Read time: 3 minutes
🕵️Genre: Cozy Mystery
📚 Format: Book
📃 Pages: 336
⏱ Duration: ~5 hours
🏷️ Publisher: HarperNorth
Book Blurb:
In the heart of the Lake District, Penrith isn’t the place to vanish unnoticed—especially with the Penrith Bingo Club on the case. When a local woman reports her husband, a mild-mannered academic, missing, Amita Khatri and her son-in-law Jason take the lead. Soon, their search expands as more people disappear and missing money surfaces. From Penrith’s vegetable patches to Ullswater’s shores, the duo unearth a tangled mystery involving planted evidence—and time is running out before they themselves might vanish.
Let’s talk about the book:
Jonathan Whitelaw’s The Garden Club Murders is the latest installment in his popular cozy mystery series featuring the unlikely but beloved sleuthing duo, Amita and her son-in-law Jason. Their warm, quirky dynamic has always been a highlight of these Scottish mysteries, offering both humor and heart alongside the whodunits.
In this book, however, their chemistry felt slightly dimmed. Instead of the natural ease that made them such a fan-favorite team, the relationship read a bit heavier, as if the spark had been turned down.
The mystery itself was engaging, filled with classic cozy touches and enough red herrings to keep me guessing. That said, it lacked some of the snappy energy of earlier books. Frank Alby’s return felt more like an unnecessary cameo, while Radha’s scenes leaned into déjà vu territory, repeating familiar beats from previous installments.
Still, Whitelaw’s gift for creating eccentric characters and capturing Scottish charm shines through. Even when the pacing falters, The Garden Club Murders remains a delightful cozy mystery read for fans of quirky amateur sleuths and small-town secrets.
While this wasn’t my favorite of the series, I’m still firmly Team Jason and Amita and I’ll happily return for the next book in Jonathan Whitelaw’s cozy mystery collection.
Would I recommend it?
I’d absolutely recommend Jonathan Whitelaw’s series for its cozy charm and lovable characters, but The Garden Club Murders isn’t the star of the bunch. It’s a decent read if you’re already hooked on Amita and Jason’s adventures, but it lacks the spark of the earlier books. Perfect for series fans, just don’t start here.
Share your thoughts:
Have you read this installment? What did you think of Amita and Jason’s dynamic this time around? Drop your thoughts below—I’d love to compare notes!
Book Links:
Amazon CA
Goodreads
Follow Jonathan Whitelaw on his Instagram account @jdwhitelaw13
Check out other books from the Publisher HarperNorth
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