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    Murder in the Secret Garden
    Murder in the Secret Garden
    Murder in the Secret Garden
    Audiobook8 hours

    Murder in the Secret Garden

    Written by Ellery Adams

    Narrated by Johanna Parker

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    There is a hidden garden bordering the grounds of Jane Steward's book-themed resort-a garden filled with beautiful but deadly plants such as mandrake and nightshade. Tucked away behind ivy-covered walls and accessible only through a single locked door, as described in the pages of Frances Hodges Burnett's classic novel, the garden is of special interest to Jane's current group of guests, the Medieval Herbalists. But when one of them turns up dead, Jane must discover whether a member of the group has come to Storyton Hall to celebrate their passion for plant lore or to implement a particularly cruel means for murder.

    With thousands of books at her disposal, Jane believes that she has the proper materials to solve this deadly problem. If she's wrong, however, she may lose something far more precious than the contents of Storyton's secret library . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 2, 2016
    ISBN9781515970385
    Murder in the Secret Garden
    Author

    Ellery Adams

    Ellery Adams has written over forty mystery novels and can’t imagine spending a day away from the keyboard. Ms. Adams, a native New Yorker, has had a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals, and large bodies of water. When not working on her next novel, she reads, bakes, gardens, spoils her three cats, and rearranges her bookshelves. She lives with her husband and two children (aka the Trolls) in Chapel Hill, NC. For reading guides and a list of bibliotherapy titles, please visit ElleryAdamsMysteries.com.

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    Reviews for Murder in the Secret Garden

    4/5

    92 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this more than the previous book. K love all the references to rare books and the information about medieval herbs... And the descriptions of the food! There should be a companion recipe book. This is my third book and I think the plots are a bit repetitive but still enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      The Storyton Resort, a book retreat, is inundated with Medieval Herbalists. One of them is found dead in a local stream. Our heroine, Jane Steward, feels responsible for all her guests and the fact that the victim didn’t die on resort grounds doesn’t matter one whit to her. Jane and her staff go into investigative mode, always trying to stay out of the way of the local constabulary. To complicate things further, Edwin Alcott, local café owner and known book thief, returns from his mysterious travels. He makes it clear to Jane that he intends to prove himself worthy of her – but Jane is not so sure that can happen. She’s perfectly content (or is she really?) with her life at Storyton with her twin sons, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, age 7. They, as usual, prove to be a handful.I hope there are more books coming in this series. The premise is interesting, the characters cool, and the setting a book-lover’s dream. I’ve always liked fantasy and there’s just enough in this series to make it more intriguing than the standard cozy.
    • 4/5
      Work with me here for a minute: imagine a Clive Cussler novel in all it's rip-roaring, unbelievable adventuring; now try to imagine opening a Dirk Pitt novel and finding a pretty decently written romance. All the Dirk Pitt silliness is there, but really, it's a romance. ... That's how I feel about this book. Ellery Adams writes cozy mysteries - and this is a cozy mystery, but she has the imagination of a fantasy writer - and the story is definitely fantastical. Now, I know she's not the first to mix the two things; there's a whole sub-sub genre for cozy paranormals. But this one, for some reason I can't put my finger on, feels weirder than the rest. Like someone's trying to wear plaid and polka dots together. Jane is the manager of a book retreat resort in Virginia that sounds divine: a place to go where no electronic devices are allowed, full tea is served every day and there might be more libraries than rooms. But she's also the caretaker of a hidden library; one that holds treasures unknown to the public, like Shakespeare's missing play, or an unknown copy of Gutenberg's bible. And the library is magically able to hold much more than it should be able to. Jane and her staff are part of some ancient secret society tasked with being the caretaker of these books and doing whatever is necessary to save and preserve them. Then there's her love interest - a man she finds out is a thief called The Templar. But is he? As this is the 3rd book in the series, she finally finds out what's what with him and it's as out-there as her backstory. But across the top of all of this is a very mundane, run-of-the-mill, murder mystery with very real, mundane suspects. The mystery is good; although not book related, it is related to gardening and a medieval herbal group who is staying at the resort. As I write this, I think what makes the story feel weird is that there are two very distinct layers here and they're like oil and water - they don't interact with each other at all. This fantastical secret library and it's secret societies have nothing whatsoever to do with the mystery or the people involved in it. So, it's good, but it's sorta weird. I'll read the next one though; maybe it will homogenise the mystery and the fantasy a bit better.
    • 4/5
      I found this to be the best of the series so far.
      Character List

