Flowers and Foul Play: A Magic Garden Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Settings – Scotland
Crooked Lane Books (May 8, 2018)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683315629
Kindle ASIN: B075QJ6C76
Fiona Knox lost her fiancé and her flower shop—but when she flies to Scotland to inherit her godfather’s cottage and possibly magical walled garden, she may lose her life as well when she’s swept into a murder investigation.
Florist Fiona Knox’s life isn’t smelling so sweet these days. Her fiancé left her for their cake decorator. Then, her flower shop wilted after a chain florist opened next door. So when her godfather, Ian MacCallister, leaves her a cottage in Scotland, Fiona jumps on the next plane to Edinburgh. Ian, after all, is the one who taught her to love flowers. But when Ian’s elderly caretaker Hamish MacGregor shows her to the cottage upon her arrival, she finds the once resplendent grounds of Duncreigan in a dreadful shambles—with a dead body in the garden.
Minutes into her arrival, Fiona is already being questioned by the handsome Chief Inspector Neil Craig and getting her passport seized. But it’s Craig’s fixation on Uncle Ian’s loyal caretaker, Hamish, as a prime suspect, that really makes her worried. As Fiona strolls the town, she quickly realizes there is a whole bouquet of suspects much more likely to have killed Alastair Croft, the dead lawyer who seems to have had more enemies than friends.
Now it’s up to Fiona to clear Hamish’s name before it’s too late.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
A cozy cottage with a magical garden and a couple of very interesting furry creatures is what Fiona Fox finds when she arrives in Scotland. Oh, she also finds a dead body in the garden. Her godfather, Ian MacCallister, the man that shared her love of flowers has died and he has bequeathed the place to her. The garden has not flourished since Ian’s was killed in Afghanistan, but his caretaker Hamish MacGregor assures her that now that she has arrived the garden will start to bloom again. But first, she needs to deal with the body. He is identified as Alastair Croft, Ian’s lawyer and while Chief Inspector Neil Craig has taken her passport, he believes Hamish is the killer. Fiona quickly decides to get to know her neighbors and try to find the handsome detective some additional, more viable suspects. It wasn’t hard, most of the town couldn’t stand the man.
There are so many things I loved about this story.
Fiona Knox is nursing a broken heart. Her fiance left her for their cake decorator, a chain florist drove her little flower shop out of business, and she is mourning the death of a very important man in her life, her godfather. A man she shared her love of flowers with, a man she and her family had visited several times over the years. After all that she is using her trip to Scotland to heal her heart and make a new plan for her life. Her inner strength shines through as she sets out to find the killer. She travels to the nearby village to meet and question everyone she can. She is an intelligent woman determined to get the answers she needs.
We also meet Hamish MacGregor. An elderly man, caretaker of Ian’s property. A position he takes very seriously. He also has a pet squirrel named Duncan, that rides around on his shoulder and comes indoors, and doesn’t like cats at all, especially Ivanhoe, a cat Fiona has brought home.
Fiona finds herself being questioned by Chief Inspector Neil Craig within minutes of her arrival. The man is easy on the eyes and the two learn to work together. He sees instantly that Fiona is not a woman that will give up her own investigation so he decides that to keep her safe he needs to remain close.
The Scotland setting, the nearby sea, and the magical garden drew me into this enchanting story. Only a few seeds have been sown about this garden that Fiona is now the keeper of. I am excited to learn more right along with Fiona.
The story has many turns as the mystery of Alastair Croft and his death is solved. The author sets a nice pace as the story evolves. I really enjoyed the way the whole village was involved. It gives readers the chance to know a lot of characters without feeling overwhelmed. They are distinct individuals with their own stories. Some become viable suspects and some will become great friends for Fiona. Like all great cozies – be ready for that final outstanding twist. . . I LOVED IT!
Amanda Flower is an outstanding storyteller. She mixes paranormal and cozy like a master. The characters she creates jump off the pages. The setting is idyllic and the mystery is marvelous. She has written a story that was virtually impossible for me to put down.
I am thrilled about this series!! I can’t wait for the next book!! Death and Daisies
About This Author
Amanda Flower, a two-time Agatha Award-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth-grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. She also writes mysteries as national bestselling author Isabella Alan. In addition to being an author, Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland.
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Thanks to the publisher I have 2 copies to give away!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Between that adorable cover and your great review, I know this is a book that I would love to read. It’s now on my TBR list and I can’t wait until the opportunity presents itself that I can read it.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I’m familiar with Amanda Flower’s Amish mysteries, but I haven’t read any of her other series. You gave this latest book a glowing report, so I’d love to read it.
I would love to read Amanda Flower’s cozy about Scotland and a magical garden and of course, murder.
The book sounds fantastic! Really, it had me at magical garden.
I can’t wait to read this series! I already love the Amish Candy Shop series 🙂 thanks for the giveaway!
I can’t wait to read this series. Both series sound awesome.
I am so excited for this new series! Love magic mixed with cozies and this sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to read.
Sounds like a great new series!!