THE BODY IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN

A second outing for Sutton’s feisty heroine both embraces and challenges the cornerstones of the mystery genre.

Daphne Brewster has come to cherish the slow, soothing, picturesque corner of Norfolk, England, that includes Cranberry Farmhouse, her cottage; Pudding Corner, the village in which it sits; and Pepperbridge, the slightly larger village where her children Imani, Fynn, and Archie go to school. A transplanted Black Londoner, Daphne’s not your typical village cozy heroine, nor is Sutton’s tale the stereotypical village cozy. While many cozy authors would seek to preserve their most beloved villagers by killing off a recent arrival, a tourist, or a particularly odious intruder—greedy real estate developers are favorite targets—Sutton begins her yarn by knocking off Nancy Warburton, who, along with her sister Patsy, runs the local grocery and convenience store that has been in her family for generations. A distraught Patsy insists that Nancy couldn’t have accidentally fallen off a ladder she’d climbed every day for years. At first, Daphne focuses on simply relieving Patsy’s distress, but a second death makes her curious. Could someone really have pushed Nancy? And if so, why? Sutton’s finely drawn characters help move her narrative briskly, as their complicated relationships with each other and the world they live in provide ample motivation for a series of startling crimes. A pair of ill-timed flashbacks threatens the momentum briefly as the big reveal approaches, but Sutton’s unconventional plotting allows the puzzle to land with a satisfying wallop.

Makes you wish BritBox would feature Pudding Corner and its denizens in a new TV series.