Customer Reviews

Death in the Orchid Garden (Gardening Mysteries)

5 star:		(4)
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This is the first book I've read in this series, and it was terrific. The author does an amazing job with the setting, particularly the trip to the volcano. The plant information is interesting and so is the debate in the storyline about searching out new plants for different possible commercial applications. I liked the main character (though I personally didn't think much of her husband!) and was surprised at the solution. Will definitely look to read more by this author.

Louise Eldridge is euphoric as she takes her DC based PBS show, Gardening with Nature, to the Hawaiian island of Kauai for a special shoot at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Louise has scheduled a panel of expert guests to discuss horticulture. However, she finds the egomaniacal quartet (nursery owner Dr. Bruce Bouting, ethnobiologist Dr. Matthew Flynn, environmentalist Dr. Charles Reuter and Pacific Island expert Dr. Tom Schoonover) so obnoxious she looks forward to leaving paradise for home.

While strolling on the nearby beach, Louise finds the battered body of Dr. Flynn that she quickly concludes was a homicide. Police Chief Randy Hau leads the official investigation, but a second homicide occurs. Unable to heed her spouse's warning to stay out of the dangerous water, the plant lady begins an inquiry as she seeks the root cause of this homicide.

The Gardening Mystery (see SUMMER GARDEN MURDER) crowd will enjoy the change of milieu because Louise feels a need to uncover the botany version of Ten Little Indians. The whodunit is fun to follow as Chief Hau and amateur sleuth Louise separately work the case. Fans of the series will root for the plant lady as Ann Ripley provides a fun tropical cozy.

Harriet Klausner

I really enjoyed this book. I am not much of a green thumb, but this series was recommended to me by a friend. The main character is so likeable and the mysteries are well-developed, now I have read them all. I also really enjoy how the author keeps changing/developing the characters' lives- it is more realistic and it keeps the reader wanting to know what will happen next. The best part of this book is the setting and anyone who has been to Hawaii will LOVE all the Hawaiian details in this book. I am really looking forward to the next installment.

What I loved best was that the story was so good with the detailing you felt like you actually were staying at a 5 star Hawaiian Hotel. Even the simple parts where it felt as if you yourself were strolling from room to lagoon; could feel the humid heat. Gardening has been our family business plus being from Hawaii. Details created such an authentic take. Ripley has a new twist with words for telling a story that gripps you. Even her encounter with a rude parrot. Couldn't put the book down - I'm new to this author. Didn't think much of main characters hubby. The way Ripley wrote finishing crime action was as if you really were there with the victim - made it so REAL I felt as if I were watching but couldn't do anytning to help is the best way I can say here. Wish Ripley would write more stories based on plants (or food - just another great detail technique) - say a trip to the Amazon jungle, Costa Rica with it's orchids and lushness, or maybe a visit to another Hawaiian Island with a mix of gardening,plants and restaurants?!