Book summary

Sarah Deane, Maine teacher and amateur sleuth, has joined a tour group headed to view Europe's finest gardens. But the tour guide misses the plane from Boston and turns up murdered on the highway in Maine. Sarah, in Europe, is kept but her up-to-date on the case by her husband. Then, strange things start happening to the remaining members of the tour. How are all these events connected? You can bet Sarah plans to find out.

Media reviews

New Englander Julia Clancy receives two free tickets to join a tour of European gardens when her friend Lillian Garth, who organized the tour, falls down a set of stairs. Julia decides to take her niece, school teacher Sarah Deane, along as her guest. Sarah does not really want to tour a bunch of stuffy gardens, but a free trip to Europe sounds too good to pass up. Sarah also learns that an old friend, Ellen Trevino, who she has not seen in several years, will serve as the tour guide. When the group board the plane at Logan Airport, Ellen is not there. The police find her corpse at a Maine rest stop. The tour seems strange to Sarah as no one appears interested in gardens, yet there is no respite even in the tranquil locales. The participants act weirder and weirder, and the tour guide almost drowns. Sarah decides to learn what is going on without her spouse Alex to help her. He is busy searching for Ellen. Sarah cannot back down from trying to learn why the group is acting so strange even after her life is threatened. If she does not show a little more caution, Sarah may find her amateur sleuthing career ended very soon. "The Garden Plot" is a wacky, but lovable mystery novel that stars the sensational Sarah Deane, mostly going solo in this novel. J.S. Borthwick has written a refreshing tale that is made more interesting by the support cast and the locale. No one does a Maine cozy (except perhaps Ms. Fletcher) better than Ms. Borthwick, who, by taking her show on the road, adds new life to an already wonderful series