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. … Chaos is still present. … Memories are fading, … but not for everyone!The problem with notoriety is unfair … is unfair expectations. When Mack’s mother, Millicent Moreau, requests Doreen’s help with a small problem she’s kept hidden for decades, Doreen feels obligated to help. And what harm could it do, after all? Worst-case scenario? It’ll annoy Mack, but that’s something she does on a regular basis anyway.
But when Millicent’s “small problem” turns out to involve a failed marriage, a bag of jewels from a jewelry store that mysteriously burned down decades ago, possible insurance fraud, and maybe even a case of murder, … Doreen will admit that she’s in way over her head.
With her trusty trio of furry and feathered cohorts, she brings an old case into the present—and finds it’s more current than ever …
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I love this series and “Jewels in the Juniper” is the perfect addition with a good “cold case” mystery that kept me glued to the book because I had to know what was going to happen. I feel a real connection to Doreen Montgomery, gardener and amateur sleuth and enjoy her dynamic with the other characters especially her grandmother, policeman Mack Moreau and of course her three animal sidekicks – Thaddeus, Mugs and Goliath. I am looking forward to book eleven in this must-read series. I received an advance reader copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my review.
If you’ve been following this series you know that Doreen takes care of Mack’s mother Millicent’s garden. It’s Millicent who remembers the jewels she found years ago but no one could find the owner. So instead of Doreen finding the jewels in the juniper, it was Millicent and not recently at all.
Doreen does some research on the bag the jewels were in and visits her Nan for more information. During this process she finds herself thinking about her own jewels. Ones that were gifts from her ex over the course of their marriage. She wasn’t able to take them with her because he kept them locked up. She texts Mack to ask about her rights with them and he adds that to the questions for his brother the lawyer.
A trip to the Chinese restaurant with Thaddeus, Goliath, and Mugs solves her dinner for the night but she wasn’t expecting an angry Mack. He’s obviously spoken with his mother, and some important points were left out.
I love Doreen and Mack’s relationship, the flirting is there but it’s more of a valued friendship. That is until she gives him and his men more work to do. Many of his friends on the force are donating supplies for her deck and the case she’s working on has her gaining plants for her own garden.
Plenty of suspense, a lot of fun with Nan and the animals and another unforgettable ending!
In this latest entry Mack’s mother gives Doreen a new case! I love seeing the changes in Doreen throughout the series. It’s such fun watching her and her pets solve the mysteries. There is humor, mystery and a bit of a budding romance! Throw in the wacky relatives and it makes for such a fun read! I can’t wait for the next installment!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Mack’s mom hands Doreen a small bag and said I don’t want them they aren’t mine you can have them, find out where they belong, I don’t know where they came from I found them, but they aren’t mine. With that Doreen is off and running and Mack is trying to find out what is going on. What, why, ahh hey why didn’t mom ask me, tell me even about them. These little mysteries in Kelowna are the most excitement this town has had in decades. The senior home, is always up to something because of Nan and her betting on everything and winning of course. Mack’s case load gets higher and well cold cases are being solved. A match made in heaven. Well not quite. lol
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Jewels in the Juniper by Dale Mayer
Lovely Lethal Gardens Series Book Ten
Doreen and the gang are at it again. Her basset hound, Mugs. Goliath, the Maine coon cat. And Thaddeus, the African grey that always has something to say.
Mack’s mom, Millicent, mentioned finding some gems many years back. She gives them to Doreen so that she can find the rightful owner. No dead bodies on this case…but lots of dead ends.
Excellent, page-turning cozy mystery.
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I loved it how Mack’s mum is the one to give Doreen a case this time around and I really struggled to try and work out who the bad guy was this time as there were plenty of great red herrings. Trying to unravel where the jewels came from and then how they got there and who they really belong to was definitely not easy for Doreen but the progress made toward her new deck is coming along nicely and the sparks between her and Mack are growing, I just wish things would move quicker about her seeing Mack’s brother about how her divorce panned out as I really want to see her douche ex get his comeuppance!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love this series! The characters (including the dog, cat, and bird) all interact so well that the book just flows so well! I love the story lines and the way the animals assist their owner. I was pulled into this book from the start and was trying to figure out the answers to the main characters mystery throughout the book. With the twists and turns in the story line the book kept you guessing but kept your interest throughout! Love, love, love this series and look forward to the next book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When a new book in this series hits my kindle I smile. I actually laughed out loud in this one.
Doreen and her animals are very entertaining, especially the bird.
Another cold case just landed in her lap, can she resist snooping to find the answers?
Jewels, murder, robbery and arson, so many pieces to put together. You know the animals are going to save the day again.
Great entertaining story, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Lovely Lethal Gardens series is a fun whimsical series. The books are enjoyable due to the various characters. Doreen has gone from riches to rags when her rich husband divorced her. Doreen has been so sheltered, her husband had help and didn’t think that Doreen should take care of anything her self.
Now on her own, she needs to learn to how to get things done. There is Mack the Detective for the town, he helps Doreen answering any question she has (although sometimes he can’t stop laughing at her questions.) He is always at her house helping her out and teaching her to cook. Then there is Nan, she lives at the retirement always giving Doreen food and sneaking money to her . Then there are the animals. Doreen is known around town because always has her dog, cat and parakeet with her. As Doreen gets involved in solving cold cases, Mack gets annoyed that she is getting in the middle of his cold cases. He can’t complain too much since she is solving the cases that have been open for decades. Although Doreen always ends up in trouble, her pets are always there to save her until Mack gets there. When I am looking for a fun story this is my choice.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Doreen and her fur babies is back and Mack too. I loveee these characters, love the banter between them and love the growth of their relationship, they’re just so adorable and perfect together.
