In an entirely appealing mystery debut, Marty Wingate introduces readers to a curious Texas ex-pat whose English gardening expertise on occasion leads her to unearth murderous goings-on.
Pru Parke always dreamed of living in England. And after the Dallas native follows an impulse and moves to London, she can't imagine ever leaving--though she has yet to find a plum position as a head gardener. Now, as the sublet on her flat nears its end, the threat of forced departure looms. Determined to stay in her beloved adopted country, Pru takes small, private gardening jobs throughout the city.
On one such gig in Chelsea, she makes an extraordinary find. Digging in the soil of a potting shed, Pru uncovers an ancient Roman mosaic. But enthusiasm over her discovery is soon dampened when, two days later, she finds in the same spot a man's bludgeoned corpse. As the London police swarm her worksite, ever inquisitive Pru can't quite manage to distance herself from the investigation--much to the dismay of stern Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse. It seems that, much as he tries, even handsome DCI Pearse can't keep Pru safe from a brutal killer who thinks she's already dug up too much.
All Pru Parke has ever wanted is to live in her mother's home country of England and be the gardener for an English manor. After her mother's death, she impulsively moves to London. While searching for a permanent head gardener position, Pru takes on some smaller jobs and uncovers an ancient Roman mosaic. Soon afterwards, she discovers a dead body in the same location and finds herself involved in the investigation. While often, unintentionally, impeding it, she also manages to uncover clues, but it all turns scary when the killer comes after Pru.
I like cozy mysteries, but they're not always my first genre of choice. When this one came across my radar, I grabbed it based on the British setting. I was not disappointed. Pru was terrific and while I thought she was very naive at times, she was plucky and resilient. I liked Christopher and I hope to see more of his relationship with Pru in future books.
I love mature heroines. And Pru is a 50-something gardener with a penchant for sleuthing that often gets her into trouble! This is the first in the Potting Shed Mystery series and it was a lot of fun. I look forward to more.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. You can learn more about Marty Wingate here. You can purchase your own copy here\.
Read 11/14
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3/5 Stars
I like cozies but don't read as many as I used to. This sounds like a good one and reminds me of my mother who loved her flowers and had a green thumb, so may add it to my tbr list.
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