Marnie Riches
This book describes itself as a “novel”, but is actually a murder mystery. And it’s British. And it’s about gardening. So pretty much guaranteed to be fabulous. It was indeed a great read. With a lovable, (if slightly irritating), cast of characters the book embodies the best of the “tenacious underdog” ethos. Gill, a widowed mother in the sandwich generation has a cantankerous mother, a son floundering in school, and a wretched job. Her therapist tells her to join a gardening group. Despite her doubts, she does and (unsurprisingly) finds it wonderfully fulfilling. But then comes the murder. The group of misfits in the club needs to rally together to solve the murder, compete in the Golden Trowel competition, and protect themselves against sabotage and threats. Wonderfully written and the author is clearly a real gardener. I hope there are more in this series as I became very fond of all the garden club members.