The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective: A Mystery (The Marigold Cottages Mysteries, 1)
The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.
Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who’s hiding secrets.
The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he's innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form “The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective” to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit...until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page.
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Community Reviews
Ah yes, nothing says perfect summer read like a story where your quirky neighbors trade banana bread recipes one day and cover up murders the next. It’s the book that asks: What if your quirky neighbors, who can barely coordinate a shared recycling bin, suddenly decided to out-sleuth the police? And somehow, it works.
The mystery itself is twisty, charming, and just the right amount of absurd.
This is basically The Thursday Murder Club put on sunscreen, moved to Santa Barbara, and got itself a landlady with a flair for noble self-destruction. Mrs. B is the kind of stubborn idealist who’d probably tell the Titanic’s captain to “just believe in the iceberg’s potential.” Naturally, when her ex-con tenant is arrested for murder, she takes one look at his biceps and decides, “Nope, that gentle giant didn’t do it—I’ll just confess myself!” And, honestly, that’s the kind of chaotic energy I’m here for.
The cast is delightfully mismatched: an anxious playwright, an oversharing agoraphobe, a single queer sculptor mom, a Type-A perfectionist, and a finance bro who screams “suspicious” even when he’s just ordering iced coffee. Together, they form the least likely detective squad since Scooby-Doo decided to bring along an actual dog. But you know what? They’re charming, they’re funny, and their ragtag community vibe is exactly what my serotonin levels needed.
Still, it’s a cozy, witty, sun-soaked mystery that made me want to pack up, move into a pastel bungalow, and immediately suspect all my neighbors of murder. Would recommend for fans of eccentric communities, found-family chaos, and anyone who likes their murders served with extra charm and a side of avocado toast.
Perfect beach read if you like:
☀️ Sunshine & suspicious neighbors
🕵️ Found family with body bags
🌸 Murder, but make it whimsical
Bottom line: grab your sunscreen, pour a glass of iced tea, and let this book convince you that murder is best solved with teamwork, eccentricity, and probably a shared cheese plate.
Now excuse me while I look up bungalow rentals in Santa Barbara. For…research.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for this review copy!
The mystery itself is twisty, charming, and just the right amount of absurd.
This is basically The Thursday Murder Club put on sunscreen, moved to Santa Barbara, and got itself a landlady with a flair for noble self-destruction. Mrs. B is the kind of stubborn idealist who’d probably tell the Titanic’s captain to “just believe in the iceberg’s potential.” Naturally, when her ex-con tenant is arrested for murder, she takes one look at his biceps and decides, “Nope, that gentle giant didn’t do it—I’ll just confess myself!” And, honestly, that’s the kind of chaotic energy I’m here for.
The cast is delightfully mismatched: an anxious playwright, an oversharing agoraphobe, a single queer sculptor mom, a Type-A perfectionist, and a finance bro who screams “suspicious” even when he’s just ordering iced coffee. Together, they form the least likely detective squad since Scooby-Doo decided to bring along an actual dog. But you know what? They’re charming, they’re funny, and their ragtag community vibe is exactly what my serotonin levels needed.
Still, it’s a cozy, witty, sun-soaked mystery that made me want to pack up, move into a pastel bungalow, and immediately suspect all my neighbors of murder. Would recommend for fans of eccentric communities, found-family chaos, and anyone who likes their murders served with extra charm and a side of avocado toast.
Perfect beach read if you like:
☀️ Sunshine & suspicious neighbors
🕵️ Found family with body bags
🌸 Murder, but make it whimsical
Bottom line: grab your sunscreen, pour a glass of iced tea, and let this book convince you that murder is best solved with teamwork, eccentricity, and probably a shared cheese plate.
Now excuse me while I look up bungalow rentals in Santa Barbara. For…research.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for this review copy!
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