A total slog, but I'll probably try book 2 to see if the writing gets better. ( )

Camellia Harris is great at PR for her company, and she's achieved a major coup in being able to photograph Neil Harris's garden done by a famous photographer, Jean-Jacques Georges. But during a party the night before a photo shoot, she overhears a conversation between him and a friend, and she discovers that he's about as French as she is.

She's also disgusted by his rude behavior, when she sees him goosing her sister Petunia and several other women. But before she can make her feelings known to anyone, the next morning she arrives at the home of Mr. Harris and sees that there's a dead man in the main garden -- and he's dead. Finding out it's Jean-Jacques, and that her brother-in-law Nick is the main suspect, Cam is determined to find the killer before he's convicted for a crime he didn't commit. Now if she can just keep her wits about her and out of the eye of the killer she just might find the truth and make it out alive...

This is the first in the series, and unfortunately, it was one of those that was thrown over by Berkley Publishing when they decided to cut their cozy mystery line. Since I haven't seen more than the three that were written, I still decided to read the book to see if the rest were worth my time.

The book started out slow for me. For some reason, it just couldn't grab my attention and it took longer to "get going," as it were. Perhaps it was the fact that Cam seems to have no personality; I think Annie would have been a better choice as the protagonist of the book, but oh well.

First off, who forgets to eat for ten hours? You'd get woozy, and maybe even nauseous. The body is a giant computer that tells you things important. Sorry, but I'm not buying into this one. She's 5'8" and only 117 and gets offended when her boyfriend Rob tells her she's skinny. Eat a sandwich. I'm 5'8" and if I weighed that little my husband would think I was anorexic.

The plot was decent enough, with the man being killed in the garden, and when Cam started investigating, she found a plethora of suspects, who all might have had a reason to want him dead. So when she starts digging, she discovers that many of them had secrets - including her brother-in-law and her best friend, Annie. Secrets that could have led to either one of them being the murderer.

I did think it was rather small of Jake to keep mentioning Annie's "record." She smashed a car window because she found out the guy she was dating wasn't who she thought he was. She didn't rob a bank or get arrested for drugs or an illegal gun. Geez. What a tool. Jake even thought Annie was guilty of murder because of this. Seriously? It also irritated me that the characters needed to get drunk every time they got upset. Drinking doesn't solve problems and it only brings more - like hangovers, liver issues, etc. But these characters found a reason to drink every chance they got. Sheesh.

Aside from this there were plenty of red herrings, and plenty of distractions. Every time you got led down one rabbit hole, another appeared. While you're thinking it's one person, another appears. So you never quite get the answers to the questions, because once you do, more questions pop up. The only person you know didn't commit the crimes is Cam's father, Nelson. It was all completely confusing, all through the entirety of the book. A lot of chaos with everyone running around and then comparing notes about who was doing what.

I got the feeling that the author couldn't decide who to make the murderer, so made nearly everyone a suspect while she continued to write the story and figure out who she didn't like most. The characters weren't developed at all, they just kept investigating - clumsily - and drinking to think things through. Because everyone knows that booze helps you think clearer. Honestly? And Annie didn't have anyone to help her at her bakery, so depended on Cam and Rob when she needed to make a few dozen brownies. (And, of course, they needed to drink so they could bake). Okay, then...not to mention Cam's sister Petunia needed Cam's help when she was catering for her restaurant. Do these people know what the word 'employees' mean? When Annie was in jail, did her bakery fold up while she was gone? Wouldn't that be bad for business? How were either women making any money?

In the end, when everything is revealed, and the police have the right murderer - you think - Cam comes up with other questions and then there's more questions and the end of the book gives you the right answers. I think. It sort of just leaves you hanging, with the murderer about to be caught but never gives you complete closure and finishes up, so how did they get everything closed with the murderer caught and how? So will I read the other two in this series? That's a big NO. Sorry. I like my mysteries tied up nicely with a feeling of satisfaction, not wondering 'what happened here?' ( )

