Barking Up The Right Tree by Leigh Russell

Launch of a brand new British cosy crime series by million-copy- selling author, Leigh Russell. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club, and Ian Moore's Death and Croissants.

When Emily's boyfriend walks out, she is devastated. As she is puzzling over what to do with the rest of her life, she is surprised to learn that her great aunt has died, leaving Emily her cottage in the picturesque Wiltshire village of Ashton Mead. This inheritance comes with a condition: Emily must take care of her great aunt's pet. Not knowing what to expect, Emily sets off for the village, hoping to make a new life for herself.

In the village, she soon makes friends with Hannah who runs the Sunshine Tea Shoppe, and meets other residents of the village where she decides to settle. All is going well... until her unknown pet arrives. Then Emily's ex- boyfriend turns up and against the advice of her new friends, she takes him back. When her next-door neighbour's daughter disappears in mysterious circumstances, Emily decides to investigate, unwittingly putting her own life in danger...

About the author

Alongside her popular DI Geraldine Steel detective novels, Leigh Russell is the author of the Poppy Mystery Tales, a brand new cosy crime series set in an idyllic English village. The stories feature Poppy, a lively puppy who helps her owner solve mysteries. Leigh has an MA in English Literature from the University of Kent. She has been shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger Award, the CWA Dagger in the Library, and the People's Book Prize. Keen to support new writers, Leigh chairs the CWA Debut Dagger Judges, and is a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund. Leigh lives in London, near her two daughters and granddaughter. One of her daughters has a rescue puppy who inspired the Poppy Mystery Tales.

Review

I am a huge fan of Leigh Russell’s books and I was looking forward to seeing how she would get on tackling cosy crime. I was pleasantly surprised as sometimes I find cosy crime a bit twee but Leigh manages to balance the sweet aspects of Poppy with the darker mystery at hand. It was a solid start to a new series and I will be looking out for its follow-up!

Emily hasn’t had the best lockdown experience, she has lost her job and then her boyfriend suddenly dumps her. As she is contemplating what to do with her life she finds out that her great aunt has died and left Emily her house in the charming rural Wiltshire village of Ashton Mead. But there is a catch, Emily has to agree to look after whatever pet is living there. Emily decides that this is fine and moves into the house. The pet turns out to be a lovely dog called Poppy. She begins to make friends in the village, settling in a new job when her ex-boyfriend turns up on her doorstep wanting another chance. Plus, her next-door neighbour’s daughter has gone missing and no one seems to care but her…

At times I found Emily stupidly naive in her mindset but then she is meant to be young and slightly unaware of what's happening around her so it balance of her character did work. She did think outside the box, especially when it came to her neighbour but at times she was horrid to her friend Hannah! But then makes for a nuanced and layered character. The star of the show was of course Poppy - who doesn't love a dog in a cosy crime series?! I wonder if I could team up with my wee dog Lily and go around Glasgow solving crimes.

Let me know if you read this one!