Mrs. B, the formidable and big-hearted landlady of The Marigold Cottages in Santa Barbara, only rents to people she truly cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright; Hamilton, a chatty agoraphobe; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the meticulous Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro hiding secrets. Life in their charming, beachside bungalows is idyllic until Anthony, a brooding ex-con, moves in. Three weeks later, a body turns up, Anthony is arrested, and the tenants breathe a sigh of relief… until Mrs. B shocks them all by confessing to the crime herself. Determined to prove her innocence, the tenants form The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective, uncovering secrets, lies, and unexpected connections just as a second body appears.

I loved this cast of characters, and the audio narration by Megan Price was absolutely stellar. The interwoven storylines, the murder mystery clues, and of course Mrs. B herself made this such a delightful read. This is exactly the kind of found family, slightly murdery, cozy mystery I adore. Honestly, it would make the perfect little TV series, and I really hope we get to see this quirky crew again in future books.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP | ★★★★★

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective comes out August 19, 2025. Huge thank you to MacMillan Audio and Minotaur Books for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books or on Tiktok @speakingof.books