Mums and Mayhem

May 11, 2020
Agatha winner Flower’s delightful fifth Magic Garden mystery (after 2019’s Verse and Vengence) introduces Tennessee native Fiona Knox, owner of the Climbing Rose Flower Shop in the Scottish village of Bellewick. Renowned fiddler Barley McFee has returned home to Bellewick for a concert, but tensions brewing within Barley’s touring band threaten to ruin it. The afternoon of the performance, Barley fails to return to the stage after intermission. Fiona, a volunteer helper at the show, checks the musician’s trailer, where she finds him strangled with a fiddle cord. When the police investigate, they discover a link between Barley’s murder and Fiona’s father, who’s visiting from Tennessee. Fiona, who has the gift of envisioning the future through dreams, can’t resist helping her boyfriend, Chief Insp. Neil Craig, try to exonerate her father. An intriguing subplot involves problems with the magical garden Fiona inherited from her Scottish godfather. Paranormal cozy fans and armchair travelers alike will have fun. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency.

May 15, 2020
Florist Fiona Knox moved from Tennessee to the fishing village of Bellewick, Scotland, to become keeper of the magic garden of the Duncreigan estate, which she inherited on the death of her godfather. As part of the Merchant Society of Bellewick, Fiona has been assisting in the preparations for famous fiddler Barley McFee's homecoming concert. Complicating matters, Fiona's parents are visiting, and she, her sister Isla, and her parents are keeping secrets from one another. When Fiona finds McFee dead in his trailer during a break in the concert, her Scottish father becomes a suspect. Fiona is determined to find the culprit and clear her father, even though her boyfriend, Chief Inspector Neil Craig, disapproves. To make matters worse, the garden has withered, and it is up to Fiona to make it bloom again. Plot twists, the vividly described Scottish setting, well-drawn characters, secrets, and magic distinguish this cozy, which will appeal to fans of Esme Addison's magical A Spell for Trouble (2020).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)