The Blue Rose

"The Blue Rose" is a great mystery novel and a great summer read. The story is brought to life with rich detail and interesting characters. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery!

When Kate and Alex Sheppard move into their dream house - a 19th century cottage complete with a walled garden - they make an exciting discovery - a rose bush in their garden sports blue flowers! Kate, a gardening enthusiast, knows that this mysterious rose could bring them worldwide fame and fortune. They try to remain calm and decide to seek advice from a botany professor and a lawyer. Despite their best efforts however, the secret is soon out, and the couple find themselves badgered by determined opportunists clamoring for the rose and a nightmare that includes kidnapping and murder. This is Eglin's debut novel and it is a delightful page-turner. Gardeners will love the horticultural details thrown in and mystery fans will appreciate the well-paced plot and the author's attention to detail and believable dialog. This is an author to keep an eye on!

From the moment they saw the Parsonage in the English village of Steeple Tarrant Alex and Kate Sheppard knew they found their dream house. Once they moved in, Alex and Kate work to fix the huge neglected gardens and soon find hidden under other plants a blue rose. Kate knows it must be very valuable because scientists have tried for decades without success to create one. They contact Doctor Lawrence Kingston who is an expert on roses and ask him to provide his expert opinion. When he sees the rose, he advises them to get a lawyer to handle all the buyers that will want to purchase the flowery gem. They decide to put it up for auction but before that can happen, two businessmen desperate for money call and try to get the rose. The Sheppards refuse to talk to them and refer them to their lawyer. Someone is desperate enough to kidnap Kate and hold her for ransom in exchange for the rose. The only problem is Alex no longer has it because someone has stolen it. THE BLUE ROSE is an exciting amateur sleuth mystery that will appeal to people who love to garden and those readers who don't like a lot of gore and blood in their who-done-it. The protagonists are beleaguered from every side by folks who will stop at nothing to get THE BLUE ROSE. What nobody knows is that the flower has an unexpected property that makes it dangerous. Anthony Eglin has written a wonderful garden mystery that like many vines takes a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Harriet Klausner