Murder in the Secret Garden {+ Giveaway}

◊ MURDER IN THE SECRET GARDEN by Ellery Adams

◊ Series: A Book Retreat Mystery, Book #3

◊ Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

◊ Genre: Cozy Murder Mystery

◊ Publisher: Berkley (August 2, 2016)

◊ Language: English

◊ ISBN-10: 0425265617

◊ ISBN-13: 978-0425265611

SYNOPSIS:

          Things really go to seed in the newest novel in the New York Times bestselling Book Retreat mysteries...

          There is a hidden garden bordering the grounds of Jane Steward’s book-themed resort—a garden filled with beautiful but deadly plants such as mandrake and nightshade. Tucked away behind ivy-covered walls and accessible only through a single locked door, as described in the pages of Frances Hodges Burnett's classic novel, the garden is of special interest to Jane’s current group of guests, The Medieval Herbalists. But when one of them turns up dead, Jane must discover whether a member of the group has come to Storyton Hall to celebrate their passion for plant lore or to implement a particularly cruel means for murder.

With thousands of books at her disposal, Jane believes she has the proper materials to solve this deadly problem. If she’s wrong, however, she may lose something far more precious than the contents of Storyton’s secret library...

A magical garden, a manor featuring an Agatha Christie Tea Room and a couple of murders blend together for an all-out fascinating read in author Ellery Adams’ latest Book Retreat Mystery series release.

MURDER IN THE SECRET GARDEN will quickly draw you in with a meeting of Medieval Herbalists at Storyton Hall, along with a fancy wedding. The book-themed resort comes alive through the author’s vivid descriptions. The gardens flourish on the pages through her eye for details.

The core cast of characters are a delight, realistic and very likable. The secondary characters are quirky and add depth to the story through their personalities and actions. The mix of characters makes for well-blended story.

The story deals with the good and evil of plants and how those elements are sometimes exploited for personal gain. There’s a good balance of family, dedication and determination mixed with greed, selfishness and insensibility.

The author moves the story along smoothly and at a good pace. The book can be read on its own even though it’s the third installment in the series. Twists and turns will keep you on your toes until the very end. This is a suspenseful murder mystery you don’t want to miss.

Murder in the Secret Garden by Ellery Adams, A Book Retreat Mystery (Book #3), Berkley, @2016, ISBN: 978-0425265611, Mass Market Paperback, 304 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Penguin/Random House, I have a print copy of MURDER IN THE SECRET GARDEN by Ellery Adams to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Aug. 17.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Do you have or would you like to have a secret garden? What would be the centerpiece of your garden?

a Rafflecopter giveaway