Dollycas's Thoughts
The Garden Squad has been doing good works all over Goosebush, Massachusetts. They are also helping with Recycling Day, a fundraiser for the high school sports teams. Folks donate gently used home goods and furniture that the students clean, fix, and refurbish as part of their shop classes. The items are then sold in a huge rummage sale later in the year. Lily has also been named executor of a long-time friend's estate which means dealing with his family and making sure his wishes are carried out. The town beautification committee is also having meetings to vote and coordinate upcoming projects.
Squad members and volunteers start to arrive at the dump for Recycling Day. Board member and Lily's best friend Tamara O'Connor must already be there because the gate is unlocked. Lily, Delia, and Warwick arrive and hear a bloodcurdling scream. They take off running to find Tamara standing over the body of Gladys Preston. A cantankerous woman who has been a thorn in Tamara's side.
Past experiences and being the one to find the body plants Tamara firmly at the top of the suspect list. This puts Lilly Jayne and the Garden Squad on high alert. Digging up clues and hunting down suspects all in trying to prove Tamara is innocent before the killer strikes again.
I really enjoyed meeting Ms. Henry's characters in Pruning the Dead and couldn't wait to visit them again. In Tilling the Truth we get to know them better and meet some new characters as well. Harmon Dane, sadly deceased when the book began appears to have been a man with a huge heart and a love of birds. In his will, he took care of his family in different ways but a bird sanctuary near his home was the prime beneficiary. Cousins Miranda and Braden Dane were not happy with their uncle's will and are hoping Lilly will see it their needs must be met instead of giving the money to the birds. We also meet Regan Holland, a new realtor in town doing her best to put Tamara out of business. Contactor Lenny Andrus has decided to move his renovation business toward more new construction with some very creative financing. And we meet Gladys Preston who owned a house near Harmon, was not happy about the bird sanctuary, and according to Lily, âone of the most miserable people in Goosebushâ who âlooked at life through a prism of gloomâ. She is also the victim of this mystery. I have to say this author crafts her characters so well. I love that most of them are close to my age or older and still living vibrant lives. Maybe that is why I like them so much.
The mystery included a large garden of suspects for the Garden Squad to weed through. Clues were dropped at a perfect pace and I enjoyed the well-placed twists and turns. There were really a lot of things happening in this story and Ms. Henry did an excellent job of entangling it all together to make a very entertaining read. The way the ending was set up was sooooo gooood! I was delighted by the way everything played out.
I am late to the party for this series and I am sorry for that. That being said I am enjoying every minute of it. Tilling the Truth checks every cozy box, an interesting small town, diverse and engaging characters, and mysteries that really keep those pages flipping. I can't wait to read book 3, Digging Up The Remains.
The Garden Squad has been doing good works all over Goosebush, Massachusetts. They are also helping with Recycling Day, a fundraiser for the high school sports teams. Folks donate gently used home goods and furniture that the students clean, fix, and refurbish as part of their shop classes. The items are then sold in a huge rummage sale later in the year. Lily has also been named executor of a long-time friend's estate which means dealing with his family and making sure his wishes are carried out. The town beautification committee is also having meetings to vote and coordinate upcoming projects.
Squad members and volunteers start to arrive at the dump for Recycling Day. Board member and Lily's best friend Tamara O'Connor must already be there because the gate is unlocked. Lily, Delia, and Warwick arrive and hear a bloodcurdling scream. They take off running to find Tamara standing over the body of Gladys Preston. A cantankerous woman who has been a thorn in Tamara's side.
Past experiences and being the one to find the body plants Tamara firmly at the top of the suspect list. This puts Lilly Jayne and the Garden Squad on high alert. Digging up clues and hunting down suspects all in trying to prove Tamara is innocent before the killer strikes again.
I really enjoyed meeting Ms. Henry's characters in Pruning the Dead and couldn't wait to visit them again. In Tilling the Truth we get to know them better and meet some new characters as well. Harmon Dane, sadly deceased when the book began appears to have been a man with a huge heart and a love of birds. In his will, he took care of his family in different ways but a bird sanctuary near his home was the prime beneficiary. Cousins Miranda and Braden Dane were not happy with their uncle's will and are hoping Lilly will see it their needs must be met instead of giving the money to the birds. We also meet Regan Holland, a new realtor in town doing her best to put Tamara out of business. Contactor Lenny Andrus has decided to move his renovation business toward more new construction with some very creative financing. And we meet Gladys Preston who owned a house near Harmon, was not happy about the bird sanctuary, and according to Lily, âone of the most miserable people in Goosebushâ who âlooked at life through a prism of gloomâ. She is also the victim of this mystery. I have to say this author crafts her characters so well. I love that most of them are close to my age or older and still living vibrant lives. Maybe that is why I like them so much.
