It’s August in Goosebush, Massachusetts, and go-getter retiree Lilly Jayne and her youthful senior pals show no sign of slowing down during the lazy days of summer. But when murder mows over a pesky local, could a Garden Squad member be nurturing a deadly second act? While Lilly digs into a town beautification project, her friend Tamara O’Connor has greater concerns than well-pruned geraniums. … than well-pruned geraniums. The real-estate firm owner hasn’t been shy about blaming perennial grouch Gladys Preston for thwarting her many attempts to sell off a beautiful beachside property. But accusations fly when Gladys is suddenly found dead—and Tamara is caught standing over the body with a bloody weapon in her hand . . .
As Tamara becomes the prime murder suspect, Lilly and the Garden Squad ladies set out to prove that someone planted the evidence. With a potpourri of alarming clues scattered around Goosebush, cracking this case means confronting a calculating culprit with a penchant for cutting down anyone who gets in the way . . .
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It’s August in Goosebush, Massachusetts, but Lilly Jayne and the rest of the Garden Squad just as busy as every trying to make their town beautiful again. But there are some thorns among the blooms. The recent death of a friend has left Lilly, as executor of his estate, dealing with his greedy relatives. Meanwhile, Lilly’s best friend, Tamara, is finding her efforts to sell the dead man’s house meeting with sabotage, something that is only making her stress over the new relator in town worse. But things come to a head when Tamara is found standing over the dead body of Gladys Preston. Gladys didn’t have many friends in town, but she recently had a very public fight with Tamara. As the rumor mill begins to heat up, Lilly knows she needs to figure out what really happened to help her friend clear her name. Can she do it?
I fell in love with these characters with the first book in the series, and it was great to be back to visit them again. I will admit it took me a bit to get completely back in the flow of the characters and Goosebush, but it wasn’t long before I had. Lilly and many of her friends are on the older side, and I enjoy this break from the traditional cozy lead character. They and the new characters came to life for me as the story unfolded. The plot takes on quite a bit, so as a result the book appears to be wandering a little before Gladys dies, but everything is important and comes into play. I’m actually a little in awe of how it all came together, although the ending was a tad rushed. I also appreciated how the theme of old versus new or tradition versus change played out in the book. I suspect we will see that again in future books. For those who have a green thumb, some gardening tips are included at the back of the book. This second book is fun as we get to watch Lilly weed out another killer.
TILLING THE TRUTH by Julia Henry is the second book in the A Garden Squad Mystery series. It’s the story of Lilly Jayne, highly respected senior citizen and somewhat of an amateur sleuth – the fabulous Garden Squad -and solving the murder of Gladys Preston, Squad member but also the town grouch. It’s delightfully set in the little quaint town of Goosebush, Massachusetts.
The story opens after the death of Lilly’s dear friend, Harmon Dane. Lilly is the executor of his will which means she is dealing with his cousin, Miranda, and nephew, Braden, who seem more interest in money and their own wants than in honoring their Uncle’s wishes. She’s brought in Dawn Simmons, Professor of Ornithology, to help in the research for establishing The Dane Bird Sanctuary, which was near and dear to Harmon’s heart and to which he bequeathed a large part of his estate to.
Tamara, owner of O’Connor Real Estate, has the listing to sell the Dane estate so that terms of the will can be filled. However, someone seems determined to undermine her open houses by the use everything from o rotting fish to the release of mice thereby delaying the eventual sale of the house. She also has very public heated words with Gladys the night before her death making her the number one suspect especially when she was the one found over the body. On top of all that, Tamara is having to deal with nasty competition in the form of Regan Holland, new realtor in town. Regan not only doesn’t understand small town ways, but she seems to rub everyone wrong with her big town ways and her snipe remarks with a smile on her face.
Bash Haygood, Chief of Police, is a good friend of Lilly’s and has known her all his life. He respects her as a person and for her opinion so he keeps her in the loop during the investigation and she in turn tells him of any facts she learns.
