Wreathing Havoc

by Julia Henry

Overview

There’s nothing like autumn in picturesque Goosebush, Massachusetts, but beneath the season’s sun-dappled foliage, Lilly Jayne and her Garden Squad must investigate a shadowy murder mystery after a theater owner’s sudden death sows as much drama behind the scenes as on any stage...

Lilly Jayne typically spends the harvest season baking festive pies and crafting colorful wreaths to enter in the library’s annual fundraising contest. But this year, autumn opens on a somber note when beloved local theater owner, Leon Tompkin, dies unexpectedly. His memorial sets the scene for a mini reunion of The Goosebush Players’ best and brightest alumni, including Hollywood star, Jeremy Nolan...until someone plucks Jeremy from the spotlight, permanently.

Now, as dedicated theater volunteer, Scooter McGee, falls under suspicion, Lilly and her Garden Squad must spring into action. They quickly discover a cornucopia of potential suspects in Jeremy’s murder. Was it an embittered ex...or a jilted lover? A rival thespian...or an overly ambitious artist? Lilly rakes through the piles of clues, but if she doesn’t uncover the real killer soon, more than autumn leaves will be dropping in Goosebush...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496733092
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Series:	A Garden Squad Mystery , #4
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	265,040
Product dimensions:	4.70(w) x 7.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Julia Henry lives in Massachusetts, where she sets her mystery series. As Julianne Holmes she writes the Clock Shop Mystery Series, and as J.A. Hennrikus she writes the Theater Cop series. She blogs with the Wicked Cozy Authors (WickedCozyAuthors.com) and Killer Characters (KillerCharacters.com), tweets as @JHAuthors, is on Instagram @JHAuthors, and on Facebook. Julie works in the arts, teaches, is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. For more, please visit JHAuthors.com.

Editorial Reviews

2021-07-14
The murder rate continues to rise in historic Goosebush, Massachusetts.

Lilly Jayne shares her lovely Victorian home with researcher Delia Greenway and, at the moment, a few other friends who need temporary quarters. All are mourning the loss of Leon Tompkin, who was deeply involved in the Goosebush Players as both an actor and a financial backer. His sudden death has exposed a number of cracks in the relationships among competing theater groups, and his son, Fred, who lives in California, has asked the organized and knowledgeable Lilly to help settle his estate, which includes masses of disorganized paperwork generated by Leon’s constant second thoughts about bequests. Movie stars Jeremy Nolan and Annabelle Keys, former spouses who started their careers in Goosebush, agree to do readings for a special production honoring Leon. Police Chief Bash Haywood, who’s counted on Lilly and her Garden Squad friends in the past, is a bit suspicious of Leon’s supposed heart attack, and his suspicions harden into certainty when Jeremy drops dead while eating a mini cupcake at a post-play party. The state police take over the high-profile case but ignore the many leads unearthed by Lilly’s work on the estate’s problems. Because the answer to the mystery seems to lie in the past, Delia’s skills searching through papers and archives are especially welcome.

The complex past and argumentative present take a back seat to the delightful members of the sleuthing Garden Squad.

Kirkus Reviews