Death of a Garden Pest: A Gardening Mystery [Paperback]

Ann Ripley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 1997

Unearthing murderers is quickly becoming the specialty of amateur gardener and housewife Louise Eldridge.  Her horticultural skills have garnered her a
role on the public television show Gardening with Nature.  She has cultivated a controversial organic gardening approach that delights environmentalist viewers and alarms chemical-using traditionalists, drawing swarms of protesters, mounds of nasty mail, and absolutely fabulous ratings.

But the bloom of success fades suddenly when the society maven Louise replaced violently turns on her, picking a fight in the studio, only to wind up dead--poisoned by pesticides--moments later.  Louise is suspect number one, and in trying to clear herself, she must grub up clues and root out the real
killer--but with the police and the murderer hot on her trail, she is more likely to be planted six feet under than to stop this deadly canker.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While recovering from wounds she suffered in Mulch, Louise Eldridge, gardener and wife of a CIA agent, is asked by the Northern Virginia public television station to help host an organic gardening show. Once she accepts, she discovers herself in a behind-the-media-scenes world of backbiting and jealousy. Despite the wholehearted support of the show's producer, Louise is upstaged by her cohost, John Batchelder, who keeps giving himself extra lines, while Madeleine Doering, whose place in the series Louise has taken, proves a vocal, ungracious competitor. When Madeleine dies from an injection of pesticide recently discussed on the show, Louise becomes prime suspect. As her family pitches in to help prove her innocence, they gradually realize that many?from the shallow co-host to the encouraging producer?had reason to want Madeleine dead. Ripley tells her gripping tale in engaging, down-to-earth prose, interjecting bits of gardening advice, as scripts for the show, throughout. In the end, Louise uses her horticultural knowledge to finger the killer and earns the respect of many, even that of the president.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Ripley's follow-up to Mulch will tempt gardening buffs seeking a mystery enhanced by plenty of tantalizing garden details. The sequel finds intrepid organic gardener Louise Eldridge in receipt of an offer to host a public television program as a result of the publicity from her earlier capture of a murderer. But when the gardening show's environmental slant becomes apparent, a number of powerful people are alienated. Among the unhappy throng are Eldrige's handsome if shallow cohost; a chemical corporation czar who happens to be a potential donor; and the reigning arbiter of horticultural taste, recently deposed by the hiring of Eldridge. Before long, a murder at the station implicates Eldridge as the prime suspect, enmeshing her husband and daughter in a tense endeavor to find the true culprit. Readers drawn in by the "green" story line will not be disappointed as intrigue surrounding the murderer's identity unravels. Alice Joyce --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Crimeline (June 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553577301
• ISBN-13: 978-0553577303
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,690,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read, especially for gardeners, May 22, 2000

By 

W. Oliver (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Garden Pest: A Gardening Mystery (Paperback)

If you are in the mood for a light hearted mystery that is fun and full of gardening tips, then this is for you. Ripley goes along at a leisurly rate (the murder does not occur until around page 100) but her characters are interesting and fun. Every third chapter or so, there is a small gardening essay covering various topics such as composting, organic pest controls, roses, etc. If you are not into gardening, you can skip these because they are essentially unrelated to the plot.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the 2nd edition she has added witty gardening tips, July 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Death of a Garden Pest: A Gardening Mystery (Paperback)

I really enjoyed Ann Ripley's Mulch, especially the second edition in which she has added gardening essays a la Death of a Political Plant, her most recent mystery. Beautifully written!