Garden of Secrets Past: An English Garden Mystery (English Garden Mysteries) Review

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Garden of Secrets Past: An English Garden Mystery (English Garden Mysteries) ReviewBook Review: Garden of Secrets Past by Anthony Eglin
Minotaur Books, 2011
I have been a big fan of Anthony Eglin's books since reading the first English Garden Mystery, The Blue Rose. He caught me immediately with his protagonist, Lawrence Kingston, who was a learned and avid gardener as well as a bit of a sleuth in the traditional English model. I considered Lawrence Kingston a bit of a garden-digging Hercule Poirot. Sure, he doesn't get things right all the time and he is often a bit naive about the personal danger he places himself in, but he loves the hunt like a faithful hound who never strays from the scent. Of course, in these books the scent is more likely to be from a beautiful rose or fragrant lily than that of a fox.
In Garden of Secrets Past, Eglin steps up the mystery several notches with the inclusion of even more shady characters, a secret code and a bit of a love interest for, no longer young, Kingston. He also expands our knowledge of Kingston's relationship with his his friend, Andrew, who looks staged to become a sidekick in the vein of Poirot's Captain Hastings or Miss Marples various friends and relations that accompany her on her mysteries.
While the gardening information is a bit light in this episode of the English Garden Mystery series, the mystery is top-notch. Sure, the story revolves around a major garden, but we don't get lessons in Water Lily propagation or the reasons why a blue rose is basically impossible. It mattered little in the end, though, as the mystery pulled me through the book quite quickly. Despite reading it on a vacation in Sicily, between family visits, long meals and excursions, I finished the book in about 4 days. I caught myself, several times, reading long after I should have retired for the night while I looked for that final twist or clue that would make everything clear. To me, this is the best judge of the quality of any book. You should never really want to put it down.
It is good to see the character of Kingston developing a bit of a "history" as the book continue. Where before people took little notice of the gardening academic, now his reputation proceeds him with both police and those he is interviewing and questioning. I like seeing the growth in the character and his reputation, just as I would in a real person.
As I have said in past reviews of Eglin's books, the combination of gardening with mystery suits me perfectly. I love both and to find a place where they are seamlessly merged is a bit of reading nirvana. I look forward to the next episode in Lawrence Kingston's career.Garden of Secrets Past: An English Garden Mystery (English Garden Mysteries) Overview

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The Sandburg Connection (The Sam Blackman Series) Review

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The Sandburg Connection (The Sam Blackman Series) ReviewFirst Line: The beep caught me in mid-bite.
Sam Blackman and his partner, Nakayla Robertson, have been hired by an insurance company to follow Professor Janice Wainwright, who's suing a surgeon for malpractice. The insurance company wants to catch Wainwright doing things she's not supposed to be able to do so her case can be thrown out of court. So far, the things that Sam has learned about Wainwright aren't very complimentary, and he believes that this case will be pretty open-and-shut, especially when Wainwright drives to Connemara (Carl Sandburg's home in Flat Rock, North Carolina) and begins climbing a tough hiking trail to the top of a mountain.
Sam, who lost a leg while serving in Iraq, isn't properly equipped to follow her, but he does, only to hear her fall and find her bleeding and semi-conscious. "It's the Sandburg verses" were her last words. An autopsy is performed which proves that the surgeon bungled the operation, and Sam is left with questions that need answers. Why did Wainwright climb that mountain when she was in so much pain? Was someone else there? What are the Sandburg verses? When Wainwright's farmhouse is broken into and Sandburg books stolen, Sam becomes convinced that someone is searching for information that's worth killing for.
Sometimes I'm ashamed of myself. Why is it that, when I find out someone is being investigated for some sort of insurance fraud, I automatically assume that person is guilty? With my distrust of large corporations, you'd think that the opposite would be true. Personal shortcomings aside, I liked seeing how the perception of Wainwright's character evolved through the opening chapters of the book.
When Sam learns that Wainwright has a teenaged daughter, he goes to meet the girl, and she is an emotional, mixed-up mess-- as anyone her age would be when faced with the death of a parent. The girl tugs on the heartstrings in more than one way. Yes, she is the catalyst for doing what's right and for doing what's best for her, but she also introduces a welcome note of humor in the form of a pregnant goat. How Sam reacts to the goat is very funny indeed.
Thanks to Mark de Castrique, I now know that Asheville, North Carolina, is a literary hotbed. Sam Blackman has solved mysteries involving Tom Wolfe and F. Scott Fitzgerald; now it's Carl Sandburg's turn. As long as he writes 'em, I'm going to read 'em. The famous literary figure is the hook that draws me in, and the team of Sam and Nakayla keeps me taking the bait. The two have an easy, witty chemistry that makes the pages turn all too quickly, and the Asheville area is scenic and rich in history. What a combination! I may even read up on Asheville in order to try to guess what their future investigations may be!The Sandburg Connection (The Sam Blackman Series) Overview

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Heat Rises (Nikki Heat) Review

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Heat Rises (Nikki Heat) ReviewWhile I very much enjoyed the first two books in the brilliantly clever Castle tie-in series of Nikki Heat novels by the fictional Richard Castle, this third one is my favorite to date. These books go beyond simple franchise merchandising and clever tie-in. They are fully worthy of comparison to any modern best selling crime novels, completely separated from their TV series origin or not. And for those like me who are huge fans of said series, Castle, it's all the more fun.
I actually finished this novel in one sitting, up all night until 5:00 AM. It's actually the first time I've done a book all in one go. Completely loved it.
I still don't think anyone has revealed who's really writing these. My bet would be Andrew Marlowe, but he has continued to perfectly play along with the whole "they are written by Richard Castle" facade. Quite frankly, I think it's more fun if they never actually admit who's ghost writing them.
I anxiously look forward to the fourth book in the series (next year, perhaps?)
Oh, and extra points for another Malcolm Reynolds reference...Heat Rises (Nikki Heat) Overview

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