As for the story, this book is about a jewelry robbery that happened 40 years ago, yup another exciting case for Doreen to solve, it’s a bit predictable for me and there’s not much actions from the trio Goliath, Mugs and Thaddeus as I wanted to, but still I enjoyed it and devoured it in one sitting.
If you’re a cozy mystery fan, then I totally recommended this series for you.
Doreen has finished another case, and is bored! That is a dangerous thing for sure. Asking about new cases doesn’t make Mack happy. SO while Doreen is at his mother’s house working on the garden, Millicent brings out a bag of jewels, that were found in the Juniper, many years ago. They had found them and turned them into the police, who then gave them back, due to lack of info on them. Doreen has a new case! These little mysteries are cute and funny but not without danger. I enjoy reading them. Mack and Doreen’s dynamic is sweet, one day Doreen will hopefully “Get It”. But probably not till she learns to cook pasta!
Doreen is a work in progress. A divorce eminent and former trophy wife, she is finding herself and becoming a better granddaughter. And finding yet another cold case. This is a mystery series for all ages. Jewels in the Juniper is a standalone book but so much more fun when read in order (watching Doreen evolve from the ashes of her previous life). Meanwhile, a friendship is gently evolving into something more? Absolutely love the team of animals (Mugs the basset hound, Goliath the Maine coon cat, and Thaddeus the parrot) that protect, inspire and push Doreen in her journey.A fun book. A thoughtful book (and a book where you want to give a high five to Doreen).
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I look forward to every book in this cozy mystery series. I am absolutely in love with the animals and their antics but reading about Max and Doreen how they have been building their friendship and you know more is on the horizon. I was so hoping this would be the book that they hooked up in, but maybe the next one…..
Whenever anyone says, “Did I ever tell you about…?” you know there’s a surprise coming. Prior to Mack’s joining the Kelowna police force, his mother, Millicent, found a bag of jewels in a dead tree on the family’s property. When she contacted the police at that time, they treated it as a lost-and-found case. After 30 days without finding the identity of the owner, they returned them to Millicent and said she could keep them. It bothered her to have something she knew did not belong to her so she hid them and essentially forgot about them until Doreen’s list of solved cases made her the perfect person to whom Millicent could pass the torch…I mean the jewels…with the proviso that if Doreen couldn’t find the owners, the jewels would become Doreen’s problem…I mean property. Since Doreen also does not want to keep anything that doesn’t belong to her, it means she has to do everything she can to find said owner. Thus begins another project for Doreen to multi-task with the new deck project on her house. The twists and turns of the jewels’ history prior to their discovery in the tree go back 40-plus years and involve people from families with only a few members still around. Could it be any more difficult a case? Read this book and you will see.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Such an interesting and exciting read. Jewels In the Juniper is packed full of mystery and adventure. I love this series, a definite must read.
It is always such great fun to meet up once again with Doreen and the rest of the gang for a new cozy mystery. The story is of course engaging and it keeps you on your toes as you strive to put the clues together and solve the case before Doreen; just so you can feel a bit smug and proud of yourself. Mack, Nan and Doreen’s furry menagerie are also around and they add plenty of humor and charm to this read. A really delightful series that consistently delivers time and again. This is my frank and freely posted review.
This book was a hilarious page turner.
Not only is Doreen a super sleuth, she has a big heart. Clearing cold cases with help from her little menagerie of animals.
Mack is turning out to be a wonderful friend, and maybe more as this series continues.
Gran is still the lively firecracker in her seniors home, and always there for Doreen.
I love reading each of the books in this series.
Doreen is knee deep working on her garden so that when she and Mack get most of the supplies to build a new deck they can start right away. Doreen also helps to maintain Mack’s mother’s garden so she is not surprised when Millicent starts telling her about a bag of jewels she found in the roots of a juniper while separating it. Millicent had contacted the police to attempt finding the owner of the jewels but after 30 days no one claimed them so Millicent got.them back. Millicent wants Doreen to find the owner.
A surprisingly complex plot as it seemed like an easy task for Doreen to complete. Doreen’s technique to solve problems is to ask questions of all people who have even the ones with the slimmest of connection to the problem. I enjoy reading about her thought processes. Enjoyable story
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Happily free from her soon-to-be ex-husband, Doreen spends many hours in her garden. Much to her police detective friend Mack’s dismay, Doreen also loves to solve cold cases. This time, Mack’s mother gives her jewels that she found in her juniper decades ago. Doreen’s curiosity puts her in danger but her pets are always there to help. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I love her descriptions of her flowers that inspire me to do more in my yard. I also enjoy unraveling the clues in her latest cold case. My enjoyment in reading this cozy series increases with each book. I look forward to the next one.
Another great whodunit in this fabulously quirky series. I love the animals and Doreen, can’t wait for her and Mack to finally at least kiss, maybe next time lol. At least I was kept guessing with the final twist in this one, I had some ideas but not how it turned out. These can be a bit funny with lots of clues that are sometimes fast coming forward or at others a bit slower like with this one. I don’t mind either way as long as the animals get their share of the limelight, Nan as well is a wonderful character full of fun and mischief. Doreen’s life is gradually coming together, with the house organised and the garden taking shape, I’m waiting to see what might get thrown up next with the creek as well now it’s on the rise, I’m thinking something is bound to be disturbed at some point. We get a lead into the next story as well so can’t wait to get stuck into that one. Such a fabulous change to heavy dark mysteries these are a bit of light but enjoyable relief, fantastic characters both human and animal, to some degree even a lot of the villains are likeable. More, more, more please.