Customer Reviews

The Water Lily Cross (Thorndike Mystery)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although he would be more comfortable restoring gardens and traveling about in his sporty 1964 TR4, Lawrence Kingston, botanical expert, finds himself once more engaged in another mysterious adventure.

This 3rd book in the English Garden Mystery series has Kingston searching for an old friend who has disappeared, quite possibly kidnapped. It seems Kingston's friend has discovered a way to use water lilies to solve one of the world's most pressing problems. Crossword and anagram clues, helicopter flights and threatening messages lead Kingston on a whirlwind and dangerous chase across the English countryside.

Eglin's mysteries are always a great romp combining two of my favorite things -- mysteries and gardening. Lawrence Kingston is a character you wouldn't mind inviting into your home on a regular basis and each new book is an opportunity to do just that. I can imagine sitting across from him, sipping his single-malt Scotch, as he recounts his latest tale of mystery or the details of a garden rejuvenation somewhere in the English countryside. Both are equally interesting to me.

I will say, Eglin is so good at creating interesting supporting characters that I sometimes miss the young couple who discovered The Blue Rose and the American woman who owned The Lost Gardens from his earlier books. Perhaps he can return to them for a future adventure.

The Water Lily Cross and Eglin's previous books are the perfect choice for some relaxing reading between your gardening chores. Pull the chaise lounge under your favorite tree, or within the scent of your favorite roses, and delve into the mysteries of the garden.

Highly Recommended

I was enjoying this book--the characters, the way Kingston solved the clues, the info about gardens, etc.--until I started coming across errors in the timeline of the plot. These dealt with the order of the kidnapping and murder. The most glaring error was towards the end where the whole thing was wrapped up. As an avid mystery reader, I pay close attention to these details. This was very disapointing.

i have never reviewed a book before but now feel impelled to share my thoughts on what i believe to be a modern day masterpiece.i love this book ,the rich descriptions of botanical elements,the interesting characters,and the fascinating main character,Lawrence Kingston.in this work the author once again has created a story that is not only written beautifully but keeps the reader on the edge of his seat.i usually read books from distant eras and shun current novels however the author seems to create a timeless piece which will attract all who love a great story i highly recommend this book to folks of all ages and can not wait for the next installment thank you Mr Eglin

I actually enjoyed the detail of every day life here, it adds to the coziness. What troubled me more was the naivitee of the main charactor - he has an encounter with a helicopter - the Russian Mob - yet runs out of the house because of a phone call? Does he not realize people lie? Generally - love the book - but the author could make it more interesting by having a smarter Main Character!

The other reviewer is absolutely correct: there is a glaring error in the plot toward the end---shame, shame, shame on the author and the editor...a high school student writing fiction would get a failing grade for such an error.

OK, I was sick on a gorgeous Sunday and needed a diversion while sitting outside, recuperating. This was the only fiction available at the place I was staying...so that tells you how desperate I was.

I will say that there is enough charm and horticultural detail to keep an enthusiastic gardening anglophile skim-reading through until the end. But this author needs a good editor to tell him how to liven up the very dull bits. For instance, how about some pages focused on some of the other characters (he has the Russian mob and unscrupulous business men and a lying mystery woman and a grieving victim....lots of good stuff to give us!! but no...just endless boring, unrelated details about the main character) Do we really need to know the details of every single meal the guy eats, and needless rehashing of the "info so far gathered". I read through it in about 4 hours. Glad I hadn't spent my own money on the thing.

I found this new entry in the series with surprised pleasure. These books could not come out too often. The lead character, Lawrence Kingston, is definitely a pleasure to spend time with that one can easily believe he has the many invitation mentioned in the text.


I enjoyed that the book was not too steeped in technical detail about plants, although I too love plants, I do not want the plot to be sidelined for too long with detail about what plant someone had in a garden which has no relevance to the story at hand. I admired Kingston's unflagging quest to find his missing friend. It was an excellent ride through the country!

When Stewart Halliday disappears, his wife asks his friend and former peer, retired London botanist Lawrence Kingston, to investigate. Kingston goes through Halliday's notes to seek clues to his whereabouts. In his colleague's date book he finds a coded message that he breaks down only to find another cryptic puzzler.

Kingston soon concludes that Halliday found a cheap effective way to desalinate ocean water using a salt eating water lily. The benefits to mankind are obvious, but also apparent are the huge profits to be made. Kingston concludes avarice has led to the abduction of Halliday. As he continues his inquiries, someone tries to kill Kingston and succeeds in murdering a wealth patron. Each step to rescue his buddy proves more dangerous than the previous ones, but the scientist refuses to quit even when the Russian mafia seems the prime cause of the tsunami that threatens his life.

The third English Garden cozy (see THE BLUE ROSE and LOST GARDENS) is an enjoyable mystery that centers on what many scientists believe is a global crisis: the lack of enough fresh water. Kingston's deciphering of puzzles and other horticultural clues is cleverly designed so though he is an amateur sleuth his line of investigating comes out of his professional background. Readers will appreciate his efforts to rescue his colleague even during those times when he soars towards a caricature of a superhero.

Harriet Klausner

As other have noted, there is a SERIOUS flaw in the book's timeline, at the end when the story is wrapped up. It was shocking and made me reread a chapter or two just to be sure my memory wasn't playing tricks on me. Nope, a glaring error, something the author shouldn't have overlooked and an editor should have caught.

There's some interesting ideas in this book, including the main plot device, a water lily capable of desalinating sea water, promising a cheap way of producing drinkable water. (This is revealed very early in the book, not a spoiler.) But the plot seems to stumble uncomfortably between cozy mystery and lowscale James Bond ripoff, and the author sometimes seems unsure of exactly what he wants to do with the plot. And a number of times he has the hero stumble into painfully obvious traps, and focuses too much on what the hero eats and the banal details of his everyday life...as if he was padding the story.

I enjoyed Eglin's first two books, especially with their hints of brooding Gothic atmosphere, but that is missing in this one. A bad stumble for the author.

What more could an Anglophile want? A good mystery, a botany professor, a Triump TR4, and descriptions of pub food. A really fun read.

First Line: Another fickle June day was ending.

Retired botany professor Dr. Lawrence Kingston is busy climbing into helicopters to film English gardens when he gets the call from Becky Halliday saying that her husband has gone missing, but that doesn't matter. Stewart Halliday is one of Kingston's closest friends, and he drops everything in order to see what he can do to help. Halliday and Kingston have enjoyed working Sunday crossword puzzles for years, and when Kingston finds crossword-based clues in the Halliday home, his unease increases. Soon he's crash landing in a helicopter, getting conked in the head, and being held hostage--all in the name of friendship.

"This was where Kingston was walking on eggs. Carmichael was already aware of Stewart's cryptic messages. Now introducing the idea that Stewart could have left more messages in the house could give Carmichael the impression that Kingston had read The Da Vinci Code one time too many."

Anyone who loves English gardens or British television series such as Rosemary & Thyme will enjoy Eglin's English Garden mystery series. Eglin is an award-winning gardener himself and knows how to put flowers front and center in a mystery in unusual and compelling ways. Dr. Lawrence Kingston is a fussy, older bachelor type who drives a sporty convertible. He knows how to keep a stiff upper lip, and when he wants answers to his questions, he isn't above letting the other person assume he's a medical doctor. Although Kingston seemed to take stupid risks a few too many times in this book, I still enjoy the series for the information about plants, for glimpses into beautiful gardens, for engaging mysteries, and for keeping an eye on Kingston. I'm looking forward to the next in the series!