The New York Times bestselling first book in the Rose Gardner Investigation series, a spinoff of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best selling Rose Gardner Mystery series.Trouble always comes to those who court it. Rose Gardner’s ability to see glimpses of the future has gotten her into hot water time and again, but so have her curiosity and her sense of daring. Those very … daring. Those very qualities helped her defeat the most powerful man in Arkansas—a man so adept at hiding his crimes there was no way to defeat him inside of the law—but her success came at a steep personal price. Now she’s throwing herself into her landscaping business, trying to live a life that’s as orderly as one of her gardens.
Rose’s best friend, Neely Kate, is struggling with her own losses, so when she suggests they help a local man find a missing necklace, Rose agrees. It’ll give both of them a welcome distraction, and besides, it’s a simple investigation. What harm could befall them? But things that should be simple rarely are. In seeking out the necklace, Rose and Neely Kate find themselves in the thick of a power struggle in the Fenton County underworld, one that could dethrone Rose’s friend James Malcolm, the surprisingly moral king.
The last thing Rose should do is court more trouble, but she’s not the type to step away from a friend in need—and she’s also not so sure she wants an orderly life.
more
Love this whole series!!
I love the Rose Gardner books. The characters are well rounded and genuinely likable people. You can watch them grow through the series which is nice and helps the reader feel like they are invested in them. Each book can stand alone in the story, but are linked to the previous book.
I related so closely to Rose and Neely Kate. I loved sharing this adventure with them. Laughs, scares, and adventures as they take on the world. The dip in southern culture was so true I was reminded of my own upbringing, friends and family. Mixed in all of this is their own tragic love stories. The author did an amazing line writing a fantastic mystery without overshadowing this book with expectations of future development. Superb read!
Enjoyable, but not as readable as some of the author’s other books. Some characters are quite realistically unlikable.
The characters were a rough bunch. They used swear words. The story was action-packed and I got somewhat lost in it. I had trouble keeping track of who was who, and whether there was a point to the story. I think certain people would really enjoy this story, but not me.
Enjoyed this book
Disappointed that I could not get into the story, as the book had glowing reviews. There were so many characters thrown in at once that it became difficult to remember who was who – the fact that a number of characters had double names did not help matters any! This is my first book by this author, but I would be willing to try a book from another series.
Glad to find a new series to dive into. Love the characters and the.great southern atmosphere
I thought the plot for this story was unusual in that the heroine needed to decide whether to go into the world of crime. She had a couple of possibilities for love in her life but we were left wondering which way she would go which I thought was fine. Strong, independent females were depicted as was a few weeks of adventure for them. I recommend this book.
I really couldn’t like the characters. The main killer is the multiple use of g…d…. If you want to have a character “damn” something leave religious references out.
Enjoy all of her books plan to read more.
quick read
Small town PI and small town mafia boss. What could go wrong?
If you have not read a previous book, this is weird. References are made about the prequel but not great.
I love this series of books! Rose has really grown emotionally! Can’t wait to devour the next one!
I really enjoyed reading this story. It was interesting, plus a great ending.
Enjoyed it. Easy reading.
I love Rose. I wish I had a friend like Nellie Kate. The two of them together make laugh through the twist and turns of the small town. Great series.
I enjoyed this book more then I thought I would. At first I wasn’t sure but I fell in love with the 2 female leads and had to know what they would say and do next.
I found it very entertaining, bringing character from this excellent author’s series to life again.
Looking forward to more stories by Denise. Love her writing!