The Lost Gardens [Import] [Paperback]

Anthony Eglin (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: ISIS Publishing (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753177218
• ISBN-13: 978-0753177211
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,807,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery takes a back seat to gardening lore, June 8, 2006

By 

W. Oliver (Alabama) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lost Gardens: An English Garden Mystery (Hardcover)

This is Eglin's second "English Garden" mystery (the first being "The Blue Rose") and it is just as enjoyable. His books are reminescent of "tea cozies" but they are a slight elevation about that. The mystery is not particularly interesting, or suspensful for that matter, but Eglin makes up for that with his fascinating asides to gardening lore. Eglin comments that this book was inspired by "The Lost Gardens of Heligan," a true-life account of the discovery and uncovering of an estate garden in England. As retired botanist/amateur sleuth Lawrence Kingston and his client, Jamie Gibson, begin to rescue the overgrown garden at Wickersham Priory, the reader is treated to highly interesting details regarding gardening history, wine-making, Lawrence Johnson and his famous garden at Hidcote, and garden design. The book moves at a brisk pace and doesn't overstay its welcome. A fun read!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Garden of good and evil and gardening and history and..., July 10, 2006

By 

Douglas E. Welch "New Media Consultant" (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lost Gardens: An English Garden Mystery (Hardcover)

The Lost Gardens, the second in a (hopefully) on-going series by Anthony Eglin picks up the story of Professor Lawrence Kingston following the murder and intrigue surrounding the discovery and theft of a unique blue rose, the Holy Grail of gardeners. This story is recounted in "The Blue Rose" and my review can be found in this previous post.

In this new story, Kingston is hired to restore a huge manor garden to its former glory after the property is inherited, unexpectedly and unexplainably, by a young, American woman. When a dis-used chapel is found on the property, complete with a skeleton in its well, Kingston is again involved in detective work, archeological mysteries and murder.

While not quite as action-packed as the first book, The lost Gardens is a grand combination of gardening lore, history, mystery and action-adventure. Kingston become even more likable than before, less curmudgeonly and might even be falling in love again.

Eglin gives a charming feel to the English countryside, despite the untoward events that occur and leads the reader down a wandering garden path to an exciting and satisfying conclusion.

I look forward to more books in this series that combine my interests in gardening and my love of a great mystery.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved the garden, May 19, 2007

By 

D. Cusick "scalloway" (Fleming Island, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lost Gardens: An English Garden Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book as it turned up as an amazon "recommended" book. Hey, I love gardens. I love English mysteries. What's not to like? The garden and the horticultural details were fascinating. I enjoyed the slow unfolding of the history of Major Ryder.

But it was not exactly an Agatha Christie. No real surprises about "whodunnit". No multiple likely suspects to keep you guessing. No plot twist at the end. The character who makes a suspicious entrance early in the book is really the only suspect. It's just a question of what happens until he's unmasked.

I also never quite understood why the heroine was so downright reluctant to try to determine why this vast English estate had been left to her by a total stranger. I can't believe she just moved over to England and took it on without, apparently, the least bit of curiousity about why it had been left to her. She even actively tried to discourage Kingston from investigating when be began looking on her behalf. That just never rang true, and I kept waiting for some surprise ulterior motive to arise, but it never did.

However I did like it well enough that I've gone and ordered the author's Blue Ross as well.