'I was put on a similar case when I was a young copper in the war years. Actually, several cases. Three little girls. All from London being evacuated to the country. One was found, murdered, in a wood near the train line. But the other two simply vanished. Gone without a trace. It was wartime. Everything was chaotic, you know. People getting bombed, moving in with relatives, sending their kids to be evacuated. That's what these girls were you know. Sent off to be evacuated to the country, and that's the last their parents saw of them.'

ABOUT 'THE ROSE ARBOR': 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a source - her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.

Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.

As Liz digs deeper, she finds herself drawn to the village of Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during the war and left in ruins. After all these years, what could possibly link the missing girls to this abandoned village? And why does a place Liz has never seen before seem so strangely familiar?

MY THOUGHTS: Written over a dual timeline - 1943 and 1968 - The Rose Arbor is an intriguing, multi-layered mystery that kept me absorbed throughout.

The author has based Tydeham on a real village on the south coast of England. 'A small, unimposing place, one main street, only a few residents - which is why it was chosen for invasion practice.' Imagine an abandoned village, the houses merely shells overgrown with creepers, a place where you can hear the wind whistle through the gaps in the buildings. A place that was once home to families, where the shouts and laughter of children rang out as they played; a place where people were content with their lives; a place where people had hopes and dreams which were shattered by their forced evacuation with only the possessions they could carry onto the trucks. A community left shattered and scattered, and not only physically.

Rhys Bowen has crafted a story full of mystery, suspense, strange coincidences and feelings of deja vu. The setting is eerie, the characters well rounded and diverse. Liz, particularly, is an excellent character. She is determined, resourceful and extremely adept at ignoring the orders of her superiors.

There are a number of surprises in The Rose Arbor that took my breath away - maybe one too many coincidences, but hey - it's fiction! This is my first book by Rhys Bowen. I was completely absorbed by this mystery and it won't be my last read by this author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#TheRoseArbor #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: I was born and raised in England but currently divide my time between California and Arizona where I go to escape from the harsh California winters
When I am not writing I love to travel, sing, hike, play my Celtic harp.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Rose Arbor for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I’ve never read a book which is historical but also has a mystery to it. This took me only few days to finish since it turned out engaging!! I usually don’t like the past and present point of views but this one is easy to follow. The twist is also surprising. Overall, I highly recommend!

"The Rose Arbor" by Rhys Bowen is a gripping historical mystery that weaves together the haunting tales of lost children, post-war Britain, and a journalist's quest for truth. This novel kept me enthralled to the point that I stayed up most of the night reading—an occurrence that rarely happens for me. But it does need a content warning for violence directed at children.

Set in London during 1968, the story follows Liz Houghton, an obituary writer, who seizes the chance to break back into the newsroom when a young girl's disappearance captivates the city. Liz's best friend Marisa, a police officer on the case, leads them to Dorset, where they unravel a mystery dating back to World War II. Three girls vanished during the Blitz evacuation, and their stories lead Liz to the requisitioned village of Tydeham, left in barricaded ruins after the war. As Liz delves into the past, she discovers connections that are both eerie and inexplicably familiar.

While the novel is expansive and ambitious, offering a captivating exploration of the war and postwar experiences in rural and urban England, there are moments where interactions felt rushed, particularly in Liz's scenes with James.
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to read this ARC and offer an unbiased review.

I loved The Paris Assignment so I was very excited to receive an #arc from #netgalley. This book was so well done. I love historical fiction and there was clearly a lot of research and time put into this one. I thought that the mystery spin added to the book in the perfect way. The main character was great - I enjoyed her career, romance and personal growth and change throughout the book. I just wish that there were a little more details about her personal life, making it easier to connect with not just the story but with her personally. Overall, a really wonderful book that any fans of Historical Fiction should pickup.

Liz is a bored obituary writer in the '60's in London. With her roommate, a police officer, she finds herself looking into the case of a missing little girl in London. Along the way she uncovers the story of 3 missing girls from a town called Tydeham during WWII. Not only does she help unfold necessary details in the cases of all missing girls, but she discovers surprising details about her life as well.

Rhys Bowen has become a must read author for me!

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I’ve read the entire Molly Murphy series by this author and thought I’d try something else of hers.
I’m glad I did. Ms. Bowen is an excellent storyteller. This book took us across a couple timelines yet it was all cohesive and easy to understand. I had no trouble following where and when we were. The mystery was intriguing. I’m hoping this is the start of another series. I really liked the characters Lizzie and her friend Marissa.
I received this book as an ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.