‘Everything’s coming up roses’ for the Roanoke Garden Society. America’s premier magazine for gardening enthusiasts Garden Delights will be featuring them in an eight-page spread in June and award-winning photographer Jean-Jacques Georges will be scheduling a shoot in local historically registered gardens at La Fontaine.
Cam -short for Camellia - Harris is arranging the event, from coordinating the photographer and magazine staff to ensuring her sister Petunia, and boyfriend Rob, cater the event. RGS founder and owner of La Fontaine, Neil Patrick is opening his home for the event and the whole of Roanoke’s society will be on hand for the grand opening day. Just when nothing can go wrong Georges’ body is found stabbed to death with pruning shears before the shoot even starts. Cam, scrambling to save the day, brings in her best-friend and flat-mate, Annie, to take over the shoot but when the second body is found and Rob and Annie are both in jail, suspected of murder, it is up to Cam to save her friends and find the real killer before the RGS wilts.
Hart Johnson, writing under the pen-name Alyse Carlson, has taken on a project of massive proportions. Following in the steps of Sue Grafton and her alphabet series Carlson appears to be ready to cozy up to the letters in the first of what she describes as ‘a garden society mystery’. I hope that there are 26 plants to see the series out, in order that we can continue to enjoy this masterful series. We can look forward to more of Virginia as we learn the ins and outs of Roanoke, ‘America’s Most Livable City’ and entwine our lives with those of Cam and her loveable bunch of friends and family.
In her debut cozy Carlson treats us to a sexy little thriller that gives us a new written aroma, and opens desire for future fragrant floral novels as we eagerly await the next in the series, The Begonia Bribe.
( )

‘Everything’s coming up roses’ for the Roanoke Garden Society. America’s premier magazine for gardening enthusiasts Garden Delights will be featuring them in an eight-page spread in June and award-winning photographer Jean-Jacques Georges will be scheduling a shoot in local historically registered gardens at La Fontaine.
Cam -short for Camellia - Harris is arranging the event, from coordinating the photographer and magazine staff to ensuring her sister Petunia, and boyfriend Rob, cater the event. RGS founder and owner of La Fontaine, Neil Patrick is opening his home for the event and the whole of Roanoke’s society will be on hand for the grand opening day. Just when nothing can go wrong Georges’ body is found stabbed to death with pruning shears before the shoot even starts. Cam, scrambling to save the day, brings in her best-friend and flat-mate, Annie, to take over the shoot but when the second body is found and Rob and Annie are both in jail, suspected of murder, it is up to Cam to save her friends and find the real killer before the RGS wilts.
Hart Johnson, writing under the pen-name Alyse Carlson, has taken on a project of massive proportions. Following in the steps of Sue Grafton and her alphabet series Carlson appears to be ready to cozy up to the letters in the first of what she describes as ‘a garden society mystery’. I hope that there are 26 plants to see the series out, in order that we can continue to enjoy this masterful series. We can look forward to more of Virginia as we learn the ins and outs of Roanoke, ‘America’s Most Livable City’ and entwine our lives with those of Cam and her loveable bunch of friends and family.
In her debut cozy Carlson treats us to a sexy little thriller that gives us a new written aroma, and opens desire for future fragrant floral novels as we eagerly await the next in the series, The Begonia Bribe.
( )

The Azalea Assault is the first book in A Garden Society Mystery series. A very interesting and enjoyable book too.

Camellia Harris is in charge of PR for the Roanoke Garden Society and she has pulled a major feat. She has one of the top photographers coming in to take shots of one of the society's members garden. Then the pictures will be part of an article to published in Garden Delights magazine.

At the welcoming party for photographer and production staff, Jean-Jacques George, the photographer, and Ian Ellsworth, the shoots photo manager, have heated words. Jean-Jacques also makes an off-handed comment the flowers are boring. Cam just knows she is going to have her hands full salvaging this important project. Upon arriving the next morning, Cam learns that Jean-Jacques has been found dead under the bedroom window of the owners wife. Cam remembers that her neighbor Annie, who is also providing deserts for parties and photo-shoot, is a decent enough photographer to save the project. With Annie and Cam's boyfriend Rob, they set out to finish the shoot and determine the murderer. Cam's sister, Petunia and her husband Nick are the caterers for meals. Nick becomes a person of interest, as he has a prison record and it is learned that he has dealings with some of the people.

The book doesn't delve deeply into gardening, but one mat still learn something about different flowers. The different scents emitted by various flower does provide a big clue for the solving of this case. ( )