      Main Character: Jane Stewart, Storyton Hall Book Resort Manager, Virginia

      Ellery Adams - Murder in the Secret Garden (Book Retreat Mysteries #3)

      STORYTON HALL Our Staff Is Here To Serve You
      -------------------------------------------
      Resort Manager—Jane Steward mother
      Hemingway “Hem” Steward, son
      Fitzgerald Steward, son
      Aunt Octavia
      Uncle Aloysius - A Southern gentleman of impeccable principles and a kindly demeanor,
      Butler—Mr. Butterworth
      Head Librarian—Mr. Sinclair - Tae Kwon Do instructor
      Head Chauffeur—Mr. Sterling
      Head of Recreation—Mr. Lachlan post-traumatic stress, likes Eloise
      Head of Housekeeping—Mrs. Pimpernel
      Head Cook—Mrs. Hubbard

      Select Merchants of Storyton Village
      ----------------------------------
      Run for Cover Bookshop—Eloise Alcott Janes's best friend member Book Club
      Daily Bread Café—Edwin Alcott - trying to prove that he's not a book thief
      Cheshire Cat Pub—Bob and Betty Carmichael
      The Canvas Creamery—Phoebe Doyle
      La Grande Dame Clothing Boutique—Mabel Wimberly members of the Cover Girls, book club Jane held
      Tresses Hair Salon—Violet Osborne
      The Pickled Pig Market—the Hogg brothers
      Geppetto’s Toy Shop—Barnaby Nicholas
      The Potter’s Shed—Tom Green
      Storyton Outfitters— Phil and Sandi Hughes, rubber duck race Mr. Hughes is former military. He was an environmental science officer

      Eugenia Pratt, members of the Cover Girls, book club Jane held

      The Medieval Herbalists herbalists to put on a small medieval fair on Sunday afternoon
      -----------------------
      Vivian Ash - restores historic gardens for a living
      Hannah Billingsley - group secretary, restores antique art. limping
      Victoria Billingsley looked like a Parisian runway model bride to be sister
      Carson groom
      Kira Grace -Free spirit by nature, photographer by trade, lifeless corpse
      Tammy Kota friends with Mrs. Hubbard, late fifties with sun-speckled skin & laugh lines
      Claude Mason president of The Medieval Herbalists, resemblance to Benjamin Franklin
      Sandi Hughes owner Storyton Outfitters
      Constance Meredith Actress, gave off a nasty odor, THE POISON PRINCESS
      Nico He’s in the perfume business. and Michelle Scannavini, chemist
      Nico and Constance tryst (Kira Grace photo)













    • 3/5
      Another interesting Ellery Adams book. A little bit too chaste for me but interesting nonetheless.
    • 4/5
      This is the third in the series and while you don't have to read the other two books in order to understand what's happening in this story I'm going to see you really need to read the first two books before reading this. Why? Because they that good.

      This story involves Medieval Herbalists, duck races and a hot, returning/prospective boyfriend. Between raising two boys, running a bed-and-breakfast/hotel/get-away; and solving murder will she have the time or the energy to devote to having a man in her life or be able to solve the mystery of who killed one of her guests.

      I loved this story. Jane, the main character is smart, intelligent, strong and compassionate. And Edwin, the love interest is also strong and intelligent. I think it's wonderful that both can be strong people without one being more dominant.

