Mums and Mayhem: A Magic Garden Mystery

Amanda Flower

Aug 2020 · A Magic Garden Mystery Book 3 · Crooked Lane Books

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower is the 3rd A Magic Garden Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you have not delved into Flowers and Foul Play or Death and Daisies. Fiona Knox is the Keeper of a magical garden at Duncreigan in Bellewick, Scotland. She also recently opened her flower shop, Climbing Rose. Fiona is a smart, friendly, and caring woman who has embraced her new life in Bellewick. She enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, Chief Inspector Neil Craig when not at her shop or working in her garden. Of course, Fiona’s sister, Isla is still in town. She is the flighty sort who acts before she thinks. Isla has fallen in love with Seth MacGregor who has dropped out of medical school and has a gambling problem (every mother’s dream). I believe he changes jobs more often than his socks. Isla’s talkativeness gets Fiona into more than one jam. Mums and Mayhem is a delightful book to read. Great characters, a charming town, and a murder. Barley McFee, a famous fiddler, is performing his Coming Home Concert. This is a big event for their small town. When Barley fails to return from a break, Fiona volunteers to track him down. She soon regrets it when she finds Barley choked to death in his tour bus. I am sure that Fiona would have been digging into the mystery anyway, but when her father becomes a suspect, it is a given. I like that Fiona passes information onto Neil (no holding back). The whodunit was not a challenge to solve, but I still enjoyed following the investigation. There were several viable suspects, good clues, and a red herring. There is good action plus some suspenseful moments. Mums and Mayhem is a busy book. The concert, the parent’s arriving in town, a murder, and then trouble with Fiona’s magical garden. Someone breaks into her garden and cuts the yellow rose blooming on the menhir. This breaks the magical bond and causes the flora to wither and die. Fiona needs to restore the magic to the garden, or it could be gone forever. Hopefully, the little blue-eyed fox can help her out. I liked the humor throughout the book. I laughed out loud on several occasions. The story is well-written, and it has swift pacing. Mums and Mayhem was over way too quickly. I am eager for the next A Magic Garden Mystery. Mums and Mayhem is an enchanting tale with a fine fiddler, elderly enthusiasts, apprehensive parents, a forceful reporter, a friendly fox, a spontaneous sister, and a macabre murder.

About the author

USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning mystery author Amanda Flower started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she'd found her calling of making people laugh with her words. She also writes mysteries as USA Today bestselling author Isabella Alan. In addition to being an author, Amanda is a librarian in Northeast Ohio.This is her third Magic Garden mystery.