Book Review: The Skeleton Garden (Potting Shed Mystery #4) by Marty Wingate

The Skeleton Garden by Marty Wingate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Alibi


Summary:  USA Today bestselling author Marty Wingate’s Potting Shed series continues as expert gardener Pru Parke digs up a Nazi warplane—and a fresh murder.

Texas transplant Pru Parke has put down roots in England, but she never dreamed she’d live in a grand place such as Greenoak. When her former employers offer Pru and her new husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, the use of their nineteenth-century estate while they’re away for a year, she jumps at the chance. Sweetening the deal is the prospect of further bonding with her long-lost brother, Simon, who happens to be Greenoak’s head gardener. But the majestic manor has at least one skeleton in its closet—or, rather, its garden.


Working on renovations to the extensive grounds, siblings Pru and Simon squabble about everything from boxwood to bay hedges. But when the removal of a half-dead tree turns up the wreckage of a World War II–era German fighter plane and a pile of bones, the arguments stop. That is, until a rival from Simon’s past pays a surprise visit and creates even more upheaval. It’s suddenly clear someone is unhappy their secrets have been unearthed. Still, Pru’s not about to sit back and let Simon take the fall for the dirty deed without a fight.
 

Another good installment to the series (I've read all of these so far). It was nice to visit again with Pru and Christopher and follow their newlywed life in pastoral Hampshire. Pru and brother, Simon are now working together on the garden of the Wilsons's home as they are away on an archaeological dig. For those who've read all the previous books there's quite a lot of information from those that are related here from chapters 1-10. I'm not going to call that a flaw because it's characteristic of cozy mysteries and helps those who read these things out of sequence. It's all to the good to letting the reader know what's come before, character relationships & hints about past mysteries. So while it felt tedious a retread and I just wanted to get on to the bit in this book that involves the actual plane & body touted in the summary (takes place in chapter 10), I completely understood the why.

As to the past murder mystery and the current one, those were teased out well and I enjoyed following them. No spoilers but I can say that this one was more a conundrum for me and made for a satisfying solution in the end. I will happily look forward to the next book in the series as I am still enjoying Pru, Christopher and any circumstances that arise around them. Reader, pick it up for a quick, weekend read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.



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