Petals and Poison – A Garden Gate Mystery
–H.E. Harper Read 2/25/2025-2/26/2025
Petals and Poison – The Garden Gate Community by H.E. Harper cultivates attention for its mix of murder, mystery, trauma, love, heartache, and shocking neighborly antics. This contemporary cozy mystery weaves in elements of psychological thriller, introducing us to the captivating journey of Lily Gardner.
The preface gives us insight into Lily’s (FMC) past, revealing how she came to live with her Aunt Flora after losing her parents at the age of nine. Flora’s passion for botany becomes a source of inspiration and healing for Lily. Working towards a degree in botany and alongside her best friend Martha, Lily returns home for a graduation party, only to find her aunt dead in the greenhouse, apparently from a tragic accident. However, Lily harbors doubts about how carefully Flora always worked in her greenhouse, raising the question: what truly happened to her?
As she grapples with her grief, Lily pours herself into tending Flora’s plants. When the annual Willowbrook flower show arrives, she decides to honor her aunt by entering the prized Midnight’s Bloom orchid, believing it could win. However, her plans unravel when she discovers her orchid has been sabotaged just before the show. Suspecting local rival Rupert Dyer, she confronts him but gets nowhere. To her horror, Rupert is soon found dead, and suddenly, all eyes are on Lily.
Can she uncover who sabotaged her at the flower show and ruined her chances? Is Rupert’s death somehow linked to her cherished orchid? Has her return home put her in danger, following in Aunt Flora’s footsteps?
Harper masterfully develops her characters, making each one feel familiar and relatable. From Lily’s backstory to the distinct voices of the community members, the narrative creates a vivid sense of place within the Garden Gate Community. These intricacies allow readers to invest in their successes and failures as if they were their own.
Through emotionally charged scenes and rich descriptions, Harper invites readers to connect deeply with the characters, immersing them fully in the storyline instead of the sidelines. Her quirky, well-crafted characters, flawless transitioning and smooth pacing keep the narrative engaging from start to finish.
Petals and Poison is a charming cozy mystery, populated by colorful characters who draw you into their world of gardening and intrigue. Harper’s sensitive handling of themes with compassion makes this story unforgettable. Lily Gardner will undoubtedly win your heart, and Ms. Harper, is that the fragrance of love blooming in the air?
I’m excited about the future of the Garden Gate Community and the journey of Lily Gardner, and I look forward to witnessing their growth alongside H.E. Harper.
Thank you, H.E. Harper, for allowing me to be an ARC reader and receive an advanced copy of the book. As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition. I have not been promised any compensation by the author, present or future, for my review.
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