The Garden Squad with members like Ernie Johnson – owner of the Triple B’s as it’s fondly called, Stan Freeman – owner of the Star Café, and Delia – who worked for Lilly’s husband and has lived with her since his death becoming a dear friend and who helps them keep on track of the “true” facts, are all workiing together to figure out the who, when, how and why was Gladys murdered. In their investigation, they start finding clues that maybe, just maybe there are connections between Harmon’s death, the open house fiascos, vandalism on the bird sanctuary and Gladys’ death.
Why was Lenny changing from small renovations jobs to new big construction with no money or crews to work with? How does that connect with his getting caught coming out of Gladys’ house after her death? Was Harmon’s death connected to Gladys’? Does the covenant on the three houses where Harmon lived play into the deaths? Was someone doing all the pranks at the open houses to try to frame Tamara? Are they trying to stop the bird sanctuary for the money or the land? Will Delia accept the new teaching job in Boston and leave Lilly alone at Windward? What kind of wool is Regan trying to pull over everyone’s eyes and will she get the folks to accept big town ways?
Julia Henry did an excellent job of bringing the whole town of Goosebush to life in TILLING THE TRUTH. Loved Lilly from page one. Love when they show that seniors can have spunk and brains. It was fun to keep up with the twists and turns of this mystery absorbing the hints along with the Garden Squad with a little wine to wash it down with.
Definitely recommend this book, this series and this author! If you love a clean, well-written cozy mystery that will entertain you and keep you turning the pages, then you will love it as much as I did.
“Tilling the Truth” is the 2nd installment in the “Garden Squad Mystery” series by Julia Henry. I had not read the first book but had no trouble following along so yes it can be read as a standalone. I do recommend reading them in order, this way you really get to know Lilly, Tamara and the rest of the garden squad members. I enjoyed the change to older sleuths instead of the more common younger 20-30 something.
It’s August in Goosebush, Massachusetts, and go-getter retiree Lilly Jayne and her youthful senior pals show no sign of slowing down during the lazy days of summer. But when murder mows over a pesky local, could a Garden Squad member be nurturing a deadly second act?
While Lilly digs into a town beautification project, her friend Tamara O’Connor has greater concerns than well-pruned geraniums. The real-estate firm owner hasn’t been shy about blaming perennial grouch Gladys Preston for thwarting her many attempts to sell off a beautiful beachside property. But accusations fly when Gladys is suddenly found dead—and Tamara is caught standing over the body with a bloody weapon in her hand . . .
As Tamara becomes the prime murder suspect, Lilly and the Garden Squad ladies set out to prove that someone planted the evidence. With a potpourri of alarming clues scattered around Goosebush, cracking this case means confronting a calculating culprit with a penchant for cutting down anyone who gets in the way . . .
I found the characters to be well rounded, fun and I liked the setting of Goosebush and its small town feel. The mystery was well plotted with plenty of clues and suspects to mull over.
It was an entertaining, easy read and I look forward to reading more about the “Garden Squad” .
I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tilling the Truth by Julia Henry is the second book in the Garden Squad mystery series! For me, this was another winner! I adore this series. Even though the main heroine is a little older she’s so easy to relate to and connect with. Not only that, the cast of characters that she works with who also live within her small-town community add so much more to the story! I wish Gooseflesh was a real town because I’d LOVE to live there! If you’re a cozy mystery reader and enjoy things like gardening and mysteries, then this is a must-read series for you. I highly recommend them!
Lily and her friends continue to work on the beautification project for their town. While doing volunteer work at the dump Tamara, Lily’s best friend, is found standing over a dead body with a faucet in her hand. As Tamara becomes the prime suspect Lily works to uncover the truth of what is happening all over town and find a killer.
This is the second book in the Garden Squad series. This book contains a diverse cast of characters who are nicely developed. There is a blend of mature characters and younger people. I listened to the audio version and the reader does a great job with the voices of the characters. The plot moves at a steady pace. The town of Goosebush is a nice setting and though I am not familiar with that area of the country I am able to picture it through the authors descriptions. I recommend this book and I’m looking forward to the release of book 3 this summer.
