Flora and Forensics

7 cozy mystery series for gardeners

If you love a good whodunnit, but can't stomach the bloody bits, you might be a fan of cozy mysteries. The genre features amateur sleuths who get caught up in tangled quagmires that crop up in their everyday lives. There's usually a friendly pet or two involved and the violence happens off-screen. And don't forget about the punny wordplay in the titles! In celebration of spring, here are seven series for, and about, gardeners.

Lovely Lethal Gardens

This bountiful series by Dale Mayer follows gardener and amateur sleuth Doreen Montgomery—and her amusing pets—as they catch murderers and solve crimes in lovely Kelowna, British Columbia. Titles include Arsenic in the Azaleas, Bones in the Begonias, Corpse in the Carnations, and Dagger in the Dahlias.

The Flower Shop Mysteries

This series by Kate Collins features Abby Knight, proud owner of her hometown flower shop. In book one, Mum's the Word, a new low-cost competitor is killing her profits and a black SUV just rammed her vintage Corvette in a hit-and-run. Fun titles include Dearly Depotted and Acts of Violets.

A Fairy Garden Mysteries

From Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber comes this whimsical series introducing Courtney Kelly, the owner of a fairy-gardening and tea shop in Carmel, California. It's an enchanting place, brimming with good vibes, but things aren't all sweetness and fairy lights. A Sprinkling of Murder starts the series.

China Bayles

Nominated for both an Agatha and an Anthony Award, Susan Wittig Albert's novels featuring ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles have won acclaim for their rich characterization and witty, suspenseful stories of crime and passion in small-town Texas. Thyme of Death starts the 28-volume series.

Dirty Business Mysteries

Meet Paula Holliday, a transplanted media exec who trades her stilettos for garden clogs when she moves to the suburbs to start a gardening business. Paula can handle deer, slugs, and the occasional human pest—but she doesn't expect murder! Rosemary Harris's delightful series starts with Pushing Up Daisies.

English Garden Mysteries

The sleuth at the center of Anthony Eglin's lush series is renowned botany professor Dr. Lawrence Kingston. Starting with The Blue Rose, Dr. Kingston is called upon by an eclectic cast of characters to lend his expertise to a variety of deadly serious gardening conundrums.

Chronicles of Brother Cadfael

A Morbid Taste for Bones starts this hearty historical mystery series by Ellis Peters. A Welsh Benedictine monk living in medieval England, Brother Cadfael spends much of his time tending the garden. But his herbalist knowledge and skillful observance of human nature also make him a perfect sleuth.  

If you're a landscaper who also enjoys literary intrigue, a potter who loves puns, or a sower who savors secrets, you'll want to dig into this roundup of cozy mysteries we've gathered for gardeners. You may even reap a few handy horticulture tips.

As always, we love hearing from you. So let us know if you have any recommendations to add. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for daily book recommendations, literary tidbits, and more.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon