Blue Dahlia

In the Garden, Book 1

By: Nora Roberts

Narrated by: Susie Breck

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Against the backdrop of a house steeped in history and a thriving new gardening business, three women unearth the memories of the past in the first novel in #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts’ In the Garden Trilogy.

A Harper has always lived at Harper House, the centuries-old mansion just outside of Memphis. And for as long as anyone alive remembers, the ghostly Harper Bride has walked the halls, singing lullabies at night…

Trying to escape the ghosts of the past, young widow Stella Rothchild, along with her two energetic little boys, has moved back to her roots in southern Tennessee. She isn’t intimidated by Harper House - nor by its mistress. Despite a reputation for being difficult, Roz Harper has been nothing but kind to Stella, offering her a comfortable place to live and a challenging new job as manager of the flourishing In the Garden nursery.

As Stella settles comfortably into her new life, she finds a nurturing friendship with Roz and expectant mother Hayley and a fierce attraction to ruggedly handsome landscaper Logan Kitridge. He’s difficult but honest, brash but considerate - and undeniably sexy. And for a sensible woman like Stella, he may be just what she needs...

Don’t miss the other books in the Garden Trilogy:
Black Rose
Red Lily

©2004 Nora Roberts (P)2004 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Roberts, the queen of romance, launches a new trilogy with a captivating tale in which her considerable talents at creating richly compelling characters and witty, spellbinding stories come into full bloom in a paranormal-tinged romance." ( Booklist)

love nora

beautifully narrated. story line was good but not her best. overall not bad but would not rave about it to a friend.

Wonderful book

At first I thought I wasn’t going to like this book. But I stuck it out and I was very wrong. I really enjoyed it and already bought the second book. I am really picky about a narrator. If the narrator isn’t easy to listen to I wouldn’t have finished it. But she was very good but in the children’s voice she could do a little better.

LOVE THIS BOOK!

Not only is the story just mesmerizing & amazing. The narration was perfect!!! I loved every minute!

Enjoyable story, but the narration....

I typically enjoy Nora Roberts stories, and I enjoyed this one as well, but unfortunately I was horribly distracted by the narrator's over-the-top stereotypical "southern" accent, so much so that it took me out of the story on too many occasions to count. It seemed as a caricature of southern drawl, and made the main male character sound like a slow-minded redneck hick instead of a strong, sexy southern man. It was very unfortunate.
Of course this is simply my opinion, and others may have no issue with the narration, but it was a definite issue for me.
I was also a bit disappointed to hear several supportive references to Margaret Sanger and pregnancy termination, but it didn't affect my rating of the story as my personal feelings on a topic have nothing to do with the quality of the story.
Personally, I'd enjoy the storytelling much more if there wasn't such exaggerated accents. It's unrealistic, and borderline insulting to southern folks in my opinion. The story is great though.

Loved it! ! !

Very interesting, loved the way they talked about the different plants and flowers. Loved the story line.

Nora Roberts And Susie Breck -- Winners!!

First of all this is one of the best Nora Roberts books I've ever read and that says a great deal. If asked to pick a favorite character I couldn't do it. I loved them all. And the dialog between them had me laughing out loud more times than I can count.

Great story great finish!

Next Susie Breck shines as a narrator. She does a Yankee and a bunch of southerners and the accents are impeccable.

Over all a most enjoyable listen. Five stars all the way. I have to have the next books in this series

Finished in one sitting

The story and narration were very good and I look forward to book 2 of the series. This was my first Nora Roberts and I think I'm going to continue listeing. It was a little slow to start but eventually captured my attention through the end.

Excellent

Must read all 3 in this trilogy. Excellent, hard to stop listening to this book. Love it.

Another winner

Would you consider the audio edition of Blue Dahlia to be better than the print version?

Only have audio (I travel alot - drive) so really can't say. Although, I do enjoy listening to the characters.

What did you like best about this story?

The realness. I found myself laughing out loud occasion - which is pretty funny when you're listening in public.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ghost looking for the boys. She honest sorrow and how the Mom realizes what's wrong.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

southern ghost story

The Beginning of a Beautiful Bouquet

If you could sum up Blue Dahlia in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, eerie, and exciting

What other book might you compare Blue Dahlia to and why?

Any Nora Roberts romance

What about Susie Breck’s performance did you like?

Her dead-on Tennessee accent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I made myself stretch it out.

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful romance and ghost story. Nora hits every button with suspense and sense of family. Her love of gardening comes through in a beautiful way. Great book.