Three Dirty Women And The Garden Of Death

Three Dirty Women was the name of a professional landscaping company operated by Amilou, Korine, and Janey. As the story opened I found the three beautifying the yard of hateful Susannah Graham when Amilou uncovered the body of her estranged husband, Greg, buried in the flower bed! The Chief of Police, J.J., happened to be Janey's husband. He was called immediately. Amilou was the number one suspect since she was the wife. She had motive and opportunity. However, Greg had never been a faithful husband. Seemed almost all females in town had been intimate with Greg. And all of them had motive and opportunity as well! ***** The author started page one off with a blast! Abra-cadabra! Instant mystery, instant fun! The story kept me perplexed. It had several suspects and I simply could not figure out who did the deed! Excellent who-dunnit mystery that will keep you guessing! *****

An excellent mystery. The development of the many characters in this book is its strongest point. I found myself not only interested in who the villian was, but also in the personal trials of various characters. Exploring racial biases in the South and domestic violence are difficult subjects to tackle, but the author handled them well without undue melodrama.

Three woman ban together to form a landscaping company. Little did they know when they first started out that it would lead them to murder, betrayal, mayhem, adultery, burglary and a list of assorted other sins. The characters were slow to develop in this first book of the series. I am not saying that as a negative, just a statement of fact. In actuality it helped keep the players in this complex story easier to follow. The list of characters at the front of the book was also very helpful. There are alot of people involved in this story, both past and present, which would be too much for many to handle. However, Ms. Herman handles the task with a clarity that keeps the book flowing nicely. She has woven a complex tale with just the right number of red herrings and plot twists to keep the reader thoroughly entranced. Besides a good read it is a story about partnership, honesty and forgiveness that is not always expected in this genre. I will be the first to admit that I picked this book up and bought it for the title alone. I felt that anyone who could come up with a title that engaging would have to be entertaining. I was right but not for the reasons I had anticipated. This is not a light romp through the daisies. It is a thought-provoking challenge to friendship, truth and loyalty. This is a wonderful first novel by a talented new author. I can't wait for the next one. I'll be buying that one for the content, not just the title.

Digging in your flower garden may never be quite the same for you if you read Ms. Herman's THREE DIRTY WOMEN. At least that's how it worked for me once I got into chapter one. In fact, after I got settled into my armchair, I never did quite get out until I'd finished the last page. The book was just that compelling. Thing is, the characters feel like people you know, and the plot twists keep you going. You'll be sure you know who the killer is -- and then you won't. Then you'll imagine that you've figured it out once again, but . . . you won't have. Maybe that's the fun of a really good mystery, and Ms. Herman delivers on all accounts. I just hope she doesn't spend so much time in her own garden that a sequel to this terrific book has to wait. We need more -- in spades!

You'll never feel quite the same about digging in a flower bed after you've read Ms. Herman's wonderful new book, which kept me clamped to my armchair until I finished the thing. The characters in the story feel like people you know, and the whodunit part of this mystery was as mesmerizing as a tennis match. First you'd KNOW if was this suspect. Then you'd be sure it was THAT one. Then you wouldn't be sure of anything. Guess that's what a mystery is all about, and Ms. Herman pulled it off nicely. I hope she'll take her hands out of her own flower bed long enough to hurry up and give us a sequel.