Julia Henry

The Plot Thickets by Julia Henry is the 5th A Garden Squad Mystery. We return to Goosebush, Massachusetts where Lilly Jayne resides in her family home, Windward. I like Lilly Jayne who is a smart, kind woman in her 60s who loves to garden. There are beautiful gardens surrounding Windward. She has a great group of friends who comprise the Garden Squad. They secretly tackle gardening projects around town. The multidimensional cast of secondary characters includes Delia, Ernie, Roddy, Tamara, and Warwick. I love the descriptions of Windward. This is a home that I would love to reside in. Stan’s father, Buzz causes a scene at a local restaurant where Lilly and her friends are dining. Stan and Buzz soon depart. Stan rushes back inside a couple of minutes later calling for assistance. Buzz has collapsed and is soon pronounced dead. Lilly and Delia are checking out a project in the cemetery a few days later for the Beautification Committee. Lilly notices some oddities among the gravestones including the moving of the Jayne bench near the family mausoleum. Stan asks them to check out where his father is buried. Delia and Lilly are unable to find the grave. The ladies decide that some research is in order. It is a multifaceted mystery which I enjoyed. While I anticipated the resolution, I had a good time following Lilly Jayne and her friends as they dug into the case. I appreciated the good wrap up at the end. The ending of the book will leave fans of the series smiling. There is a lot going on in The Plot Thickets. This is a story that is engaging and interesting. The Plot Thickets can be read as a standalone for those new to the series or if you have missed a book or two (like me). The Plot Thickets is a good cozy to read in October with the cemetery theme. There are some gardening tips at the end which includes a list of plants that are good pollinators (which is just what I needed). The Plot Thickets is a graveyard smash with plant pruning, a displaced bench, a dead dad, a witchy Whitney, puzzling plots, a house hunt, and a bad back.… (lisätietoja)

The Plot Thickets is the fifth book in the A GardenSquad Mystery series by Julia Henry.

It’s spring in Goosebush, Mass., and time for The Garden Squad to find their next beautification project. Lilly and Delia are heading for the cemetery where Lilly’s family has a burial plot to see if it might need some sprucing up. The cemetery certainly needs some weeding and flowers to improve its appearance. Lilly notices that there seem to be some differences from the last time she was here. Lilly used to go with her father when he would conduct tours of the cemetery, so she is very familiar with where families were buried. Also, a heavy stone bench from the side of the plot to behind the family’s mausoleum. On a later visit, Lilly finds the door to the mausoleum unlocked, and when she enters, she sees several urns on the floor and a body in one of the vaults, none of who are members of her family.

The police will begin an investigation of the Bradford Funeral Home, which manages the cemetery’s operation. Sam Bradford started the funeral home and, upon his passing, was left to his wife, Whitney-Dunne Bradford. Sam’s daughter, Sasha, also works for the funeral home. A couple of days later, Lilly visits the cemetery and finds the body of Whitney behind her family’s mausoleum with a gun in her hand. It would appear to be a suicide, but they decide to treat it as a suspicious death. Soon, Stan, The Star cafe/bookstore owner, will become the prime suspect. Stan had been seen recently in a heated argument with Whitney. The Garden Squad will need to organize and get busy to clear Stan’s name by finding the killer.

A subplot deals with Delia and Stan’s budding romance. Since Stan’s estranged father returned to Goosebush, Stan has been reserved and challenging to communicate with. The Garden Squad is eager to provide support for Delia. She doesn’t believe Stan is guilty of murder and hopes they can restore their romance to what it once was.

It was enjoyable to visit the engaging community of Goosebush once again. The story is well-written and plotted. Most of the regular characters are back again; they are well-developed and believable.

I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.… (lisätietoja)

cozy-mystery, Massachusetts, small-town, friendship, relatives, small-business, conflict, family, murder, murder-investigation, embezzling, series*****

The Garden Squad is a group of friends who have lived in their small town (mostly forever) and have known each other for enough decades that many are retired.
The plot revolves around weird goings on at the town cemetery (a concept I am completely unfamiliar with). There are interconnected side plots as well to make you root for the nasty one to be murdered. Let the sleuthing begin! Despite it being in series, I think that there is enough series history included that it can easily stand alone. It's a good fun read full of twists, red herrings, and some really delightful characters, and I loved it!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!… (lisätietoja)