Author Topic: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries  (Read 13968 times)

Becke Davis

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June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« on: May 26, 2020, 04:41:33 pm »
I thought a feature on garden-related mysteries might be fun for June. It's the month of weddings traditionally, but not many mysteries are focused on weddings. I know a couple of authors who write about gardens and I've got lots of garden-related mysteries.

Agatha Christie short story: How does your garden grow?

Jan and Jim Lavene have the Peggy Lee Garden Shed mysteries

John Sherwood's Celia Grant mysteries are garden-related

Mark Mills, The Savage Garden

A.J. Banner, The Poison Garden

Kate Collins, Flower Shop Mystery Series

Daryl Wood Gerber, Fairy Garden Mystery Series

Bailey Cattrell, Enchanted Garden Mystery

Amanda Flower, Magic Garden Mystery series

I'll add more, but that's enough to get us started!

JRob

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #1 on: May 26, 2020, 08:21:20 pm »
Hmmm...I've seen series about farming and such but never gardening. This might prove an interesting subgenre to check out.

Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2020, 12:20:45 am »
Hmmm...I've seen series about farming and such but never gardening. This might prove an interesting subgenre to check out.

Some of the books I mentioned are focused on individual (sometimes poisonous) plants, others - like THE SAVAGE GARDEN - feature a specific landscaped garden. And still others have a central theme of gardening, as in planting, growing and harvesting flowers, fruits and vegetables and/or ornamental plants.

I've come across a couple more:

Elizabeth Ashby - A DEATH IN THE FLOWER GARDEN, a Danger Cove Farmer's Market Mystery

Ellery Adams - MURDER IN THE SECRET GARDEN (A Book Retreat mystery)

Marty Wingate - THE GARDEN PLOT (a Potting Shed mystery)

Dorothy St. James - FLOWERBED OF STATE (A Whitehouse Gardener Mystery)

Kayte Nunn - THE BOTANIST'S DAUGHTER

London Lovett - PEONIES AND POISON (and other Port Danby mysteries)

Gillian Larkin - MURDER IN THE FLOWER BEDS

Carola Dunn - THE WINTER GARDEN MYSTERY

Ruby Loren - GARDENIAS AND A GRAVE MISTAKE (Diana Flowers Floriculture mysteries)

Ellis Peters - THE ROSE RENT (a Brother Cadfael book)

Rebecca Rothenberg - THE SHY TULIP MURDERS

Lauren Willig - THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE PINK CARNATION (series)

Anthony Eglin - English Garden mystery series

Rosemary Harris - Dirty Business garden mysteries

There are lots more suggestions here: https://www.cozy-mystery.com/blog/gardening-cozy-mysteries.html


Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2020, 12:25:04 am »
Remember - since it's coronavirus time and it can be hard just keeping track what day of the week it is, we don't want to add any more pressure to your lives.

This isn't a book club, it's a forum for mystery lovers to talk about books they've read, books they want to read, authors that are must-buy and/or must/read, and books you'd like to recommend. The monthly features just help us narrow down some interesting books by a category or theme. They can be vintage or brand new.

I've invited some authors to stop by and tell us about their books - let me know if there are any authors you'd particularly like to meet or chat with here.

JRob

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2020, 06:08:31 am »
Oh, I'm not worried about keeping up, I just like the theme months and try to see if I can participate by reading at least one author from the various suggestions.

Though I think my time is going to be limited once more as I am pretty sure that I'm going to be headed back to work soon.

Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2020, 03:35:24 pm »
Oh, I'm not worried about keeping up, I just like the theme months and try to see if I can participate by reading at least one author from the various suggestions.

Though I think my time is going to be limited once more as I am pretty sure that I'm going to be headed back to work soon.

Well, it's our loss if you won't have as much time to hang out here, but heading back to work sounds like good news!

Here in Oregon, the sun is shining. I'm going to hang out in the backyard with my grandkids. I'll bring my book but when the girls are with me, I never get much reading done. :-)

JRob

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2020, 06:40:13 am »
Oh, I'll still be hanging out here. I just meant that I won't be able to read quite as much now that I'll be working during the daytime instead of doing my imitation of a sloth while the sun is shining.

Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2020, 04:15:37 pm »
In honor of our June feature, I just started reading FLOWERS AND FOUL PLAY - a Magic Garden mystery by Amanda Flower.

JRob

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2020, 07:08:51 am »
I haven't read Amanda Flower before. She does the Amish Candy Shop series if I remember correctly and I did pick up the first book in that series a little while back.

Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2020, 03:12:23 pm »
I'm not very far into the book, but I'm enjoying it. I think I have one or two more books by Amanda Flower in my to-be-read pile.

Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2020, 07:56:24 am »
I'm not very far into the book, but I'm enjoying it. I think I have one or two more books by Amanda Flower in my to-be-read pile.

I really enjoyed FLOWERS AND FOUL PLAY. I thought I owned other books in this series but I was confusing it with Amanda's Magical Bookshop mysteries. I just preordered the next two books in this series. I'm waiting for the library to reopen so I can save money on books, but I'm eager to keep going with this series.


Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #11 on: June 09, 2020, 01:07:58 am »
I forgot all about this author: Rebecca Rothenberg. I know I've read her books before but must have "weeded" them out when I moved. I did find one - THE DANDELION MURDERS - and I'm excited to read that again. (It's been at least a dozen years since I read it!)

I thought I had more John Sherwood books - at one time, I had them all, but we have moved a lot and that usually involves thinning my garden of books. :-( So I bit the bullet and ordered a couple of them from ABE Books. Now watch, I'll find more of them. Oh well!

Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #12 on: June 20, 2020, 01:53:09 am »
Hmmm...I've seen series about farming and such but never gardening. This might prove an interesting subgenre to check out.

Edith Maxwell's Local Foods series fits into this category without too big a stretch.

I've been digging into Edith's books this month, but I have a stack of garden mysteries that I've started on, too.

Have any of you discovered any good garden-related mysteries?

JRob

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #13 on: June 20, 2020, 07:27:31 am »
Sadly for me, the answer to your question is no. Not counting Edith's Local Food series that is.

I've been reading other stuff and I just got a new ARC to review so I probably won't be finding any gardening mysteries right now.

Becke Davis

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Re: June Feature: Garden-Related Mysteries
« Reply #14 on: June 20, 2020, 01:06:35 pm »
I forgot all about this author: Rebecca Rothenberg. I know I've read her books before but must have "weeded" them out when I moved. I did find one - THE DANDELION MURDERS - and I'm excited to read that again. (It's been at least a dozen years since I read it!)

I thought I had more John Sherwood books - at one time, I had them all, but we have moved a lot and that usually involves thinning my garden of books. :-( So I bit the bullet and ordered a couple of them from ABE Books. Now watch, I'll find more of them. Oh well!

A couple of the John Sherwood books I ordered from ABE Books were cancelled - no longer available. I think the only one I've received so far is CREEPING JENNY.

I'm looking forward to Ellery Adams' MURDER IN THE SECRET GARDEN, and I'm currently reading one of Anthony Eglin's English Garden Mysteries - THE TRAIL OF THE WILD ROSE. I read his book THE BLUE ROSE years ago and I know it's on one of my keeper shelves. Here's a list of his books:

https://www.cozy-mystery.com/anthony-eglin.html