A fun book! I love the small town of Goosebush and the members of the Garden Squad, who secretly fix gardens in the middle of the night. A woman is murdered and Lilly’s friend, Tamara, finds the body and is a suspect. Lilly and the rest of the Garden Squad set out to find out who the killer is and solve some other mysteries that may connect along the way. Intriguing and delightful characters. I am looking forward to reading more books in this charming series!!
Tilling The Truth, the second book in this wonderful series I’ve read and yes, I absolutely love this series! I love the characters are mostly all older, Lilly Jane being post retirement. The characters are fun, funny, interact well, very enjoyable. I can easily relate to to them. Yes I do recommend this book and will be reading more in this series!!
Tilling the Truth by Julia Henry is the second A Garden Squad Mystery. Lilly Jayne lives in Goosebush, Massachusetts where she keeps herself busy with beautification projects plus as executor of Harmon Dane’s estate. Tamara O’Connor, a local realtor, is up in arms because her open houses keep getting sabotaged (dozens of mice and black goo backing up drains). On the town recycling day, Lilly finds Tamara standing over Gladys Preston with a bloody faucet in her hand. It is evident that Tamara has been set up. Lilly Jayne and the Garden Squad set out to root out the real culprit. Tilling the Truth can be read alone for those who did not read Pruning the Dead. However, I recommend reading the series in order, so you are familiar with the characters. It helps to know the players when it comes to solving the mystery. We are introduced to Goosebush, Massachusetts as well as a host of its residents. Gardening is a passion for several of the townspeople including Lilly Jayne. Lilly Jayne and a group of her friends called the Garden Squad work under cover of darkness to fix up neglected areas of the town. This same group also helps Lilly Jayne to solve Gladys murder. Gladys was not well liked which gives us multiple suspects. There is plenty of gossip to discern and a few clues as well. You will need to weed through the suspects to find the killer. To me the killer was a red rose stuck in the middle of a bouquet of white roses (easy to spot). There are cozy moments as the group drinks tea or wine, has a nosh, and chats. Gardening is a hot topic and there are gardening tips at the end of the book. Tilling the Truth is a character driven cozy mystery and this author has provided a lively set of characters. Tilling the Truth is a charming cozy mystery with floral fanatics, avaricious heirs, stinky smells, runaway roses, and a sly saboteur.
I found this cozy mystery to be slow going. Real estate developers are descending on Goosebush and the townspeople are not sure all the growth is a good thing. When Tamara, a local real estate agent finds a body Lily and her friends set out to solve the mystery. The book is short but it still took me awhile to finish it and the beginning dragged for me. For such a short book there was a lot of repetition. Each time a character appeared the description of them was often repeated. The mystery was OK and it was easy to solve. I did like the characters and the gardening background. There are gardening tips in the back.
Tilling the Truth by Julia Henry is a pleasant little cozy mystery with a retired lady who is now the executor of her friend Harmon’s estate. He had died unexpectedly a short while ago and Lily Jayne was now expected to mediate between his wishes, his nephew’s wishes, and his cousin Miranda’s wishes. Both of the latter wanted as much money as possible, as soon as possible. Lily Jayne wanted to sell Harmon’s house to a buyer who would love it as he had and honor his wishes for a bird sanctuary on the edge of the property which he was funding). People were interested in the house, but apparently not for the right reasons, both of his neighbors were interested as well. Lily Jayne was not certain of their reasons at the present.
This is an appalling tale of greed and hatred for reasons we might all be faced with. Lily Jayne lived with he deceased husband for years and she sometimes hears his voice reminding her of things she should know. It has been very helpful. She has a small cadre of good friends, including her husband’s research assistant, Delia, who has bee living with her but is due to leave soon for a better job. Delia has amazing skills and resources and proves to be very helpful in this dance of deceit that has to be unraveled. Tilling the truth is a very readable book with a decent mystery to boot. I recommend it.
