Pruning the Dead

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After her husband's death, Lilly Jayne has isolated herself from everything and everyone. Finally after several years, Lilly comes out of the fog and rejoins society. In Pruning the Dead by Julia Henry, she plans a huge garden party at her beautiful home in Goosebush, Massachusetts. (Pruning the Dead will be released on January 29 by Kensington Publishing.)

Many of her old friends and neighbors are delighted to see her entertaining again. Even her ex-husband and his third wife, the annoying Merilee, show up as well as town grinch Pat French. Ever the gracious hostess, Lilly doesn't let them get under her skin.

When she is coaxed out to a live poetry reading at The Star, her friend Stan's theater and restaurant, she learns the poet is a friend of hers as well - Callisto Pace. Always a little avant garde, he has a slide show to accompany his poetry. Unfortunately the slide show doesn't show Goosebush in its best light and that gets Lilly thinking about renewing her commitment to community beautification.

Lilly and her pals Tamara, Delia and Ernie (the Garden Squad) dive into planning to spruce up Alden Park. When they get the grudging approval of the town council,

they gather volunteers, equipment and plants and prepare to clean up and beautify the park. Unfortunately someone decides to kill Pete's wife Merilee in the shed on the property making the park a crime scene.

The police believe Pete killed Merilee because they were seen arguing earlier in the day, but Lilly isn't so sure. She and her Garden Squad set out to find the real killer and quietly beautify small parts of the town. With Pat French looming over their shoulder and threatening to fine them every step of the way, the Garden Squad sneaks out under cover of darkness to work their magic and to find the killer.

This is the first in the Garden Squad series and I enjoyed immensely. Wish I had my own Garden Squad to work on my untended garden.