Review: Pruning the Dead

Title: Pruning the Dead

Series: A Garden Squad Mystery #1

Author: Julia Henry

Release Date: January 29th, 2019

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Synopsis from Goodreads: With hundreds flocking to her inaugural garden party, meticulous Lilly Jayne hasn't left a single petal out of place. But the picture-perfect gathering turns unruly upon the arrival of Merilee Frank, Lily's ex-husband's catty third wife. Merilee lives for trouble, so no one is surprised after she drinks too much, shoves a guest into the koi pond, and gets escorted off the property. The real surprise comes days later--when Merilee is found dead in a pile of mulch . . . Lilly wishes she could stick to pruning roses and forget about Merilee's murder--until her best friend and ex become suspects in an overgrown homicide case. Now, aided by the Garden Squad, an unlikely group of amateur crime solvers with a knack for planting, Lilly knows she has limited time to identify the true culprit and restore order to Goosebush. Because if the murderer's plot isn't nipped in the bud, another victim could be pushing up daisies!

My Review: This was a really cute cozy mystery that I found delightful. I loved the characters and the small town plot was fun. The plotting was paced well and the book was well written. All of the gardening talk made me excited for spring and a chance to work a little garden magic of my own! There were a few things that knocked down the last star for me though. The main character is an over achiever who seems to help every single person in town and the town itself whenever there is an issue, which is fine, but the author mentions it a few too many times. Other than that it was a good book and I look forward to the next in the series!

*I received this book from Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review*

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