Book Review: The Bluebonnet Betrayal, A Potting Shed Mystery by Marty Wingate

This is an easy, delightful cozy mystery with gardening interests and lovely warmth – other than the death of course.

The Bluebonnet Betrayal, A Potting Shed Mystery
by Marty Wingate

File Size: 2129 KB
Print Length: 294 pages
Publisher: Alibi (August 2, 2016)
ASIN: B017QLSIU4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Bestselling author Marty Wingate “plants clever clues with a dash of romantic spice,” raves Mary Daheim. Now Wingate’s inimitable gardening heroine, Pru Parke, is importing a precious bloom from Texas—and she won’t let a vicious murder stop her.
Pru’s life in England is coming full circle. A Texas transplant, she’s married to the love of her life, thriving in the plum gardening position she shares with her long-lost brother, and prepping a Chelsea Flower Show exhibit featuring the beloved bluebonnets of the Texas hill country. Technically, Twyla Woodford, the president of a gardening club in the Lone Star State, is in charge of the London event, but Pru seems to be the one getting her hands dirty. When they finally do meet, Pru senses a kindred spirit—until Twyla turns up dead.
Although Twyla’s body was half buried under a wall in their display, Pru remains determined to mount a spectacular show. Twyla would have insisted. So Pru recruits her husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, to go undercover and do a bit of unofficial digging into Twyla’s final hours. If Pru has anything

Review:
Pru Parke is a ‘transplanted’ Texan living and gardening in England where she now lives with her new husband. Pru and her newly found brother are working to restore the gardens on a country estate. Pru has been asked by a Texan gardening ‘friend’, Twyla Woodford, to help set up a Texas exhibit for the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Pru arrives at the exhibit site and begins to meet the various crew: an aloof ‘designer’, Roddy; a competent, if angry, crew boss, Chiv, and his jealous partner, Iris; a mostly absent, wealthy sponsor, Damien; and a young, enthusiastic researcher, Forde, who is convinced the sponsor will buy his special biofuel product. Pru picks up on some tension among these crew members even before she meets the Texas garden society ladies. Pru picks up five of the Texas ladies at the airport only to learn that their fearless leader, Twyla, has been delayed.

Twyla finally arrives and she and Pru hit it off right away. Twyla has some concerns that she has to resolve although she doesn’t fully explain the problems to Pru. This gives Pru fuel for the mystery when Twyla is discovered murdered the next morning. The Chief Inspector immediately warns Pru to keep her nose out of the investigation and to keep her husband, Chris, the former chief inspector who retired and now serves as consultant, out of the way too.

This of course won’t work for Pru who is determined to find Twyla’s killer while she also continues preparing for the exhibit. Pru drags Chris onto the crew to investigate under cover. As they make their inquiries, Pru learns that all four men, and several of the ladies, had relationships with Twyla that might provide a motive for the killing. Now they just have to narrow the field of suspects without getting in the line of fire.

Although there initially seemed to be quite a lot of characters and suspects, Ms. Wingate does a wonderful job of tying all the details together while hiding the true killer until an exciting confrontation at the end. The story brims with gardening background that I found interesting and I loved the gentle humor. Each chapter begins with a tidbit from the fictional ARGS (Austin Rock Garden Society) news or minutes. There is a sweet romantic vibe between Pru and Chris that adds to the story.

There is a rich warmth and easy style (yes, cozy) to the writing which makes this enjoyable entertainment. This is the second Potting Shed Mystery that I have read by Ms. Wingate and I highly recommend this author and series to readers who like cozy mysteries.

I received this title through NetGalley for an honest review. It qualifies for my NetGalley Challenge.

Book Review: The Red Book of Primrose House by Marty Wingate

This is a thoroughly warm and engaging cozy mystery.
The Red Book of Primrose House
by Marty Wingate

• File Size: 1890 KB
• Print Length: 273 pages
• Publisher: Alibi (November 4, 2014)
• Sold by: Random House LLC
• ASIN: B00KAFXBHE

Genre: Cozy Mystery
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
In Marty Wingate’s charming new Potting Shed Mystery, Texas transplant Pru Parke’s restoration of a historic landscape in England is uprooted by an ax murderer.

Pru Parke has her dream job: head gardener at an eighteenth-century manor house in Sussex. The landscape for Primrose House was laid out in 1806 by renowned designer Humphry Repton in one of his meticulously illustrated Red Books, and the new owners want Pru to restore the estate to its former glory—quickly, as they’re planning to showcase it in less than a year at a summer party.

But life gets in the way of the best laid plans: When not being happily distracted by the romantic attentions of the handsome Inspector Christopher Pearse, Pru is digging into the mystery of her own British roots. Still, she manages to make considerable progress on the vast grounds—until vandals wreak havoc on each of her projects. Then, to her horror, one of her workers is found murdered among the yews. The police have a suspect, but Pru is certain they’re wrong. Once again, Pru finds herself entangled in a thicket of evil intentions—and her, without a hatchet.

Review:
Pru Parke has landed a great job as head gardener to restore the garden at historic Primrose House in Sussex. An extra special bonus is that they have discovered the valuable “Red Book” of the historic landscape artist who detailed and sketched the garden plans for the manor house. Pru is excited about the impressive restoration opportunity even if it means that she is separated from her new “fellow”, London Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Christopher Pearse. Pru will also have the chance to meet other Parkes as she has a lead in her desperate search for connections to her mother’s English family.

Pru has to work with a mixed crew which consist of two brothers who provide brawn, a special, handicapped young man who provides gentleness and holes, and a difficult old gardener who begrudgingly provides history. Pru also has to resist the suggestions of her employer who sends in changing ideas by email or notes every few weeks and wants to host a grand open house in seven months. Things are going on fairly well until accidents happen and it appears there is sabotage in the garden. Then one of the staff is found murdered. The local Detective Sargeant (DS) is a nice officer and a friend of Christopher. However the local DCI is loud and rough and doesn’t want Christopher sticking his nose into his case.

Christopher was glad when Pru did not return to Texas after they met over another murder case. (See The Garden Plot.) He drives up for weekends to visit and is anxious to keep her safe, especially now that troubles are increasing. He suspects that Pru will have a hard time staying impartial in the investigation as she will want to protect her friends/staff and make inquires on her own.

I totally enjoyed the gardening details and life issues that were shared until the mystery began. There were several side interests that kept the book moving along well, including the mature romance between Pru and Christopher with their warm, and often lightly humorous, dialogue. The primary and secondary characters are well developed with distinct traits that add depth to the story. There are clues threaded in different encounters that help Pru (and the observant reader) to figure out the murderer, but will it be in time?

The length was good to make this an easy, fast read. This is a fine cozy mystery and I will soon return to Ms. Wingate to read The Garden Plot (Potting Shed Mystery Book 1) which I happen to have in my Kindle Library. I highly recommend this to fans of cozy mystery and to those who enjoy working in a garden!

I received this book from Random House through NetGalley.