The Azalea Assault

June 1, 2012

Cam (short for Camellia) Harris has returned to her Virginia hometown, pleased to be the public relations coordinator for the Roanoke Garden Society. The society has garnered a major photo shoot from Garden Delights--a real coup!--but the assignment loses its focus when the star photographer is found stabbed to death in the azalea bed. Cam is shocked by the arrest of her brother-in-law, a local chef, for the murder, and, obviously, she must find the real perpetrator. After she learns that the late photographer was related to one of the garden society's bigwigs, Cam wonders just how many other secrets she's not privy to. Then another magazine employee is killed, Cam's best friend is implicated, and all bets are off. VERDICT In her debut cozy, Carlson goes down familiar garden paths. Her sense of place is great, but her spunky characters are still settling into their personalities. Match with Dorothy St. James's "White House Gardener" series or Rosemary Harris's "A Dirty Business" series.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.