BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
(A Potting Shed Mystery, Book 3)
BY
MARTY WINGATE
Published: August 2015
After her romantic idyll with the debonair Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse culminates in a marriage proposal, Pru Parke sets about arranging their nuptials while diving into a short-term gig at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. At hand is the authentication of a journal purportedly penned by eighteenth-century botanist and explorer Archibald Menzies. Compared to the chaos of wedding planning, studying the journal is an agreeable task . . . that is, until a search for a missing cat leads to the discovery of a dead body: One of Pru’s colleagues has been conked on the head with a rock and dumped from a bridge into the Water of Leith.
Pru can’t help wondering if the murder has something to do with the Menzies diary. Is the killer covering up a forgery? Among the police’s many suspects are a fallen aristocrat turned furniture maker, Pru’s overly solicitous assistant, even Pru herself. Now, in the midst of sheer torture by the likes of flamboyant wedding dress designers and eccentric church organists, Pru must also uncover the work of a sly murderer—unless this bride wants to walk down the aisle in handcuffs.
Pru can’t help wondering if the murder has something to do with the Menzies diary. Is the killer covering up a forgery? Among the police’s many suspects are a fallen aristocrat turned furniture maker, Pru’s overly solicitous assistant, even Pru herself. Now, in the midst of sheer torture by the likes of flamboyant wedding dress designers and eccentric church organists, Pru must also uncover the work of a sly murderer—unless this bride wants to walk down the aisle in handcuffs.
Texan Pru Parke is quickly becoming one of my favourite amateur sleuths.
The third book in the series sees Pru starting a new position, not gardening this time, but a three month research project attempting to discover the authenticity of a journal by a renowned botanist. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh are, unfortunately, a long way from her new fiance DCI Christopher Pearse who is in London.
But she is kept busy planning her wedding, reading copious amounts of documents and trying not to argue too much with the Gardens own historian who calls Pru a 'fraud'. Not very welcoming!
However, murders and Pru seem to go hand in hand and when a body is pulled from the local river, Pru can't help getting involved in trying to find the killer, even when she becomes one of the suspects.
Another intriguing case for Pru which I enjoyed very much.
This could be read as a standalone to get a feel of the series.....and/or check out my thoughts on the first two mysteries: The Garden Plot and The Red Book of Primrose House
Available from Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com
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