Author: Marty Wingate
Publisher: Alibi (Random House)
Date of publication: May 2014
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.
The Garden Plot was a pleasant surprise. I'm not usually one
for straight cozy mysteries, but I found myself really liking the main
character Pru and her adventure. There was also a sweet surprise romance
in the book that made it that much better. Pru is a transplant from Texas . Her mother
was from England and she
decided to move to England
to start a new life. She gave herself a deadline of a year to find a permanent head gardener position before she heads back home. When the
story begins, it is down to the last few weeks before her time is up.
I thought Pru was a great amateur detective.
She is older and fiercely independent. She also has an amazing
wealth of knowledge about English gardens. She and
Christopher's story was very sweet. I enjoyed the mystery. In
reminded me of the TV show Rosemary and Thyme and others British shows
like it. I could see this one on TV. I didn't figure out
the ending and loved the twist. It looks like this is the beginning of a
series and I look forward to having another adventure with Pru. I
congratulate Ms. Wingate on a great debut novel!
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About the Author:
Marty Wingate is a regular contributor to Country Gardens England , Scotland ,
Ireland , France , and North America . The
Garden Plot is her first novel. More Potting Shed mysteries are planned.
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Marty Wingate’s TLC
Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Thursday, May 1st: Patricia’s Wisdom
Monday, May 5th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, May 5th: Kelly’s France Blog
Tuesday, May 6th: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Wednesday, May 7th: A Chick Who Reads
Thursday, May 8th: Bibliotica
Monday, May 12th: Under a Gray Sky
Wednesday, May 14th: A Bookish Way of Life
Thursday, May 15th: Joyfully Retired
Friday, May 16th: Kahakai Kitchen
Monday, May 19th: Staircase Wit
Tuesday, May 20th: Serendipity Reviews
Wednesday, May 21st: Mom in Love with Fiction
Thursday, May 22nd: Stitch Read Cook
Thursday, May 29th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Was fortunate to have read an arc and fell in love with this book. So happy to have this on my #nook now!
ReplyDeleteEnglish Gardens are always beautiful. Would love to read about them in this Cozy. Thanks for entering my name.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour. I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.
ReplyDelete