A Bea Rivers Mystery by Marty Eberhardt
Publisher: Artemesia Publishing
And You Thought the Garden Was a Safe Place
This is a cozy mystery for plant lovers, artists, and those who fundraise. Bea Rivers is a character who we care about. We relate to Bea’s challenges as she is a working, single mother rushing to meet the kids’ camp bus in time. Unfortunately, her routines are spiced up with a murder investigation. In this book, such common, everyday routines take on roles in the drama. The book is evocative in that way that after finishing it, when I returned to my own daily routine, an eerie sense of foreboding stayed with me.
Engaging dialogue moves the plot toward great personality clashes. The characters interactions highlight traits and flaws. These characters endure the heat of Tucson, Arizona while fighting for a desert botanical garden that is teetering on survival. Yes, there is a lot of questioning: who can you trust. It’s a 204-page turner that is appropriate with the fireplace lit, even better if you are in the desert lighting your fire pit. I liked all the references to plants because I learned new information about desert flora such as invasive plants relating to climate change. Rivers’ story gives a cozy combination, interweaving plant knowledge with motive sleuthing. Plus, the novel can be read as a deep psychological investigation into how Bea relates to all the characters, including the main detective on the case, a woman who has a history with Bea.
Eberhardt has crafted a fine novel that reveals the ways personality clashes create intrigue. Characters come from different walks of life, their fates tangle, and all their interactions hint at the sinister.
The novel wraps the quiet stillness of a high desert with the risk of uncertain romance, all enduring the uneasiness of an unsolved murder. Eberhardt’s work reminds me of books by Ellery Adams or Amanda Flower. Her writing gives the thrill that stays with me after I’ve finished reading. I love when a book puts me in the kind of dream that keeps me on edge, so I stay alert.
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Get a copy of Marty Eberhardt's awesome mystery below!
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Desert-Garden-Rivers-Mystery/dp/1951122224
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-in-a-desert-garden-marty-eberhardt/1138867213
