The Potting Shed Murder is the first book in a cozy village mystery series by Paula Sutton. Released 27th May 2025 by Kensington, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out from the same publisher in late first quarter 2026. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.
The author (queen of cottagecore) is a blogger with a huge following and she has a way with scenery and setting descriptions. The descriptions are almost cinematic and it's very easy to picture everything from the houses and streets, to interiors. She has an exceptional attention to detail and it adds a cozy retro vibe to the read. Some of the characterizations are less detailed, but it's still easy to keep the major players clear in the reader's mind.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 19 minutes and is capably read by Jane Ajia. She has a rich nuanced voice and her RP cut-glass narrator voice does a great job of setting the scenery. She enunciates clearly and well and does well with the disparate accents. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
Pacing is hit or miss, Ms. Sutton takes a long while to build up the plot, but it's fair play, moderately well constructed, and with a satisfying denouement and resolution, foreshadowing the next book in the series.
Four stars. It's a nice series starter. It would make a good choice for public or home library acquisition. Book 2 is due outside the UK in late 2025 (currently out in the UK). It would make a nice buddy read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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