Media Reviews
"Bowen is adept at writing mysteries filled with intriguing clues, satisfying solutions, expertly captured historical settings, and a little romance. A must-add to popular mystery collections." —Library Journal (starred review)
"The Rose Arbor is a complex and intriguing mystery that dares the reader to unravel the clues before the protagonist, London reporter Liz Houghton, with plenty of intrigue for any seasoned mystery reader, and smart, exquisite prose for those who luxuriate in the beauty of the written word. Take it on your vacation, but be prepared for late nights." ―Robert Dugoni, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series and A Killing on the Hill
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Reader Reviews
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Cloggie Downunder
a marvellous piece of historical fiction The Rose Arbor is a novel by award-winning, best-selling British-born author, Rhys Bowen. With barely two weeks’ notice, in October 1943, the lord of the manor and tenants of Tydeham are told to pack up and move out: their Dorset village is now under the control of the army, for the purposes of invasion drills. They can only take what will fit in their temporary accommodation, and are given the bare minimum of assistance: there’s a war on, you know! And even the lord is unaware that the army will be using live rounds: there’s nothing of historical significance to be saved, is the army’s attitude.
Twenty-five years later, trying to emerge from the punishment of writing obits for treading on the wrong toes, twenty-seven-year-old Daily Express journalist, Liz Houghton has accompanied, to the chagrin of DI Jones, her best friend DC Marisa Young to Dorset. There’s been a possible sighting of a missing five-year-old, Lucy Fareham that needs to be checked out, and their last potential location is the now-closed village of Tydeham.
DI Jones has shared that he was part of the case of three young girls who went missing during the war. The body of one was found; of the other two, not a trace. Both Liz and Marisa wonder if Lucy’s disappearance could be linked to these cold cases; Jones is dismissive.
Bizarrely, when they arrive in Tydeham, with an army corporal in tow, the place feels familiar to Liz. But she was only two years old when the village was emptied. Her father, a former army brigadier, discounts any possibility that she could ever have been there. Intrigued, Liz decides to revisit the hamlet on her own: perhaps the grave stones will provide a clue.
In the deserted village, she encounters the lord of the manor’s son, an attractive young man scavenging for mementoes for his elderly father. While she’s with him, she experiences a strong feeling of dread, and is convinced that she once witnessed someone being buried near the rose arbor, surely not possible? Is Liz suddenly psychic, or is she going crazy?
What a marvelous piece of historical fiction Bowen gives the reader. The depth of her research is apparent on every page and the attitudes and social mores of each era are particularly well-rendered. Bowen’s characters are appealing and several elements of mystery keep the reader guessing and the pages turning.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.
maurconn
Historical Fiction Mystery I haven’t read many books by Rhys Bowen but this one was very intriguing. It is very well written in two time lines. A tale of mystery, suspense and secrets that kept me turning the pages.
1968 London, Liz Houghton is a newspaper reporter, when a young girl goes missing.
This could be her big chance of getting back to the newsroom after being assigned as an obituary writer. Her roommate Melissa is a police officer. If she could just get the scoop she could redeem herself. She follows Melissa to the village Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during WWII and left in ruins.
They discover that during this time children were evacuated from this area. Three children also went missing. One was murdered, the other two were never found.
Is there a connection to the current case? While walking through the ruins Liz has memories of being in this village before. But why, she never lived near this place.
She questions her parents but they have no answers. Liz needs to seek the truth.
I love this multilayered story filled with mystery and suspense that kept me guessing. This was a very enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more novels by Rhys Bowen.
Cindy R
A page turner! I've read and enjoyed Rhys Bowen's previous novels and was thrilled to receive an advance copy of her new one, THE ROSE ARBOR (LakeUnion). First of all, I was excited to read a novel with two strong female protagonists.
Liz Houghton is a failing journalist searching for a scoop that'll get her taken seriously and out of writing obituaries. A young girl disappears and Liz sees reporting on it as a chance to get into the newsroom. She'll have to do it on her own time and with her own money. It turns out her best friend, Marise is the lead detective assigned to the case. Liz finds herself drawn to a small village, Dorset, where three girls disappeared in the evacuation of WWII. One was found murdered near a train line, the other two were never found. As Liz digs deeper, she learns Dorset is in ruins. The military took it over and forced the towns' people to move during WWII.
THE ROSE ARBOR is a historical mystery with a heavy government and military influence. The characters are well-developed and the plot hooks from the start. I couldn't wait to read the next page, culminating in a satisfied end. I'm looking forward to Bowen's next novel.
SusanR
Historical Fiction Mystery This well written novel has an intriguing main character and a page turning plot. It's dual time line with one time line in 1943 and the other in 1968. Most of the action takes place in 1968 with the 1943 time mainly used for background to the story. The book also had several similar mysteries going on at the same time as the main character traced several missing girls - both in 1943 and 1968.
Liz is an obituary writer at a London newspaper. It's certainly not the job she wanted but after she made a big mistake with a story she'd written, she was assigned the job of writing death notices. Her best friend and roommate Marisa is a police officer. When Marisa tells Liz that she's going to Dorset to follow up on a clue about a missing girl in London, Liz sees this as a chance of getting a scoop on the story of the missing girl. They don't find the missing girl from London but they do find out about 3 young girls who went missing in 1943 when children from London were sent to the country for safety to get away from the bombing of London. One girl had been found murdered but the other two cases had never been solved. Liz begins to wonder if there is a connection between the 1943 missing girls and the girl currently missing from London. Liz and the police get permission to enter a village that the Army requisitioned in 1943 in hopes of finding clues. Strangely, Liz feels like she's been there before but how is that possible since she was only 2 years old when all of the people were told that they had to leave the town? The more Liz digs into the mysteries of the missing girls, the more familiar the small town becomes to her. Is there a connection between the missing girls and is there a reason that Liz is having flashback memories when she's in the town? The questions don't all get answered until near the end but it's a real page turner until all of the answers are uncovered.
I really liked Liz and her friendship with Marisa. Liz wanted to be a news reporter and she kept reaching for the goal despite her bosses feelings. She and Marisa both fight the prejudice against women that is rampant in both of their jobs. Liz was tenacious in trying to solve the mysteries of the missing girls and never gave up. This book had mystery, a bit of romance and lots of secrets. I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Jill
Engaging Read THE ROSE ARBOR by Rhys Bowen
Thanks to BookBrowse and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC book of this to read.
Loved the beautiful cover art on the jacket of this book and also on the book itself. Really beautifully done.
Female empowerment is important to Rhys Bowen’s characters. I like that she writes of women who’ve been underestimated and bringing them into the spotlight; as she has done with this story of Liz Houghton. London: 1968. Liz has been doing her job perfunctorily as an obit writer at a London newspaper. When a young girl goes missing, Liz already has a scoop because her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case. Liz thinks this could possibly be her break in journalism.
Liz accompanies Marisa to Dorset, where another disturbing discovery is made from over two decades earlier. Three girls disappeared when the military requisitioned the village of Tydeham during the war and left it in ruins. Liz is drawn to this village and isn’t sure why. The place seems strangely familiar though she’s never seen this village. Why is this so? And why after all these years would there be a link to the missing girls here?
A mystery fused in history, with plot twists, romance, family issues, secrets, misogyny, the chaos of the government program that moved children away from unsafe villages/cities, and the sacrifices the citizens endured during wartime. The character descriptions and dialogue felt very authentic to me. This is my first read by Rhys Bowen and enjoyed the narrative and I am looking forward to reading more of her books.
