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

I read the first in this series after hearing Rosie speak about it at the Brightlingsea Literary Festival in 2023. Having thoroughly enjoyed it, when I saw the second one advertised, I instantly asked to have it for review.

I love cosy crime novels but unless something happens to one of the main characters, it's rare for me to have an emotional reaction to the plot. However, in this case, the victim was so beautifully written that when they were murdered, I was genuinely upset. I had assumed that as they were a nice character, they were going to be part of a sub plot, not the main one. Often in this genre, the victim is an unpleasant character and there are many reasons why they might have been killed, but here, the vicim seemed to be a genuinely likeable person.

The crux of the plot gradually emerges and Steph eventually unravels the mess the victim had got themselves tangled up in. The book also takes a close look at the effect that a sudden death can have on the victim's family and friends, particularly in the case of murder and it is interesting that genuinely grieving people can often leave themselves open to suspicion of involvement because of the random nature of how grief can strike.

I also love that we are now beginning to get more of Steph's personal story. In the first book, we were introduced to her family and ex-husband. In this instalment, although we don't necessarily learn anything new about them, the plot is definitely thickening around her ex-husband's whereabouts and I am sure something nefarious will come out at some point. We already know he's not a pleasant man!

It's hard to discuss many more details of the plot without giving anything away, because every part of it is so intricately interwoven, but it kept me hooked from start to finish and already I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Ultimately, if you enjoy cosy crime novels, this is definitely one to pick up. However, I would also argue that even if it's not your usual 'go-to' genre, give the series a go, because there's more to it than a run-of-the-mill cosy crime. The gardening adds an extra-dimension and of course for pet-lovers, there is the gorgeous Mouse, who finds friends of all varieties in this book.

I really enjoyed this book and am in love with a fictional dog. Lovely plot and really well drawn characters, Uncle Angus is especially notable. I really liked the last book in the series too, despite having no interest in gardening. Looking forward to the next book.

I had not read the previous book before reading this one but I believe the author made the past events clear enough that my reading pleasure was not affected.

The main character, Steph Williams, is a garden consultant, and in [book:Murder Takes Root|173599512] she is staying at an ancestral home to oversee plans for restoring the old gardens. She is living at the house with her dog Mouse and a large group of other employees. When one of them is found dead Steph does not believe it was suicide and begins her own investigation.

This is an interesting cosy mystery with some good characters. I enjoyed the time spent in the gardens and learned a bit about orchids. Four stars.

This is the second book in what's turning out to be a wonderful series. Steph's latest gardening project is on the Ashford Manor estate and it quickly becomes clear that an infestation in the garden will be the least of her worries. Sir Angus a nonagenarian who thinks someone is poisoning him, shouting and arguing in the middle of the night, a hostile and secretive head gardener and a suspicious sudden death all create a tense atmosphere of mystery and danger.
Lightheartedness and heartwarming scenes emerge primarily with Steph's dog, Mouse and the estate's dog, Belle. The side characters are a friendly and likable bunch of people and it made me sad when the murder happened as the young victim was fun loving and had taken on the responsibility of caring for his autistic brother.

The mystery kept me guessing as there were one or two characters I thought could definitely be involved and I was surprised when the big reveal came.

Because of the temporary nature of Steph's jobs there aren't a lot of recurring characters such as friends or romantic interests for Steph. But, her family do make appearrances and I so enjoyed their interactions especially those between Steph and her Dad. I'm intrigued as to what will happen when Steph meets her biological mum!

Murder Takes Root by Rosie Sandler is the second in the charm-drenched Gardener Mysteries series. It's deliciously cozy but it has oomph, too.

Garden Consultant Steph is newly responsible for restoring Lady Clara's fabulous gardens. She gets to know the staff and others and passionately digs into her job. However, she gets more than she bargains for when a staff member is found dead in his room. Something about it doesn't feel right so Steph investigates. She unravels the mystery, bit by bit, and has help.

As a master gardener, my heart soared while reading the horticultural side of things. Not only are the descriptions lovely but most of the characters are endearing, including Mouse and Belle. There are plenty of clever red herrings and twisty turns. Though there is some predictability, my reading joy wasn't let down one iota. This novel clicked with me as I basked in the beautifully-written words and allowed myself to be utterly transported to Ashford Manor and its upstairs/downstairs feel. Autism is sensitively and deftly handled.

My sincere thank you to Embla Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engrossing novel.

A great second book in the Gardeners Mysteries series and it's been great being back on the adventures with Steph and Mouse again. There seemed to be a number of mysteries this time for Steph to dog around in and each of the characters seemed to have something to hide.
The descriptions of the garden plans Steph was working on for Lady Clara sounded amazing and I love how we see Steph in her natural environment in these stories.

Steph has arrived at her new job as garden consultant at Ashford Manor. Everyone is nice, apart from Blythe - the head gardener, they are all very welcoming.
During the night Steph hears arguing and asks the other staff about it in the morning, but no one else heard anything. When, a few days later, a dead body turns up and the Police are very quick to label it as suicide, Steph has other ideas. With her trusty dog Mouse in tow, she decides to find out the truth.
A very entertaining read.

Murder Takes Root is book 2 in The Gardener Mysteries series.

Steph has been hired as a garden consultant at the Ashford Manor where she is also given a place to stay in a fairytale-like tower. The staff at the manor are welcoming and friendly with Steph all except for the head gardener. But when one of the staff allegedly commits suicide, Steph is certain that it is in fact a murder!

So I wanted to read a nice, cozy mystery and found the first book in the series through Prime reading and when I finished the book I had a look for this book and if it was available to read but saw that it hadn't been released it yet. But then I thought I'd check on NetGalley to see if they had an ARC and to my surprise they did!

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first and liked how it takes place in a different setting with new characters. I look forward to reading the next book in the series soon.