A mysterious casket. A rising body count. A new mystery has bloomed… again asked to investigate…
Potential clues come in as fast as the suspects: a documentary film director, a wacky artist, and a feral-cat enthusiast, to name a few. It turns out everyone in town has skeletons in their closet—even her new friends. If Verity doesn’t find out the truth soon, then the next local legend buried in the ground… could be her.
Digging Up Trouble is the charming second installment in a series of witty cozy mysteries. If you like puzzling whodunits, eccentric characters, and countless laugh-out-loud moments, then you’ll love Rickie Blair’s Leafy Hollow series.
Buy the book today to dig into a new, fun-filled mystery!
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Verity Hawkes is now living in Leafy Hollow which
is a small town in the Ontario province. Her Aunt
Adeline has disappeared. Her Aunt’s lawyer believes
that her Aunt is dead, making Verity the heir.
Verity has also taken over her Aunt’s landscaping
business. She has learned about the various types
of gardening plants. So when she is asked to spruce
up the landscape near the crypt of a famous Leafy
Hollow historical figure, Verity notes trampled weeds
near the crypts door.
When the crypt is opened, a newly murdered man is
found. How did the man get into the crypt? Who
murdered him? Why was he murdered?
While investigating this, Verity and her crew discover
yet another murdered victim.
Verity has a once feral cat, General Chang who came
to live with her. He helps calm her fears. He will be the
hero of the book.
This is a complex plotted book. Besides mystery, suspense
the book has a touch of humor.
The characters are well written, very colorful, quirky and
an interesting group.
situational-humor, verbal-humor, friendship, cosy-mystery, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, Canada
I loved it! Verity is a young widow with a lot of emotional baggage and has been transplanted from the West Coast of Canada to the Falls area near the US border. She has a house that has some strange secrets, a missing aunt, a few good friends, and a strong tendency to snoop/sleuth. I think it’s a great story and there’s some real laughs, too!
In the 3 years since I read the first book in the series I have had more vision issues and can do best with books that TTS (dear robot reader) or audiobooks. That being said, I think that Petrea Burchard is excellent! Great separation of characters who really are and interpretation of their feelings.
This review is for the audio book.
I loved this book and listened to it all in one day (with doors locked so I didn’t get interrupted). This is such a fun series I am recommending it to my mum. What I love is the characters and the antics that they get up to, very funny. The mystery was good and even though I had worked out who the killer was it was still highly entertaining to be proved right. The story has the right amount of humour, mystery, high Tec gadgets and even a love interest to keep you hooked. I would recommend you start with book one because the stories do have an ending but they also have the mystery of her missing aunt that you learn a little bit more about in each book. Trust me you will In enjoy it, I certainly did and am eagerly waiting the rest of the series being released on audible.
When a professor claims to have proof that debunks the history surrounding a local legend of Leafy hollow, tempers in the village run high. But high enough to kill him? It seems so because his dead body is found the very next day that he gave all the villagers a reason to hate him. Verity finds with everybody under suspicion many of the villagers turn to her for help in clearing there name because she solved the last murder to take place in the village. Was it the film director who got the sack? The artist that knows him better than anyone else? The historical society that would gain money with his death? When the police seem to focus there attention on someone everybody is shocked and Verity and her sidekicks jump straight into the case to prove them wrong.
I liked the narrator, she uses a wide range of voices for the characters and even does a lisp for one of them adding to the fun of an entertaining story.
if you like a cozy mistery this series are really good
Digging Up Trouble by Rickie Blair is the second book in the Leafy Hollow Mysteries and was another fun and engaging read. Verity is determined to find her Aunt but it is slow going as no one but her believes that her Aunt is still alive. Then there is a murder and Verity just can’t seem to stop snooping. A smoothly paced plot with twists and laughter as Verity and her friends dig to find the answers.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. All of the above opinions are my own.
“Digging Up Trouble” earns 5/5 Historical Legends!
Ok, the “I can’t believe my eyes!” revelation in Verity’s aunt’s basement (From Garden to Grave) was shocking, and the continued struggles to get answers of whether her aunt is alive or not is frustrating, but Verity keeps busy by making improvements on Rose Cottage, rebuilding the landscaping business, and trying to become a member of the community sans any criminal accusations. Verity starts by helping her new BFF Emy serve up coffee and sweet treats at the Leafy Hollow Historical Society’s celebration of their most famous resident Prudence Bannon. An Oxford historian has made the story of young Prudence his life’s work seeking information about her heroism tracking miles in the brush to inform the British of an impending raid by Yankee sympathizers during the War of 1812. All are set to see the new portrait of Prudence and listen to the historian’s lecture on his research, but of course, it doesn’t go well and is shockingly capped by a cupcake melee…and murder!
I started with the third book “A Branch Too Far” which had a few reference to the missing aunt, and after reading all three books and if you like your background and character connections up front, then I recommend you start with the first book “From Garden to Grave.” The three books are standalones of a sort because the murder mystery is resolved, but the mystery of Verity’s aunt’s disappearance and questionable association with Control and character growth and connections are better enjoyed in order. This story is exciting and extremely entertaining: Historic roots in question? How far would you go to protect it? I continue to enjoy Verity who is working well to gain confidence and strength; her vulnerabilities are slowly being addressed and a hint of a new romance is delightful.
This second book in the Leafy Hollow mystery series started where the first one left off. While the mystery can be enjoyed as a stand alone I think that the missing knowledge of the background story from the first book will lead to confusion.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Verity and friends again and learning more about the town and its past.
The situations the gang gets into are not only gripping but also often humorous.
I received a free copy from the author and reviewed it voluntarily.
Aunt Adelaide is still missing and presumed dead.
Verity Hawkes, her intrepid niece, is still in Adelaide’s Rose Cottage, where she’s started repairs, added a cat and a rooster, with a live in handyman, and is resurrecting her Aunt’s landscaping business. All in six weeks.
But of course, she’s still planning to return to her apartment in Vancouver, isn’t she?
After all, her shut in existence there, with just one bad cooking neighbor who is friendly was her choice, after the death of her husband,right?
Verity seems to be fitting into the village, and a crowd of friends, a couple odd but hunky romantic prospects, so is her search for her Aunt still on? On just her own self discovery?
In this second book of the series, we find out more backstory on the town’s possible historic roots, Emy’s family members Aunt Izzy and the loves and losses in Izzy’s life: the vicar, Nick, and a long lost love.
We also realize the hunky dudes on their own search do what hunky guys do: search; and enjoy folks enjoying them.
Will Verity’s heart get squashed, or will she do some heart breaking of her own?
We get a few more glimpses of neighbor Gideon, and his affection for Verity and Adelaide, expressed in typic alpha awkward, clumsy ways.
Emy may be moving on in her romantic search, with whom an outstanding question. And Verity…?
We might just have to read book 3 to find out what’s up with Gideon, Adelaide and Verity.
They may well discover that the life you left behind isn’t the life you can live as the person you’ve become in the course of your travels and adventures.