The mystery included a large garden of suspects for the Garden Squad to weed through. Clues were dropped at a perfect pace and I enjoyed the well-placed twists and turns. There were really a lot of things happening in this story and Ms. Henry did an excellent job of entangling it all together to make a very entertaining read. The way the ending was set up was sooooo gooood! I was delighted by the way everything played out.
I am late to the party for this series and I am sorry for that. That being said I am enjoying every minute of it. Tilling the Truth checks every cozy box, an interesting small town, diverse and engaging characters, and mysteries that really keep those pages flipping. I can't wait to read book 3, Digging Up The Remains.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Tilling the Truth is the second installment in the A Garden Squad Mystery series set in Goosebush, MA and featuring widowed retiree Lilly Jayne. Lilly has been named as the executor of her friend Harmon Dane's estate after his recent passing and she is valiantly trying to see that his wishes for a bird sanctuary adjacent to his oceanside home are carried out while trying to fend off demands for money from his cousin Miranda and nephew Braden who felt they should have been left more of the man's estate.
Lilly's roommate and friend Delia is preparing to move to Burlington to pursue her teaching career but before she leaves she's working to set things in order with the town archives and to catalog the artifacts that are being dug up in Alden Park. Lilly's best friend Tamara is facing a real estate slump and a new agent in town is threatening to take over her existing listings if she can't start moving some properties including the home of Harmon Dane.
Lilly and her friends soon begin to realize that perhaps Harmon's death wasn't due to natural causes and after the murder of one of his neighbors, they think there is some type of real estate/investment scam making its way into Goosebush. When Tamara is fingered as the prime suspect in Gladys Preston's murder, Lilly jumps into action alongside Chief Bash Haywood and teaming up with her friends sets out to track down a killer.
A fast paced plot with twists and turns that will have you guessing the true killer until the end. The author does a good job of weaving in sub plots that continue throughout the series. A likable cast of characters with well developed friendships and relationships. While this book can be read as a stand alone, I highly recommend starting from the beginning of the series to better understand the dynamics between the main cast of characters.
Lilly's roommate and friend Delia is preparing to move to Burlington to pursue her teaching career but before she leaves she's working to set things in order with the town archives and to catalog the artifacts that are being dug up in Alden Park. Lilly's best friend Tamara is facing a real estate slump and a new agent in town is threatening to take over her existing listings if she can't start moving some properties including the home of Harmon Dane.
Lilly and her friends soon begin to realize that perhaps Harmon's death wasn't due to natural causes and after the murder of one of his neighbors, they think there is some type of real estate/investment scam making its way into Goosebush. When Tamara is fingered as the prime suspect in Gladys Preston's murder, Lilly jumps into action alongside Chief Bash Haywood and teaming up with her friends sets out to track down a killer.
A fast paced plot with twists and turns that will have you guessing the true killer until the end. The author does a good job of weaving in sub plots that continue throughout the series. A likable cast of characters with well developed friendships and relationships. While this book can be read as a stand alone, I highly recommend starting from the beginning of the series to better understand the dynamics between the main cast of characters.
Tilling the Truth by Julia Henry is the second A Garden Squad Mystery. Lilly Jayne lives in Goosebush, Massachusetts where she keeps herself busy with beautification projects plus as executor of Harmon Dane's estate. Tamara O'Connor, a local realtor, is up in arms because her open houses keep getting sabotaged (dozens of mice and black goo backing up drains). On the town recycling day, Lilly finds Tamara standing over Gladys Preston with a bloody faucet in her hand. It is evident that Tamara has been set up. Lilly Jayne and the Garden Squad set out to root out the real culprit. Tilling the Truth can be read alone for those who did not read Pruning the Dead. However, I recommend reading the series in order, so you are familiar with the characters. It helps to know the players when it comes to solving the mystery. We are introduced to Goosebush, Massachusetts as well as a host of its residents. Gardening is a passion for several of the townspeople including Lilly Jayne. Lilly Jayne and a group of her friends called the Garden Squad work under cover of darkness to fix up neglected areas of the town. This same group also helps Lilly Jayne to solve Gladys murder. Gladys was not well liked which gives us multiple suspects. There is plenty of gossip to discern and a few clues as well. You will need to weed through the suspects to find the killer. To me the killer was a red rose stuck in the middle of a bouquet of white roses (easy to spot). There are cozy moments as the group drinks tea or wine, has a nosh, and chats. Gardening is a hot topic and there are gardening tips at the end of the book. Tilling the Truth is a character driven cozy mystery and this author has provided a lively set of characters. Tilling the Truth is a charming cozy mystery with floral fanatics, avaricious heirs, stinky smells, runaway roses, and a sly saboteur.
