I don’t know if I’d say the ending of The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols is ambiguous or sort of a “Choose Your Own Ending”. But, it’s an unusual cozy mystery of found family, a book filled with misfits and lost souls.
Mrs. B owns a small group of six Craftsman-style cottage in Santa Barbara, a collection built in a circle around a small courtyard. She’s collected an eccentric group of residents, flawed, broken people. They all have secrets. Nicholas is secretive and doesn’t interact with the others. Hamilton is agoraphobic. Lily-Ann is indomitable, but she’s been separated from her husband for four years. Sophie is a wounded woman, scared of her own shadow. Ocean has lived in the cottages since she was a kid, and she’s now raising her two children there. None of the people have much to do with each other until Mrs. B rents to Anthony, an ex-con who scares others just by his presence.
When Sophie finds a body outside her window, all the renters and a police officer latch onto Anthony as the killer. It has to be him, right? There wasn’t a murder until he moved in. But, Mrs. B insists he didn’t do it, and she makes the other residents come together to investigate and find the true killer. They give their group a name, “The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective”. Although none of them believe Anthony is innocent, they love Mrs. B, and they’re willing to bring together their skills and knowledge to help her. But, when the police keep Anthony in jail, Mrs. B confesses that she killed the victim.
Nichols’ format won’t be for every reader. The characters present their viewpoint, even Vernon, the cop. But, if you stick with it, it’s entertaining. I watched the characters change in the course of the book, going from fear of Anthony, to knowing he committed the murder, to wanting to help him because of Mrs. B, to wanting to help him because he’s now part of their little family. And, I changed my opinion of some of the characters as I read.
The format of The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective may be a little different. At times, Sophie’s viewpoint may be a little confusing. Is she writing the truth, or is she working on the play she hopes to write? It’s an enjoyable cozy mystery with an eccentric group of people that becomes a supportive family. You might want to give it a chance.
The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols. Minotaur Books, 2025, 352p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher through NetGalley, with no promise of a positive review.
