Mums and Mayhem: A Magic Garden Mystery

Magic Garden Mysteries, Book 3

By: Amanda Flower

Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

A famous fiddler has been kilt. A magic garden's left to wilt. Does Fiona Knox's father hold the guilt? Will florist Fiona's blood be spilt?

World-famous fiddle player Barley McFee arrives in blustery Bellewick, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for a grand homecoming concert organized by jeweler Bernice Brennan. Fiona Knox, owner of the Climbing Rose Flower Shop, is starting to regret volunteering to help with the concert. Bernice is an exacting taskmaster, and Fiona has enough tension dealing with her parents, who have traveled from Tennessee to visit Fi and her younger sister, Isla, and to reveal a secret about Fi's birth. But when Barley is found dead in his trailer during the concert's intermission, and his death is shockingly tied to Fiona's father, Fiona discovers there are more secrets surrounding her family than she realized.

Much to the chagrin of handsome Neil Craig, Chief Inspector of the County Aberdeen Police, Fiona delves into the case to clear her father's name. To make matters worse, Fiona learns that Duncreigan, the magical garden that she inherited from her godfather, is dying. At some point during the concert, someone broke into the garden and cut the centuries-old climbing rose - the source of the garden's magic - from the standing stone.

The stakes are higher than ever and Fiona could lose all that she's grown unless she's able to dispel this terrible curse and dig up the truth - fast.

©2020 Amanda Flower (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

ANOTHER ENTERTAINING SCOTTISH OUTING

NARRATED IN PURE SOUTHERN STYLE. THESE CHARACTERS AND THEIR STORIES CONTINUE TO DEVELOP. THE GARDEN IS INTRIGUING, AND I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE WHERE FIONA GOES FROM HERE.

Side story overshadows the mystery

I do enjoy the book and have disregarded other complaints about the narrator’s southern accent and mispronunciations of words pronounced typically by Americans. I just get a bit impatient with how the side stories slow the progression of the main purpose of the book: the mystery. I couldn’t relate to the mother who was so controlling yet so dishonest to her daughters. She seemed so unloving to her own flesh and blood. She seems to be all about maintaining an image of propriety at the expense of a decent relationship with her daughters. I think she could have been written a little personable. I’ll be looking forward to the next book. I did want to mention that there was too much unnecessary dialogue that interfered with the progression of the story. For example when Fiona had to tell the band to keep playing so the people wouldn’t leave the concert, all that conversation between Fiona and the manager was unnecessary. Fiona did not have the clarity of mind to do what was needed. There were other places in the story as well.

Great series

I have loved these books and I hope there will be more. Gardens and magic make a great story.

Too slow - and a bit dramatic!

The mother is the most annoying character and it is overboard! The story is very slow. The story could have been cut in half! Also this is book 3 but they repeat the same stuff from the other 2 books, more than once!