Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781643852980
Crooked Lane Books
336 Pages
$24.49; $12.99 Amazon
July 7, 2020
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World-famous fiddle player Barley McFee arrives in blustery Bellewick, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for a grand homecoming concert organized by jeweler Bernice Brennan. Fiona Knox, owner of the Climbing Rose Flower Shop, is starting to regret volunteering to help with the concert. Bernice is an exacting taskmaster, and Fiona has enough tension dealing with her paretns, who have traveled from Tennessee to visit Fi and her younger sister, Isla, and to reveal a secret about Fi's birth. But when Barley is found dead in his trailer during the concert's intermission, and his death is shockingly tied to Fiona's father, Fiona discovers there are more secrets surrounding her family than she realized.
Much to the chagrin of handsome Neil Craig, Chief Inspector of the County Aberdeen Police, Fiona delves into the case to clear her father's name. To make matters worse, Fiona learns that Duncreigan, the magical garden that she inherited from her godfather, is dying. At some point during the concert, someone broke into the garden and cut the centuries-old climbing rose -- the source of the garden's magic -- from the standing stone.
The stakes are higher than ever and Fiona could lose all that she's grown unless she's able to dispel this terrible curse and dig up the truth -- fast.
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Fiona Knox is originally from Tennessee, but when she inherited a cottage and magic garden from her late godfather, she soon learned that this small part of Scotland was tied to her and she needed to remain. So she opened the Climbing Rose Flower Shop and takes care of the garden, along with her caretaker, Hamish.
Barley McFee is a famous fiddler from Bellewick, and he's come home for a concert. When he meets Fiona, he says something cryptic, then catches himself and leaves. She's also looking forward to the visit of her parents as well as dreading it, because while she misses them, there's a part of her life that needs to know - and only they can fill in the pieces. She's also worried about their reaction to the fact that her younger sister Isla has found a Scottish boy and intends to marry him and never return to Tennessee. It's a lot on her plate right now.
But when Barley is found murdered during an intermission in the concert, she soon learns that her father might have been the last person to see him alive - and she's worried that he's a suspect. So now she's on the hunt for the real killer, hoping to clear her father's name. But if someone has killed once, they're ready to kill again - and Fiona might be in the line of fire...
This is the third book in the series, and I've read them all. I have to say that of all Ms. Flower's books, I like this series the best. A magic garden is intriguing, and the fact that it's set in Scotland makes it even more so.
What I don't like: First, Isla. She seems much too childish to be engaged to anyone. She thinks of nothing but herself and Seth, and is so immature that she wants to spend every second of her free time with him, and he's the same way. These are teenagers, not grown adults. Perhaps Isla should return to Tennessee, in my book; and Seth needs to grow up, too.
The second thing is I know I wouldn't have let the person who destroyed the garden off so easily. Breaking and entering. Vandalism. Destroying someone's property. Let them go to jail for awhile and think about what they did. Someone so self-serving and who cares so little for another's property would be more than likely to do it again. They are thoroughly unlikable as a person.
Aside from these two things, I like Fiona; she's level-headed and able to forgive people, which shows a generous heart. She obviously cares for others deeply, and will not hold a grudge nor anger, allowing this generosity into her daily life. Her relationship with her parents after what she discovers is a good example of this.
The mystery was well-done and I enjoyed seeing all the pieces of Fiona's life come together. I would love to see this series continue, and I have enjoyed it so far and would continue to do so. Recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Mums-Mayhem-Magic-Garden-Mystery/dp/1643852981/ref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3190395472
More on Amanda Flower's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/
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