I received a free ARC of Tilling the Truth. All opinions and interpretations herein are solely my own. #netgalley #tillingthetruth
Tilling The Truth is the second book in the Garden Squad Mystery series.
The Garden Squad are back and working on plans for more beautification of Goosebush MA. Lilly Jayne, leader of the Garden Squad is facing the loss of Delia. Delia has been helping Lilly manage her house. Delia has been acting as interim town clerk and has decided to start her college teaching career.
Lilly has been appointed an executor of Harmon Danes estate with the expressed proviso that monies from the estate be used to protect and provide a home for the birds that he loved. Braden and Miranda, Danes’ relatives, are pushing Lilly to advance them funds from the Dane estate while Lilly’s good friend, Tamara, tries to sell the house. But somebody is sabotaging her open house plans.
Tamara finds evidence that Gladys Preston, who lives next door to Dane’s estate, might be responsible for ruining the open houses. Gladys texts Tamara to meet her at the cities dumpsite. But meeting won’t take place, as Gladys is dead and Tamara is found standing over the lifeless body holding the murder weapon. It seems that there are other possible suspects and Lilly and the Garden Squad set off to clear Tamara’s name.
I find this to be a very enjoyable and interesting series. It is well-plotted and written story, with a cast of well-developed and interesting characters. I would love to live in a community like Goosebush and call the residents my friends.
Helpful gardening tips are also included in the book.
I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.
When a Goosebush, Massachusetts resident is found dead at the town dump, Lilly Jayne and her friends need to work together to discover who killed cranky Gladys and why. Add to the mix an annoying real estate agent trying to sabotage Lilly’s bestie, greedy relatives of her recently deceased friend, and some possibly shady development deals happening in this quaint New England town, and Lilly’s got her hands full! Julia Henry’s much anticipated second Garden Squad mystery, Tilling the Truth, was a joy to read and the storytelling, characters, and mystery were all very nicely woven into a lovely and quite cozy story. A+++
This series isn’t a one book winner. With the second entry we get another great mystery – no sophomore slump, I’m happy to say. While it can be read as a stand alone, reading them in order is the best way to get to know Lilly, Tamara and the rest of this wonderful group of older sleuths. It’s refreshing to spend time with characters who are not 20 something or even 30 something.
Lilly and the Garden Squad are doing some Summer beautification to their town of Goosebush, Massachusetts but there are tensions growing. When Lilly is named executor of the estate of her friend, Harmon, those tensions come to a boil. His house is up for sale and somebody is playing nasty. Harmon’s neighbor, Gladys, has become a thorn in the side of Tamara as she tries to sell the beachfront house. Tamara may have been seen very publicly arguing with Gladys but to think that it would end in murder and with Tamara standing over her dead body – well Lilly is certain that she must go all out to clear her friends name. Tamara is not a killer but that means one is out there, possibly planning to strike again?
Besides enjoying the characters, I found the the mystery and final reveal to be very well crafted. This new series has earned its place on my must read list.
Real Estate Troubles and Murder
This is the second book in this series. I have read both books in the series. I think this book could stand alone. I also know that the reader will get more enjoyment from reading the books in order. There are all sorts of vandalism occurring across town and most real estate sales are causing arguments at Town Hall meeting. The plot of this book is busy and well planned. It is a fun read with no extra padding with menus, recipes or fashion. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
I’ll be honest, I picked this book to read as I needed a gardening book for a book bingo I participate in throughout the year. I really did not think I would like it but I did. In fact, I have already downloaded the first book from my local library.
I do agree with another review I read that it would have been better to have read the first book in the series. A few times I felt lost in the character development but the author did a great job in giving just enough information for me to figure it out.
Tilling the Truth has made me look around at neighboring gardens and appreciate the time and patience people put into them. I do know I would not know one poisonous plant from another.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.