Holly Donnelly, an adjunct English professor, and her younger sister, Ivy Donnelly, a recently widowed, retired nurse are reluctantly drawn into the investigation of an elderly neighbor’s murder when Juan Alvarez, Holly’s trusted gardener, is accused of the crime. Holly fears police detective, Nick Manelli, assumes Juan is guilty and won’t conduct a proper investigation, while Ivy feels the “hunky” Manelli is not only a good cop, but also a possible romantic match for her sister.
Can the clues the sisters unearth from neighborhood gossip about the victim’s family, a politically connected neighbor and a powerful real estate developer help save an innocent man, or will the gardening duo dig up more than they bargain for?
Review
Holly's hoping her sister's visit will convince her to move in with her. They both love to garden and have great plans for adding to Holly's garden. Only their plans are side tracked with the arrest of Holly's trusty gardner. Holly's determined to help him and is collecting information to prove Manelli - the detective on the case - is wrong. When the blame shifts to a young woman, Ivy is the one who wants to prove he's wrong. The ladies, get more than they bargained for.
This is a well-written story about two strong women with differing personalities - while Holly is fighting any possible attraction to Manelli and focused on how irritating he is, Ivy is softer in some ways and points out his occasional wink. The pace of the story is good, with humor and wit. Best of all, I didn't figure out who the killer was until the end. I may have to read the next one to find out what happens with Holly and Manelli! If you're a fan of cozy mysteries and plants, you'll like this one.
The Holly and Ivy Mysteries
Second Bloom
Frost on the Bloom
Full Bloom
Murder Under Tuscan Blooms
The Blooming Treasure Murder
The Mystery of the Bogus Blooms
The Blooming Book Club Murder
About the Author
Sally Handley is the author of the Holly & Ivy classic cozy mystery series and the stand-alone suspense novel, Stop the Threat. She also writes a series on the Kindle Vella platform entitled The Adventures of Trixie, written from her faithful companion’s point of view. A member of Sisters in Crime and Past President of the Upstate SC Chapter, Sally hosts a monthly on-line Mystery Book Club and a Meet the Authors Series on her YouTube Channel, @sallyhandley1430.
An avid reader, Sally has been a mystery lover since she read her first Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and Cherry Ames books as a young girl. An English major, she graduated from Douglass College at Rutgers University and became a public school teacher. Transitioning into business, she worked also as a professional services marketer for 30 years and returned to teaching as an adjunct professor of English before retiring in 2015. She now lives in Mauldin, SC where she devotes her time to reading, writing and gardening.
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