The Perennial Killer: A Gardening Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Ann Ripley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2000

On location in Colorado for her syndicated television show, Gardening with Nature, filming alpine butterflies and avalanche lilies, Louise Eldridge can see why this beautiful terrain is as precious as gold. Then the pure Rocky Mountain air is fouled by the discovery of elderly rancher Jimmy Porter's body, shot to death and draped like a coyote carcass over his own backyard fence. Louise soon discovers a staggering list of suspects, since Jimmy's plan to sell his 13,000-acre ranch to a government preservation program left a lot of family, friends, and competitors with much to lose. Throw in a second death, a closed nuclear plant, a CIA investigation involving Louise's husband, and a bullet hole in her cowboy hat, and Louise suddenly realizes she's onto a killer as hardy as the native skeleton weed-and seemingly as indestructible.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This time around, Louise Eldridge, Ripley's amateur snoop from four previous mysteries, quickly discovers that land is gold in Colorado and that people will stop at nothing to control it. Almost as soon as she arrives in the state to shoot her syndicated TV show, Gardening with Nature, she finds herself embroiled in a dangerous struggle over a 13,000-acre ranch: environmentalists want it designated as an "open space"; developers want it for themselves. When Louise and her cameraman discover the murdered body of the ranch's elderly owner, Porter, she begins her own investigation. Her diverse list of suspects includes the sheriff, a good old boy who, along with countless others, has profited handsomely from land deals in the past. The stakes turn deadly when Porter's daughter dies in a suspicious accident, someone shoots at Louise and a sophisticated Austrian millionaire attempts to run her off a treacherous mountain road. Ripley's plots have become increasingly complicated with each book--this one has as many side issues as bindweed has seeds--and her one-dimensional heroine may fail to engage the reader. Nonetheless, the author projects a strong sense of place and is firmly grounded in her issues: her trademark essays, interspersed as tension-breakers throughout the book, reveal her understanding of Western horticulture. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Certain to appeal to mystery readers with green thumbs!"—Denver Post

"The next time your yard calls out for a good weeding, nurture the gardener first. Plop down on the lawn chair, ignore the June bugs, and enjoy the read."—USA Today


"A wonderful way to pass those gray days when you can't get into your garden."—Chicago Sun-Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553577379
• ISBN-13: 978-0553577372
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery except for gardening essays, May 2, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Perennial Killer: A Gardening Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Muggy and moist Washington DC is home to Louise Eldridge, hostess of the PBS show "Gardening with Nature." Her director sends Louise to the Boulder area as part of a series of location shows on "The Open Spaces." Louise finds the dry mountain climate of Colorado as quite a shock and she has a hard time adjusting. Though a TV personality, Louise has gained quite a national reputation for her work on homicide investigations. However, she hopes that her western stay remains trouble free.

Unfortunately on her first day in Boulder, Louise finds a dead body. Local rancher Jimmy Porter, whose spread was going to be used by Louise, has a bullet in his chest. The chauvinistic sheriff declares a poacher killed Jimmy. Almost everyone else thinks otherwise. Reluctantly, Louise is dragged into the investigation. She soon learns that almost everyone close to Jimmy had a motive to kill him and that the real culprit may soon have a reason to murder Louise.

Anyone who enjoys gardening will be happy for the insight provided throughout the novel. Those who have little interest in gardening can easily skip through those passages without losing the theme of the main story line. Although the plot requires a big leap of faith at certain points, amateur sleuth fans will enjoy THE PERENNIAL KILLER because of the likable heroine. Readers will sympathize with her problems even as they applaud her inner strength, which carries the tale. Ann Ripley elasticized the credibility of her subplots beyond the reach of Mr. Fantastic, but those readers who enjoy an entertaining gardening cozy will still feel a Rocky Mountain High after reading this novel.

Harriet Klausner

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Snob, December 7, 2008

By 

PJ (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perennial Killer: A Gardening Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

If you enjoy being lectured to by a lefty, elitist snob and if you believe that your 'heroine' can outrun bullets, then Ripley books are just the ones for you.