Devil's Trumpet

In between those heavy, depressing contemporary novels, I usually pick up a quicky mystery to lighten my load. And recently becoming an amateur gardener myself, I spotted these books a mile away. I picked up all three of Mary Freeman's Gardening Mysteries recently and am so glad I did! Rachel is a twenty-something landscaper working to expand her landscaping company, Rain Country. She's hard at work at an old, fancy hotel when the owner is found dead on the grounds. Of course, Rachel finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery complete with wacky suspects, voodoo women, and the boy-next-door. And to make it even more crazy, Rachel's widowed mother falls in love with another of Rachel's clients! I thought this was such a cute read, I definitely recommend it for the summer!

Usually modern mysteries are not as good as the traditional British classics. I was very gladly surprised when I read this book by Mary Freeman; the first of a new series subtitled "A gardening mystery". The setting is unusual as well: a small town in western Oregon. The sleuth is Rachel O'Connor, who owns a landscaping business in the mytical town of Blossom. Although her business is jusy getting by, Rachel has a lucrative contract with Henry Bassinger, the present owner of the once very famous Columbia River Inn. The hotel is now very much into decay. However, one day Henry finally pays Rachel with a substantial check. That same day Henry is found dead at the bottom of the gorge, and the investigation begins. Although Rachel is an amateur sleuth; she is, nonetheless, incredibly persuasive. The story is abound with red herrings and, although I could guess who the murderer was quite a few chapters before the denouement, I did not feel dissapointed. Ms. Freeman's talent rests, I find, in the way the handles her storytelling; particularly, in the way she reproduces dialogue among her characters. Communication could never be more realistic. This is a rare gift among mystery writers, who sometimes focus too much into the descriptions of surroundings and neglect the aspect of communication among characters. Well, none like this here. I am very much willing to read the following mysteries in the series, which will appeal not only to mystery lovers but to gardening lovers as well; each book including, at the end, a useful gardening tip, while lots of them are sprinkled throughout the novel. It will be a nice turn of events if in one of them Rachel and her ex-high school sweetheart formalize their relationship. This, while solving another murder, of course.

Freeman puts together an interesting plot peppered with landscaping descriptions. I would have preferred more fleshed-out characters, but I guess that's the way it is with this genre. I still haven't figured out how one of the leading suspects ended up invited to the wedding at the end....

Mary Freeman has written a nicely paced mystery in a beautiful setting. Her discriptions never intrude on the mystery of what will happen next. I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more of her work. (She also gives a gardening tip or two that I appreciated)

Rather than join the family orchard business, Rachel O'Connor opens up a landscaping firm based on the belief that Blossom, Oregon is about to be discovered by the rest of the country. Although she ekes out a living, Rachel does have a lucrative contract with Henry Bassinger, owner of the once famous Columbia River Inn. Rachel becomes concerned about being paid for her work when Henry begins to forget things and at times act irrationally. Ultimately, he pays her with a good check. While being interviewed by a potential client, Rachel learns that Henry recently died with the police treating his demise as if a homicide was committed. In charge of the investigation is Rachel's former and perhaps future boyfriend. Suspects abound including individuals close to Rachel, who begins her own sleuthing, unaware that a dangerous person does not want Rachel succeeding. Mary Freeman's debut novel, DEVIL'S TRUMPET, turns out to be a very good amateur sleuth mystery. Readers will like the characters and the serpentine plot filled to the max with red herrings. The background information on landscaping adds depth without tedium or destruction to the story line. Sub-genre fans will be pleased with the arrival of Ms. Freeman on the mystery scene.Harriet Klausner