The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Body in the Back Garden

by Mark Waddell

Series: Crescent Cove Mystery #1
Series Rating:
Published by Crooked Lane Books on August 22, 2023
Setting: Vancouver Island, Canada
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 272
Format: ebook, Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
BookBub
Storygraph
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Books-A-Million

In this queer cozy series debut perfect for fans of Ellen Byron and Ellery Adams, Luke Tremblay is about to discover that Crescent Cove has more than its fair share of secrets…and some might be deadlier than others.

Crescent Cove, a small hamlet on Vancouver Island, is the last place out-of-work investigative journalist Luke Tremblay ever wanted to see again. He used to spend summers here, until his family learned that he was gay and rejected him. Now, following his aunt’s sudden death, he’s inherited her entire estate, including her seaside cottage and the antiques shop she ran for forty years in Crescent Cove. Luke plans to sell everything and head back to Toronto as soon as he can…but Crescent Cove isn’t done with him just yet.

When a stranger starts making wild claims about Luke’s aunt, Luke sends him packing. The next morning, though, Luke discovers that the stranger has returned, and now he’s lying dead in the back garden. To make matters worse, the officer leading the investigation is a handsome Mountie with a chip on his shoulder who seems convinced that Luke is the culprit. If he wants to prove his innocence and leave this town once and for all, Luke will have to use all his skills as a journalist to investigate the colorful locals while coming to terms with his own painful past.

There are secrets buried in Crescent Cove, and the more Luke digs, the more he fears they might change the town forever.

 The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell is set on the beautiful backdrop of Vancouver Island before it is tainted by a dead body in Luke’s back garden.

Will Luke Tremblay get to the bottom of the case?

Luke Tremblay

The main character, aka our sleuth, is Luke Tremblay, and he hasn’t been back to Crescent Cove, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, since the summer before his last year of school. The reason is that he came out to his parents as being gay, and they told the rest of the family not to talk to him. Years later, Luke is back to take care of his aunt’s properties as she left them to him in her will. He becomes a sleuth due to a dead body in his backyard. The body is someone he threatened, so the Mounties are considering him.

Luke is an okay sleuth. Throughout the story, to me, he seemed wishy-washy about many things happening to him. I didn’t feel that he was a believable sleuth.

Joel Mackenzie

Joel Mackenzie rubbed everyone he met in the wrong way. He made enemies everywhere he went, and here in this small town wasn’t helping him in any form. Joel had a goal in mind: to get rich fast, which he had a plan for. He was just a major sleazy guy who thought he deserved more than what he was dealt. I honestly didn’t care for the guy; the more we learned about him didn’t help matters.

Three Stars

I am giving The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell a three-star rating, and if anyone wants to give it a shot, they can. I didn’t care for Mr. Waddell’s writing style. Many things took me out of the story. Mr. Waddell has an interesting concept in mind for the book, and I wish I liked it better.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2023 Beachcombers Mystery RC
• 2023 Cloak and Dagger
• 2023 CMRC Prompts
• 2023 Craving the Cozies
• 2023 Cruisin' thru the Cozies
• 2023 Goodreads RC
• 2023 Medical Examiner RC

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