Sunday, April 29, 2018

REVIEW: Flowers and Foul Play

Flowers and Foul Play
Author: Amanda Flower

Fiona Knox has had a lot of sadness in her life recently. Her fiance dumped her. She was forced to close her florist business. And her much loved Uncle Ian has died. As she tries to pick up the broken pieces of her life, she learns that Uncle Ian left her his home, Duncreigan, in Scotland. Remembering wonderful visits with him there over the years, she travels to Scotland with a heavy heart, wondering if she will ever be happy again. She's greeted by the caretaker, Hamish, who tells her a story about the cottage and its magical garden. Hamish says that the garden has been dying ever since Ian MacCallister was killed in Afghanistan, but it will come back to life because she has come to Scotland to tend to it. There's a bit more going on in the garden than magic though. Hamish and Fiona find a dead man in the garden. Turns out several people in the nearby village of Bellewick might have wanted local attorney Alaistair Croft dead. But which one killed him? And how does the death tie in with Duncreigan cottage and the magic garden?

I absolutely loved this book! The story is a nice mix of magic and mystery. Fiona is a likable main character. Her life has pretty much imploded, and just when it seems things might be getting better, she finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. But she is too intelligent and resilient to give up. She decides to investigate instead! :) I love Hamish and his pet squirrel Duncan. Quirky, magical characters to go with the magical garden. The mystery kept my attention from beginning to end. The story moved at a nice pace and there were plenty of motives and suspects. All in all, a totally enjoyable, magical and entertaining cozy mystery. Great start to a new series!

Amanda Flower's books never fail to entertain me. She writes several cozy series including the Magical Bookshop and the Living History Museum series.

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

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