Brenda H. (booksinvt) - , reviewed on 8/10/2019 + 465 more book reviews

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.

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