Mums and Mayhem
World-famous fiddle player Barley McFee arrives in blustery Bellewick, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for a grand homecoming concert organized by jeweler Bernice Brennan. Fiona Knox, the 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 parents, 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.
Series: A Magic Garden Mystery – Book #3
Author: Amanda Flower
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Exotic Location/Garden
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Page Count: 336
Publishing Date: August 11, 2020
Rating: 
From the renowned author, Amanda Flower comes the third installment Mums and Mayhem in the “A Magic Garden Mystery” series published by Crooked Lane Books.
Fiona is a likable character who has a passion for flowers and floral design. She also has a magic garden that allows her to receive visions of things to come or events that have already happened. She worries about taking care of the garden, her inheritance from what she thought was her godfather. Image the surprise when she finds out that he was actually her biological father.
There is a torrent of twists and turns throughout this book, Fiona’s parent issues being only one of many more. The characters are colorful, with eccentricities that will both delight and worry readers. However, even with their many flaws, these are characters that readers can identify with and enjoy. The location is a beautifully exotic area of Scotland; you can hear the brogue dripping from the dialogue. I like the idea of the garden being hidden away and the blue-eyed fox being Fiona’s godfather. It gives that unique magical touch readers need. The garden itself feels like an additional character, and it takes on a life and story of its own.
The victim appears to have several enemies, mostly those close to him and old friends, even family. This dynamic makes the story compelling with just the right amount of mystery. The motives have a wide range and make for an enjoyable few hours of speculation and what if’s for the reader. Throwing in another mystery, who tried to destroy the garden, keeps readers engaged throughout the book. When the killer is revealed, it may be a surprise for many but will leave them satisfied with the results.
Mums and Mayhem is a pleasure to read; it is absorbing and thought-provoking. The characters, location, and garden all work to make this a highly provocative book and one I am happy to recommend to readers who love exotic locations, flowers, and lively characters.
More exciting garden/flower or exotic location-based cozies readers will enjoy such as Catie Murphy’s captivating garden cozy series “The Dublin Driver Mysteries” or Kate Collins’ gripping and original series “A Goddess Of Greene St. Mystery”, available now on DVD from Hallmark.
About the Author:
Amanda Flower, a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over twenty-five cozy mystery novels. She started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth-grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. In addition to being an author, Amanda is a former librarian with fifteen years of experience in Northeast Ohio.
Represented by Nicole Resciniti of the Seymour Agency.
Contact Amanda: authoramandaflower@gmail.com
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