A new cozy mystery series from USA Today best-selling author Dale Mayer. Follow gardener and amateur sleuth Doreen Montgomery—and her amusing and mostly lovable cat, dog, and parrot—as they catch murderers and solve crimes in lovely Kelowna, British Columbia.Riches to rags. … Controlling to chaos. … But murder … seriously?After her ex-husband leaves her high and dry, former socialite Doreen … and dry, former socialite Doreen Montgomery’s chance at a new life comes in the form of her grandmother, Nan’s, dilapidated old house in picturesque Kelowna … and the added job of caring for the animals Nan couldn’t take into assisted living with her: Thaddeus, the loquacious African gray parrot with a ripe vocabulary, and his buddy, Goliath, a monster-size cat with an equally monstrous attitude.
It’s the new start Doreen and her beloved basset hound, Mugs, desperately need. But, just as things start to look up for Doreen, Goliath the cat and Mugs the dog find a human finger in Nan’s overrun garden.
And not just a finger. Once the police start digging, the rest of the body turns up and turns out to be connected to an old unsolved crime.
With her grandmother as the prime suspect, Doreen soon finds herself stumbling over clues and getting on Corporal Mack Moreau’s last nerve, as she does her best to prove her beloved Nan innocent of murder.
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It kept you interested to keep reading to funded our who did the murder
Main character not well developed, but her grandmother is great.
Good beach read. The grandmother was very entertaining. A rather predictable read, but enjoyable.
I just discovered this author and read this book and several following it within a week. The main character, Doreen, is a charmingly clueless woman who is now on her own for the first time in years, as well as financially broke. While trying to start over, she ends up with a house full of antiques, pets (parrot, cat, dog), possible new career as a gardener, and a dead body in her backyard. This series is so good that I’ve already preordered books for F, G, H, and I – yep, the books go in alphabetical order from Azaleas to Begonias to Carnations, etc. Have fun!
I probably won’t be reading more. It was OK and rather interesting, but psychic pets aren’t my cup of tea.
I just couldn’t put this book down stayed up through the night and finished it. I really enjoyed it!
Quick intersting book. Surprise ending.
I enjoyed reading this book. Lots of humor and action. Interesting quirky characters.
A fun read full of interesting characters and a plot that grabs your attention.
The first 5 books in the garden series are quick and easy reads. I love the stores anchored in gardening with a rather damaged heroine. Doreen has been recently replaced as a trophy wife with her less than ethical attorney. She has no basic survival skills to function on her own. Her grandmother supports her by giving her the grandmother’s house with a wealth of antiques and money hidden in closeted clothes. She is attracted to cold cases that have haunted the town of Kelowna, British Columbia for 30 or so years, and a very patient Royal Canadian Mounted Police detective. While the books are fun to read, it does irritate me that all 5 books “happen” in a bit over a month’s time. The author could easily enrich the storyline and stretch out the time line.
I enjoyed it so much that I am looking for more by this author.
The book as a story about a girl in a new town getting over a bad divorce and living in her Grandma’s house sans grandma. A body in the garden is the basis of the story. I live how much the main character loves her grandma. Funny and wild. Animal lovers will adore it!
A good mystery that kept me busy.
4 1/2 stars. I really liked this, it had the right blend of humor to lighten the tragedy. For Doreen the 35 year old going through a divorce who was a rich trophy wife now broke living in her grandmothers’ broken down house. The pet lovers would enjoy her three pets; a basset hound Mugford “mugs”, Goliath the huge Maine cat, and Thaddeus the African Grey parrot. From day one she discovers a dead body which adds to mystery upon mysteries. Fast paced with a fun mixture of characters.
Easy relaxing read
Hilarious though the animal characters are a bit much.
loved this book..loved the animals and the human characters as well
I enjoyed this cute murder mystery. The characters are entertaining and funny. I think Doreen could had been a little less gullible in the marriage part of the storyline but I did really enjoy the plot. Good starter in the series and I will be looking forward to read more.
A fun read!
I read the first book in the series — this one — and was hooked! I am now reading Book No. 5 in the series. Love Doreen and her ability to push through some huge hic-ups in her life and solve crimes that baffle the police. She does this with three pets who go most everywhere with her — a Basset Hound named Mugs, an extremely large cat named Goliath and Thaddeaus, a parrot — who have some good skills that help her solve crimes. The books are fun, entertaining and a nice way to spend some time.