      I just finished this book and already I want to read the next in the series and thinking Ms. Adams needs to write faster!
    • 1/5
      Weird, dated gender-based references: "female" or "woman" inserted before occupation.
    • 4/5
      Storyton Hall is hosting a retreat for the Medieval Herbalists and a wedding for family of one of its members. Along with those festivities the newest merchant in town is hosting a duck race on the river where the ducks are named and dressed for literary characters. Sounds like loads of fun until Jane finds one of her guests floating face down in the river.The herbalists are all experts in poisons so Jane has to find out who is responsible before anymore of her guests leave permanently.I love the setting of this series. I so wish that there really was such a hotel, I think I would book a room quickly, even if there were unnatural deaths occurring. Just sounds like a peaceful place to visit.
    • 3/5
      I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.What I Liked:The setting! I desperately want to go stay at Storyton Hall now, and roam around their book-themed rooms. It is absolutely the perfect place for someone who just wants to read, relax, and drink tea.The mystery had a lot of good twists and turns. This was an ending I wasn't able to predict.The protagonist, Jane, is a strong, more than capable heroine, surrounded by a great cast of supporting characters. The romance she finds herself involved in is nicely written as well.Anything I Didn't Like?I felt like there were too many characters, especially when it came to the visitors to the inn. I had a hard time keeping everyone straight.So...?If you are looking for a quick, fun, cozy mystery read, I would definitely say pick this book up. I do think I might have benefited some from having started this series at the beginning, as it might have made the characters easier to remember and differentiate from the start.
    • 5/5
      Murder in the Secret Garden by Ellery Adams is the third book in A Book Retreat Mystery series. Jane Steward, resort manager, is getting ready for a wedding at Storyton Hall as well as The Medieval Herbalist group (who are all knowledgeable in poisons). The bride, Victoria Billingsley and her sister, Hannah are members of the group. In the Henry James Library, Mr. Sinclair has a rare herbal manuscript on display for the group (from their secret collection). Jane’s boys (Fitz and Hem) are excited about the inaugural rubber duck race to take place in town in the Storyton River. The race is sponsored by Storyton Outfitters, a new shop, owned by Phil and Sandy Hughes (the duck descriptions and names are humorous). When Jane’s uncle favorite hat falls into the river, Jane volunteers to capture it for him. Jane finds the hat along with the body of Kira Grace, a guest from Storyton Hall and a member of The Medieval Herbalist. Jane hopes that this does not put a damper upon the wedding festivities and rallies the Fins to investigate Kira’s death. Things take an unexpected turn when Edwin Alcott returns (just as Jane finds Kira’s body). Jane is not sure what she feels for Edwin. Is he a book thief? Why radio silence for the last four months? But Jane has a full plate and no time to speculate (rhyming unintentional). The wedding goes off without a hitch and the reception is lovely with its Hildegard von Bingen’s theme. Jane is enjoying the event until Mr. Sinclair informs her that the rare herbal manuscript they had on display has been stolen (not good). What else can happen? The next day the Medieval Herbalist take a trip into the hills to visit a druid. Claude Mason, president of the group, talked Tom Green (owns the local nursery) into taking them (despite the fact that the druid does not tolerate visitors). Jane is curious and follows along behind the herbalists. After they leave, Jane hears screaming coming from the druid’s cabin. The poor man was poisoned with wedding cake. Is his murder related to Kira’s death? Jane is even more determined to find who is responsible for the murders and theft (and deflect attention from Storyton Hall). Join Jane and the Fins on their investigation in Murder in the Secret Garden!Murder in the Secret Garden captured my interest from the very first page, and I did not want to stop reading (I stayed up until I finished the novel). The book has developed characters, a wonderful setting (a retreat full of books), and a complex mystery. The novel is easy to read and has a good pace (flow). While Murder in the Secret Garden is the third book in the series, you can read it as a stand-alone. The author gives the reader the needed background information on Jane and her family, Storyton Hall, and the mission of the Fins. Though I highly suggest you go and read the other book in A Book Retreat Mystery series. They are wonderful. I give Murder in the Secret Garden 5 out of 5 stars (I loved it as you can tell). I was able to solve the mysteries (the two murders and the theft of the book). They were complex with lots of twists and turns. You have to pay very close attention to the details to be able to figure them out. I loved the description of Storyton Hall. The room names are all literary. If Storyton Hall was real, I would never want to leave. The Harry Potter references (and the games played by the boys) were entertaining (made me laugh) especially when the Fitz and Hem were playing with the mandrake root. I look forward to reading the next book in A Book Retreat Mystery series.I received a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest evaluation of the book. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.