Murder in the Secret Garden

Book Retreat Mystery Series, Book 3

By: Ellery Adams

Narrated by: Johanna Parker

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

There is a hidden garden bordering the grounds of Jane Steward's book-themed resort - a garden filled with beautiful but deadly plants such as mandrake and nightshade. Tucked away behind ivy-covered walls and accessible only through a single locked door, as described in the pages of Frances Hodges Burnett's classic novel, the garden is of special interest to Jane's current group of guests, the Medieval Herbalists.

But when one of them turns up dead, Jane must discover whether a member of the group has come to Storyton Hall to celebrate their passion for plant lore or to implement a particularly cruel means for murder. With thousands of books at her disposal, Jane believes that she has the proper materials to solve this deadly problem. If she's wrong, however, she may lose something far more precious than the contents of Storyton's secret library.

©2016 Ellery Adams (P)2016 Tantor

grating

The dialogue and reactions of the characters were totally inane. I couldn't make it past the 2nd chapter because it was so unbelievable (stilted and simplistic dialogue) and the voices of the children were so annoying. I wish I would have payed more attention to the audio sample, because I wouldn't have gotten this if I would have. Instead, I read all of the raving reviews and purchased it because they were so overwhelmingly positive. They convinced me that I should start with this book and not the 1st in the series because they all said they liked this one best and the 1st two books are mediocre. That should have been an indication to me that the bar was already pretty low, because for some reason they kept reading the series though they thought the character development and other elements were lacking.
I don't like to write negative reviews but I thought others like me should be warned by at least one negative review that it may not be your cup of tea. Instead of finding it comfy, I found it very very silly and grating.

Still a great series

I haven't given this one a five for two reasons: the interactions between Edwin and Jane are over the top, full-blown prose I'd expect to find in a Regency Romance - maybe. Their relationship just does not reflect the time the book is set in. Yes, they are book lovers but that doesn't mean they're sappy and certainly the characters are presented as the opposite of sappy in every other respect. The second reason I didn't give this one a five is because too many of the female characters are sounding so much like the aunt I can't tell for sure if it's her speaking. But I still love the uniqueness of this series and am waiting anxiously for the next one!

Loving This!

Another wonderful book in this amazing series. A mystery to keep you guessing until the end. Loving this author's work and looking forward to many more in this series.

Outstanding addition to this series..

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, but this one took the series to a whole new level. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and ended up staying up way later than planned so that I could finish listening to it in two days. The main characters have developed so much since the first book, and I feel like I know them so much better now. I was very satisfied with the ending. And, of course, I LOVED the names of the ducks! Very creative. I'm truly looking forward to the next installment, and I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery.

Oh My

I am sorry I purchased this book, Sad thing is I bought it a couple of years ago so now can't return it. It started out with promise and then.......... somewhere the murder is pretty much forgotten. and the love-hate relationship in the background is so grating....... he was held captive. really? And the voices are also nerve-wracking. I can usually put up with the narration if the story is a good story but this one failed with both

Buy Only If You Get A Deal

Something to pass the time but nothing to write home about. I bought this book on sale so I didn't know the characters back story. This made the book and the characters interactions difficult to follow. In any case, I finished the book and nothing about it made me want to buy the first book in the series.

Unrealistic conversation

The story had potential.. The characters over explain everything as if the reader can't follow or put two and two together. The conversations were unrealistic. Narrator was only so-so.

very very very corny

Did I say it was corny? And predictable. And lots of flowery writing. I have enjoyed others by Adams, but not this one.

Still overly dramatic but...

Still can be over dramatic in terms of writing but this story is so original and I enjoy how everything ties back to books.

Loved it!

Personally, I loved everything about the book, and series so far. Great story, and I enjoy the narrator.