Post-retirement aches and pains can’t prevent sixty-five-year-old Lilly Jayne from keeping the most manicured garden in Goosebush, Massachusetts. But as a murder mystery blooms in the sleepy New England town, can a green thumb weed out a killer? With hundreds flocking to her inaugural garden party, meticulous Lilly Jayne hasn’t left a single petal out of place. But the picture-perfect gathering … picture-perfect gathering turns unruly upon the arrival of Merilee Frank, Lily’s ex-husband’s catty third wife. Merilee lives for trouble, so no one is surprised after she drinks too much, shoves a guest into the koi pond, and gets escorted off the property. The real surprise comes days later—when Merilee is found dead in a pile of mulch . . .
Lilly wishes she could stick to pruning roses and forget about Merilee’s murder—until her best friend and ex become suspects in an overgrown homicide case. Now, aided by the Garden Squad, an unlikely group of amateur crime solvers with a knack for planting, Lilly knows she has limited time to identify the true culprit and restore order to Goosebush. Because if the murderer’s plot isn’t nipped in the bud, another victim could be pushing up daisies!
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Pruning the Dead by Julia Henry is the first book in this new cozy series and I couldn’t be happier.
Ms. Henry is a “new to me” author but I am thrilled to have found this book. She has written a well-crafted story with very likable characters. I especially enjoyed the fact that the protagonist and her best friend are in their mid-sixties which is quite a change from the usual characters in cozy mysteries lately. I found the characters to also be relatable as Ms. Henry developed their personalities well in this first book. I am sure that readers will get to know them better as the series progresses. If I liked gardening more, I would want to join Lilly Jayne, Delia, Tamara and Ernie – the Garden Squad.
The story was quickly paced with just enough twists to keep me guessing and plenty of suspects that made me question their honesty and motives along with Lilly Jayne. There was more than one mystery to be solved in this book but it was all connected as Lilly Jayne showed in the reveal.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own. I want to sincerely thank Kensignton for the opportunity to read and review this entertaining new cozy.
Cozy New England Murder Mystery
This wonderful story takes place in coastal New England. It utilizes gardening as a backdrop and focal point. The plot of the story has plenty of suspects and motives. It is very well done. All of the characters are deep and well developed. The reader gets invested in the story early on. The different people in the story could be easily found in any small town and in anyone’s family. I hope that this is the beginning of a series because I would like to enjoy more of the lives of the townspeople of Goose Bush. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.