Literary caterer Letitia `Tish¿ Tarragon is preparing her English Secret Garden-themed luncheon for Coleton Creek¿s annual garden club awards, but when she is taken on a tour of some of the top contenders with the garden club¿s president, Jim Ainsley, Tish is surprised at how seriously the residents take the awards ¿ and how desperate they are to win.
Wealthy, retired businessman Sloane … Sloane Shackleford has won the coveted best garden category five years in a row, but he and his Bichon Frise, Biscuit, are universally despised. When Sloane¿s bludgeoned body is discovered in his pristine garden, Tish soon learns that he was disliked for reasons that go beyond his green fingers. Have the hotly contested awards brought out a competitive and murderous streak in one of the residents?
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The Garden Club Murder by Amy Patricia Meade is the second A Tish Tarragon Mystery. Tish Tarragon owns Cookin’ the Books Café & Catering in Virginia. She is a literary themed chef who has been hired to cater the Coleton Creek’s annual garden club awards luncheon for which she has created a Secret Garden theme. Jim Ainsley’s, the garden club president, takes Tish and Jules Davis on a tour of the top contenders for the prize. They find Sloane Shackleford on a chaise lounge bludgeoned with a garden spade. Tish declares she is too busy with the luncheon to investigate, but the residents keep dropping by the kitchen and open up to her while eating her delectable scones. The Garden Club Murder can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. Everything a reader needs to know is disclosed in the book. Tish owns Cookin’ the Books which is a café with a literary themed menu. Her Secret Garden theme for the garden club luncheon sounded lovely as well as the scrumptious English menu. Julian Jefferson Davis aka Jules is my favorite character in the book. He is a unique individual with a zest for life. Jules provided many humorous moments. My favorite was when Tish finds him leading an early morning water aerobics class as Coleton Creek blaring Lady Gaga music. Despite finding the body of the despised Sloane Shackleford, Tish declares she is not going to investigate. However, residents keep visiting the kitchen (or waylaying her) and Tish manages to extract information that helps Sheriff Clemson Reade with his investigation (she cannot help but ask probing questions). The whodunit is intriguing. There are multiple suspects since Sloane went out of his way to antagonize residents of the community. There are clues to help readers solve the crime before Tish. There is a red herring or two to distract us from the real culprit along with a surprising twist. I like the subplot (another mystery) which added depth to the story plus it was unique. Tish also must help her best friend, Mary Jo who was told by her husband that he wants a divorce because he has fallen in love with a younger woman. Mary Jo and her two kids (plus two of their friends) spend the weekend in Tish’s apartment above the café. In addition, Tish has Biscuit, Sloane’s dog staying with her (she is a softie). While Tish is dating attorney, Schuyler Thompson, there is another man interested in having a relationship with her. I have to admit that I prefer this man to the attorney. The Garden Club Murder is an eventful cozy mystery with scrumptious scones, a winsome weatherman, gorgeous gardens, a questionable quarry and one curious chef.
When a womanizing senior is found dead in his garden shortly before a highly competitive garden design contest, the motive for his murder is unclear. Did it have to do with the contest or his manipulative ways or his cheating heart? Could it have been done by a woman done wrong or a man offended by his woman being stolen or even someone upset about the victim’s dog sabotaging other gardens? How about the owners of the development who have their own motives for the dissolution of the popular gardening club and competition?
This can be read as a stand alone but the characters are so well written that I want to know more about them and spend time with them again.
Anyone who enjoys their mystery with a humorous edge (amidst tragedy) and appreciates Southern ways (as well as BBC America) will find plenty to sink their teeth into in this series.
Friendships are strong, romance doesn’t always run smoothly, and good advice are all themes in this enticing novel. While this mystery is brought to a satisfying conclusion, the ending leaves us hungering for more.
This is the first book that I have read by this author and I enjoyed the way that the story came together. I liked Tish Tarragon, the main character, and her culinary creations with a literary theme. In this book Tish is catering a garden club awards luncheon in a gated 60+ community. Her theme for the luncheon is A Secret Garden which I thought was clever. I enjoyed all of the descriptions of the beautiful gardens and of the food that she was preparing for the luncheon. One of the contenders for the award is found dead and there are several suspects. The previous book in the series was referenced several times, but I did not feel lost or that I was missing anything because I hadn’t read it before reading this book. However, I can’t wait to go back and read the first book to learn more about the characters.
I’m no gardener, I can only grow weeds but I do enjoy gardening mysteries – the addition of a corpse found pushing up daisies during a garden competition tour shakes things up. Tish Tarragon is doing a secret garden luncheon for the local over 60 retirement community and the event will include the awarding of the coveted best garden over an extended period, not just one season. So not just a prize rose bush but how good your lawn looks in all seasons, how your plants bloom, etc. The emotions run high and it ends with the murder of Sloane Shackleford, a multi winner and very much disliked man. So, who cared enough about a garden award to kill the previous winner?
Tish has no interest whatsoever in getting involved in another murder investigation. She is only involved as a witness to finding the corpse. That may be her desire and she does try to keep her distance but she seems to be a magnet for information. People like to share gossip and facts about the case with her. That’s okay, she will happily pass it all on to the police. That’s their job, not hers. Easier said than done. The volume and depth of the secrets lurking in this community make for a long list of suspects and motives for murder.
Helping Tish with catering the event is one of her best friends, Jules, local tv weatherman and her bartender. The easy banter between the two is a delight. All of the characters come alive on the page and the setting of Richmond, Virginia was perfect. The mystery was solid with enough twists and red herrings to make me say that I didn’t see that coming at the finish. I’m ready to add the next mystery in this series to my list of must reads.