Reviewed by annieb123 on
The Body in the Garden is the first book in a new series by Katharine Schellman. Released 7th April 2020 by Crooked Lane, it's 336 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a nice historical mystery set in Regency London and introducing a well rounded cast of characters and featuring young widow Lily Adler, recently arrived in London from Hertfordshire and still in semi-mourning for her late husband. The mystery is well written around a framework of real history which gives it some verisimilitude.
The author is adept at her craft and it doesn't read like a debut novel at all. The plotting is well structured, the narrative arc and tension are well engineered with a satisfying denouement. The dialogue isn't ever clunky or cringe-worthy (and for modern Regency fiction, that's saying something). I'm looking forward to the development of this promising series.
Four stars. Highly recommended, especially to fans of the genre.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 4 May, 2020: Finished reading
- 4 May, 2020: Reviewed