Murder at the Gardens

A lovely day out takes a dark turn when a complaining customer is found dead... Luckily amateur sleuth Belinda Penshurst is on the scene – and ready to investigate!

Belinda Penshurst has always loved Brabourne Gardens. A keen animal lover, she enjoys walking its winding paths and listening to the excited squeals of schoolchildren. So when one of the visitors is found strangled, she’s determined to learn whodunnit – and why.

The victim, Simon Carter, had a reputation for making trouble... But surely that’s not a good enough reason to want him dead. Together with retired detective Harry Powell, Belinda investigates the goings-on behind the scenes and learns that some of the staff are more savage than the animals.

Is it Estelle Samuels, the anti-social owner, who clearly has something to hide? Or the security guard who takes his job too seriously? Most worrying of all, Belinda’s ex Ivan was there when the body was found, and she’s determined to clear his name. As suspicions swirl, one thing’s for sure: if Belinda keeps following the killer’s tracks, she might find herself in their sights...

Can she sniff out a murderer, before she becomes the prey?

A completely unputdownable and charming cozy mystery. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz' "Magpie Murders" will love the Belinda Penshurst series!

See what readers are saying about Murder at the Gardens:

‘Absolutely fantastic... A page-turning, non-stop, addictive, hilarious cosy mystery... Perfect for the beach or in front of a fire, a fantastic start to what promises to be a riveting series!!!’ Bookworm86

‘What a great start to a new series!... A lively, spark-filled investigation... Wonderfully entertaining with the perfect set of ingredients.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘I love this book!!!... An absolute blinder... The perfect cosy afternoon whodunnit, it’s fun, light-hearted, charming, a definite winner!’ Chicks, Rogues and Scandals.



Lisa Cutts is a full-time detective constable investigating murders for a living. When off duty she writes a fictitious version of her day job. She writes a monthly column, Behind the Tape, for Writing Magazine answering police procedural questions from other writers. As well as being on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book, Lisa has twice appeared on This Morning to chat about TV crime dramas Broadchurch and Line of Duty.