Three Dirty Women and the Garden of Death (Three Dirty Women Mysteries) [Paperback]

Julie Wray Herman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Three Dirty Women Mysteries | Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Professional landscaping company, Three Dirty Women, unearths more than than they bargain for when Amilou Whittier finds her philandering husband buried under a client's azaleas. Her friend and partner, Korine McFaile, follows a twisting path to discover who really killed Greg Whittier. Was it Susannah Graham, whose past relationship with Greg Whittier may have been heating up again? Or was it Sally Tucker, who ran away with Greg and broke up Amilou's marriage, only to come back to town without him? Things get really complicated when a second victim turns up. When the evidence points squarely at Amilou, Korine finds that supporting a friend can be easier in thought than in deed.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Julie Wray Herman was raised in Louisville, Kentucky, by a Southern mother and a book-loving father. She currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Overmountain Press; 1St Edition edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570721262
• ISBN-13: 978-1570721267
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,251,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julie Wray Herman lives on a small organic farm outside Houston, TX where she and her ever-patient husband ride herd on the ever shifting population of the farm. At last count they had two horses, three dogs, two cats, and the creatures which lurk in the woods. A lapsed Master Gardener, Julie has always found working in the yard and garden to be a sure-fire way to work off chocolate chip cookies. She can be found most days via her website -- MysteryGarden.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Differing Opinion, October 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Three Dirty Women and the Garden of Death (Three Dirty Women Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I love mysteries and since June 1989 (the month I seriously started keeping track)I have read over 700 of them. I wanted to like this book, it had a great title and the promise of three lovable middle-aged Nancy Drews solving a nice cozy mystery and giving gardening tips. However, the reality was completely disappointing. First, who exactly was husband Greg? We never get to know why women, married and single, fall all over themselves trying to hang onto him. The author should have painted a personality for him before bumping him off. Instead we are left to wonder why all this passion for someone who the reader never had information about.

Secondly, it would be really hard to cut someone's throat and private parts and move the body without getting blood on the crime scene and yet the reader is supposed to swallow this scenario.

Also, there is too much dialogue versus description and I had to keep going back to follow her transitions from one scene to another. I thought the book was a mess and, even after careful reading, I am unsure of Greg's relationship with one of the characters. If you are still reading this, try the late Anne George and her "Sister" series. Her books are delightful!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Landscaped to death, July 31, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Dirty Women and the Garden of Death (Three Dirty Women Mysteries) (Paperback)

The Three Dirty Women of the title are three friends, Amilou, Korine, and Janie, who have a professional landscaping company. They are hired to re-landscape Susannah Graham's yard in honor of the coming nuptials of Susannah's daughter and the nephew of one of the dirty women. While digging in an azalea bed, the body of Amilou's philandering almost ex-husband is found. Who planted him there? Janie's husband, J.J. is the police chief of Pine Grove, and, of course, he investigates, and uncovers the murderer, but not before a second body is discovered.

This is a remarkable first novel. The beginning is a bit rough, as is to be expected with a first novel, but Julie Wray Herman finds her stride well before the middle of the book. The characters are endearing. The small town ambience is obvious in that everyone is either related to, or went to school with, or is friendly with, everyone else, whether directly part of the story or not.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and fun!, May 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Three Dirty Women and the Garden of Death (Three Dirty Women Mysteries) (Hardcover)

You'll never feel quite the same about digging in a flower bed after you've read Ms. Herman's wonderful new book, which kept me clamped to my armchair until I finished the thing. The characters in the story feel like people you know, and the whodunit part of this mystery was as mesmerizing as a tennis match. First you'd KNOW if was this suspect. Then you'd be sure it was THAT one. Then you wouldn't be sure of anything. Guess that's what a mystery is all about, and Ms. Herman pulled it off nicely. I hope she'll take her hands out of her own flower bed long enough to hurry up and give us a sequel.