Tilling the Truth
Series: A Garden Squad Mystery Book #2
Author: Julia Henry
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 298
My Rating:
Book Summary
It’s August in Goosebush, Massachusetts, and go-getter retiree Lilly Jayne and her youthful senior pals show no sign of slowing down during the lazy days of summer. But when murder mows over a pesky local, could a Garden Squad member be nurturing a deadly second act?
While Lilly digs into a town beautification project, her friend Tamara O’Connor has greater concerns than well-pruned geraniums. The real-estate firm owner hasn’t been shy about blaming perennial grouch Gladys Preston for thwarting her many attempts to sell off a beautiful beachside property. But accusations fly when Gladys is suddenly found dead—and Tamara is caught standing over the body with a bloody weapon in her hand . . .
As Tamara becomes the prime murder suspect, Lilly and the Garden Squad ladies set out to prove that someone planted the evidence. With a potpourri of alarming clues scattered around Goosebush, cracking this case means confronting a calculating culprit with a penchant for cutting down anyone who gets in the way…
More Facts for Readers about our Sleuth:
Main Sleuth: Lillian (Lilly) Rose Jayne (age 65)
Best friend/ Sidekick: Tamara O’Connor and Delia
Physical Description: White female, active, short silver hair
Location: Goosebush, Massachusetts
Time of Year: August
Business: Retired, Gardener, part of community groups, town politics, and the Garden Squad
Pet: None
Love Interest: Alan McMillan (husband, deceased)
Family: None
Cussing? No
Diversity? Yes! There is a whole host of diverse characters depicted in non-stereotypical ways.
My Review
“Tilling the Truth” is the 2nd book in the Garden Squad mystery series by Julia Henry, and I had an even better time reading this second book. I feel that the first book was more descriptive of the town, the characters, and the political dynamics of the businesses and town itself, which made the mystery a bit slower the first go around. Now that everything is established, this book has more of a focus on solving the multiple murders, and the pacing was much quicker.
Julia Henry knows how to write a complex and compelling murder mystery! It’s clear that she has a masterful and insightful grasp on small town politics and the complicated webs that tie every character and every business together. While I felt relatively sure of the culprit early on, I had no idea how it could ultimately be pulled together to make sense. I was not disappointed as the mystery was revealed.
One thing in particular I’m loving about this series is the relationship between Lilly who is in her sixties and Delia who is in her twenties. They’re two very different women living in a shared space and there is a mutual respect and friendship there. Too often these days I witness generational divides between Millennials and Boomers and so I appreciate this friendship all the more.
I’m really looking forward to book 3!
