Pruning the Dead is the debut of the A Garden Squad Mystery series featuring Lillian "Lilly" Jayne and set in the coastal town of Goosebush, Massachusetts. Lilly is a sixty five year old retiree who has shut herself off from friends and neighbors for several years following the death of her second husband, Alan.
Deciding it was time to get reacquainted with life, Lilly elects to bring back her annual garden party at Windward, her ancestral home. With the help of Delia Greenway, Alan's brilliant research assistant turned Lilly's live in assistant, the gardens are back to being beautiful and the townspeople are flocking through the gates. Unfortunately, Lilly's first husband Pete arrives with his third wife Merilee in tow. While Lilly has a soft spot for her ex husband she really can't tolerate his new wife and when the woman drinks too much, falls in the Koi pond and has to be escorted from the premises, Lilly's impression of Merilee doesn't improve.
The garden party gives Lilly the spark she needs to get out and explore Goosebush, and hopping aboard her red Vespa the first thing she notices is that the once beautiful Alden Park has gone to weeds. With the help of Delia and hardware store owner, Ernie Johnson a group of volunteers has come together to clean up the park and everyone is excited to get started until Delia finds the dead body of Merilee face down in the mulch.
With so many people despising the woman, the list of potential suspects is a mile long but when Pete is named as the prime suspect, Lilly sets out with the help of her friends to uncover the real killer. In her efforts to find the culprit Lilly discovers that many suspicious things have been occurring around town while she's been sequestered at Windward, and soon finds herself front and center in solving the problems and revitalizing the community.
A captivating plot with thought provoking characters. A little more serious than the typical lighthearted cozy, it will be interesting to see what the future has in store for Lilly, Delia and new neighbor, Roderick "Roddy" Lyden.
Deciding it was time to get reacquainted with life, Lilly elects to bring back her annual garden party at Windward, her ancestral home. With the help of Delia Greenway, Alan's brilliant research assistant turned Lilly's live in assistant, the gardens are back to being beautiful and the townspeople are flocking through the gates. Unfortunately, Lilly's first husband Pete arrives with his third wife Merilee in tow. While Lilly has a soft spot for her ex husband she really can't tolerate his new wife and when the woman drinks too much, falls in the Koi pond and has to be escorted from the premises, Lilly's impression of Merilee doesn't improve.
The garden party gives Lilly the spark she needs to get out and explore Goosebush, and hopping aboard her red Vespa the first thing she notices is that the once beautiful Alden Park has gone to weeds. With the help of Delia and hardware store owner, Ernie Johnson a group of volunteers has come together to clean up the park and everyone is excited to get started until Delia finds the dead body of Merilee face down in the mulch.
With so many people despising the woman, the list of potential suspects is a mile long but when Pete is named as the prime suspect, Lilly sets out with the help of her friends to uncover the real killer. In her efforts to find the culprit Lilly discovers that many suspicious things have been occurring around town while she's been sequestered at Windward, and soon finds herself front and center in solving the problems and revitalizing the community.
A captivating plot with thought provoking characters. A little more serious than the typical lighthearted cozy, it will be interesting to see what the future has in store for Lilly, Delia and new neighbor, Roderick "Roddy" Lyden.
Pruning the Dead is the debut novel in A Garden Squad Mystery series. I appreciated that the author took the time to establish the main character and her sidekicks who compose the Garden Squad. I like the town and most of the residents (there are always a few bad eggs). Lilly comes across as a do-gooder (I am surprised there is not a golden halo shining over her head). Goosebush is a small town that needs a little TLC. Lilly has not been paying attention the last four years as she dealt with her husband's illness and then grieving for her lost mate. Now, she is aware that things have not been kept up around town and she has plans to rectify it. Unfortunately, Pat French, the town clerk, has numerous rules in place to prevent the simplest task (like pulling weeds and installing plants around the flagpole). Pruning the Dead is nicely written with steady pacing which makes for an easy to read book. The mystery was very straightforward. It is easy to distinguish who would die and who did the deed before the crime had been committed. The why was equally obvious (insert disappointed sigh here). There was repetition of case details as the Lilly and the Garden Squad got together to discuss the case. Also, that Lilly creates order out of chaos was frequently mentioned along with Delia's researching skills. The friends like to get together to socialize, eat good food, and discuss gardening. The gardening details are not lacking in Pruning the Dead. There are gardening tips at the end of the book. The story could have used more action (less gardening, talking and eating). The pace slowed down when I was a quarter of the way through and did not pick back up until the end. There is a hint that romance may blossom between Lilly and her new neighbor, Roderick Lyden as Lilly rejoins the living and becomes immersed in town matters. I am giving Pruning the Dead 3 out of 5 stars. Pruning the Dead is a good start to A Garden Squad Mystery series. I will be reading Tilling the Truth when it releases later this summer.
