The Perennial Killer

Gardening Mysteries #5

by Ann Ripley

On location in Colorado for her syndicated television show, Gardening with Nature, filming alpine butterflies and avalanche lilies, Louise Eldridge can see why this beautiful terrain is as precious as gold. Then the pure Rocky Mountain air is fouled by the discovery of elderly rancher Jimmy Porter's body, shot to death and draped like a coyote carcass over his own backyard fence. Louise soon discovers a staggering list of suspects, since Jimmy's plan to sell his 13,000-acre ranch to a government preservation program left a lot of family, friends, and competitors with much to lose. Throw in a second death, a closed nuclear plant, a CIA investigation involving Louise's husband, and a bullet hole in her cowboy hat, and Louise suddenly realizes she's onto a killer as hardy as the native skeleton weed-and seemingly as indestructible.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

A former newspaperwoman, Ann Ripley now spends her time organic-gardening and writing mysteries. She lives with her husband, Tony, in Lyons, Colorado. Her first novel, Mulch, won the Top Hand Award from the Colorado Authors' League. She is now at work on her fifth gardening mystery.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

All five or six of her books are fantastic but she hasn’t written anymore 💔I always keep looking🤷‍♀️😎

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this title in the series--maybe because I read it in a compact time and while vacationing??? This may be an older title but the land use debate is still essential and inflammatory.
Plenty of plot twists and human frailties. Louise is pretty close to super human in getting herself out of her difficult spots!!

[B Shelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great botanical mystery by Ann Ripley; but this time set in the ruggedness of CO rather than the Washington DC area.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written, developed characters, and plenty of surprises. I also liked the gardening essays sprinkled through the book.

[Nann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the strongest entry in this cozy mystery series. Louise was so involved with the murders -- where was her TV show amongst it all?

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#5 in th Louise Eldridge/Gardening Mystery series. TV Gardening Show hostess Louise Eldridge is off to Colorado in this atypical series entry.

Louise Eldridge discovers that land is gold in Colorado and people will stop at nothing to control it. As soon as she arrives to shoot her TV show she finds herself in a struggle over a 13,000-acre ranch: environmentalists want it as "open space"; developers want it. Louise and her cameraman discover the body of the ranch's owner, Porter. Her list of suspects includes the sheriff, who has profited from land deals in the past. The stakes turn deadly when Porter's daughter dies suspiciously, someone shoots at Louise and an Austrian millionaire attempts to run her off a mountain road.

[Joan Schrock · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a great mystery but during the plot you learn a lot about flowers, landscaping and other ecology facts. The setting is Colorado. The author is rather an east coast snob and not too complimentary on western states inhabitants which leads me to believe she has never been there so that part of the book is poorly researched. She also depicts Texas unfavorably as sje wrotes -"pointed toe boots are to corner cockroaches" so being from Colorado in my youth and Texas in my adulthood I was rather offended and feel like her high opinion of Washington D.C. is a bit off the mark.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book got somewhat confusing and did not hold my attention that much.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another land development (anti) book, with plenty of gardening information included. I love Louise and her pesky curiosity. I sure hope Ann Ripley continues to write this series.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 - Very Good