Mulch

by Ann Ripley

Book Overview

Rooting out a killer can dig you a grave... Amateur gardener and housewife Louise Eldridge has big plans for her family's new Sylvan Valley home, situated among the flower of suburban Washington,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553577344
• ISBN13: 9780553577341
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Crimeline
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable book, Details don't always hang together

I enjoy mysteries with sleuths who are realistic. I am always scavenging leaves for my compost pile so I really relate to Louise Eldridge's leaf-collecting methods. This book is obviously written by a true gardener. I thought the plot was good and I enjoyed reading the book. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 mainly because details don't always fit together and that is an irritation. For example, Louise painstakingly monitors every word she says to neighbors so noone will know her husband is a CIA spook. But she feels it is OK to get publicly drunk and be hypnotized which would both be situations where secrets slip. If a few inconsistencies in the characters don't bother you, especially if you are a gardener or composter, read the book.

A Real Character -- Like You and Me!

I am always impressed when authors make their characters become real. And, that is just what Ann Ripley has done! Louise Eldridge seems to have a real husband who nearly falls into the lust garden for the neighbor and real kids who fall in love with the neighbor boy or have "pricey" college expenses. Here's the garden scoop, Louise becomes a local celebrity when she lands her own public television gardening show in the Washington, D.C. area. However, this is her first real job. So, she's a little naive when it comes to professional competition. When a murder occurs in this setting and context, she becomes a big time suspect. Her technical skill about plants along with her humor and character parlay against her fears. Though I am always anxious to find new mystery series authors, I find Ann Ripley's character, Louise Eldridge, great fun and educational. Read this book if you love plants . . .or if you love new types of mysteries! I bet you will be just like me and want to read "Mulch" (which I wish I had read first) and "Death of a Political Plant."