The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective

By Jo Nichols

The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.

Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who's hiding secrets.

The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he's innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form "The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective" to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit...until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250356547
• ISBN13: 9781250356543
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.5" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

twisty SoCal fun

I found this story of murder and investigation twisty fun and very SoCal. The cast of quirky characters starts it all off and keeps it up to the end. I requested and received an uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Aug 19, 2025 #TheMarigoldCottagesMurderCollective by Jo Nichols #stmartinspress #minotaur_books