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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Pruning the Dead in Books

Jan 30, 2019

Pruning the Dead

Julia Henry | 2019 | Mystery

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Lilly Must Prune the Suspects Until She Finds a Killer

Lilly Jayne is opening up her garden for a garden party for the first time in years, a first step toward getting back into life in Goosebush, Massachusetts, after the death of her husband. Unfortunately, getting back into life in Goosebush includes dealing with her first husband's current wife. Merilee Frank goes looking for trouble and does a very good job of stirring it up. She makes several scenes at the party, but the real shock comes a few days later when Merilee turns up dead. With the police looking at several people Lilly is certain are innocent, she begins to investigate with the help of her best friends. But can they figure out what really happened?

This is the start of a new series, but I can already tell you I love these characters. Lilly and her "squad" are well drawn, and how much they obviously care for each other made me care for them. I do feel the book could have been a little tighter, especially at the beginning, but it never wandered for too long, and a strong gardening sub-plot helped keep me engaged. I did feel the third person narration head hopped a bit, a personal pet peeve, but that was a minor complaint. I love the setting, a coastal small town. This is exactly the kind of place I'd love to visit if I could. The mystery itself was enjoyable with several strong suspects. I began to suspect where things were going as we got close to the end, but I didn't have everything figured out until Lilly pieced things together for us.