Garden Variety Crimes

Savannah Secrets #14

by Beth Adams

During a morning walk in Forsyth Park, Julia discovers a beautiful secret garden. But her awe soon turns to shock when she realizes that the garden is actually a trove of poisonous plants! Jimson weed, deadly nightshade, hemlock, and angel’s trumpet are just a few of the deadly flowers. Who would have planted these toxic plants and why? Concerned for their community, Julia and Meredith decide to investigate. Will the help of botanists, expert gardeners, and even a carnivorous-plant enthusiast be enough to track down the truth before someone gets hurt?

Meanwhile, Julia agrees to participate in a fundraiser with her sister, Cassie. But instead of baking goods or donating money, Julia and Cassie have to run a 5K! Will Julia find the strength she needs to run a race and trust her sister to stick to her commitment?

Hardcover

Reviews

[Victoria Marie Lees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Garden Variety Crimes by Beth Adams is a mystery that reminds the reader there is good and bad in all things and all people.

This Savannah Secrets Guidepost cozy is told through Julia Foley’s perspective. Not only does the reader learn the lesson that there is good and bad in everything, so too does Julia as she embraces her estranged sister and learns to accept that people can change.

But the mystery deals with a garden planted with deadly plants, hidden in Savannah’s Forsyth Park. No one hires the Magnolia Investigators this time. Julia stumbles upon the hidden garden. She and partner Meredith Bellefontaine try to discover who planted such a dangerous garden in a public place.

It’s not until they talk about the garden with one of their trusted friends, Maggie Lu, that Julia and Meredith start to think about the “positive elements” that could be gathered from the dangerous plants. [p-186, hardback edition]

Lots of suspects with plausible backstories. Garden Variety Crimes by Beth Adams will keep you guessing until the end. Happy reading!

[Andi Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story plot of this story but it irritated me that it was a theme in the story that the plants in the poison garden are obviously poisonous, but some were known for medicinal properties and it was brought up multiple times and it went through the MC ears…

[Sharon Teagarden-king · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a cosy delightful mystery series

[Adrianna Sherman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cover is gorgeous, but I feel like the whole book talked about how people use poisonous plants for medicinal purposes and then at the end the sleuth was shocked to find a woman doing exactly that

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite in the series. Why didn't it have more about the garden at the end? Was it left? Or was it destroyed? I would like answers.