Another one of those series that I neither loved nor hated. Solid writing, well-drawn characters (although I think the MC's best friend Annie, has all the best lines) and relatively solid plotting.

I thought this one was the best of the three in a lot of ways - I found myself caring about the characters a lot more - but I did have a hard time keeping track of who was who and which character belonged to which political campaign and who was whose wife or sister or sister-in-law or step-mother. About 2/3 of the way through I just let it go and the story still ended up working ok for me. Still, it would have been one star higher rating had I been able to keep everyone straight.

The murder plot was just as jumbled - I'm not sure anyone was innocent by the end of it all, but it made for engaging reading.

I have the feeling that there won't be a fourth book in this series - it's been over a year and I haven't seen any announcements. I don't think this series was bad enough to cancel, but I'm not devastated that it ended either. (If it did.)

[PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge: A book you own but have never read.]
[Sock Poppet's 2015 Read-By-the-Month Reading Challenge: first book of the New Year] ( )

You have to imagine a C, as in Chrysanthemum, so that Carlson’s third novel can be set as part of the A, B, C series featuring flowers…darn publishers! What you don’t have to imagine though is a story as Carlson has done that for you. Three books into the set and she has really found her stride.

Once again, Cam Harris and her best friend Annie, with their reporter and cop boyfriends in tow, stick their noses into places they didn’t need to be and end up finding a body. Roanake, Virginia’s Hunting Hills Country Club, is once again at the center of murder and mayhem when local millionaire, Derek Windermere, ends up dead at none other than a murder-mystery themed silent auction.

A look into his past shows Windermere had a few foes, all of who could want him dead; however, the main suspect is missing, who also happens to be one of the series reoccurring characters, Annie’s father. We know what a loveable old coot he is, so to the reader half the mystery is solved. We know he didn’t do it, so who did? Like a walk down the garden path, Carlson keeps us guessing with so many characters that you need a 3x5 card to plot out all the people and their relationships, but after having had the pleasure of reading all three in the series, so far her style is becoming catching and the maturity in her craft is peeking out from behind the azaleas.

Keeping the society’s reputation intact and averting a scandal are becoming Cam’s full time job; so what’s next, daisies or dahlias?


( )

You have to imagine a C, as in Chrysanthemum, so that Carlson’s third novel can be set as part of the A, B, C series featuring flowers…darn publishers! What you don’t have to imagine though is a story as Carlson has done that for you. Three books into the set and she has really found her stride.

Once again, Cam Harris and her best friend Annie, with their reporter and cop boyfriends in tow, stick their noses into places they didn’t need to be and end up finding a body. Roanake, Virginia’s Hunting Hills Country Club, is once again at the center of murder and mayhem when local millionaire, Derek Windermere, ends up dead at none other than a murder-mystery themed silent auction.

A look into his past shows Windermere had a few foes, all of who could want him dead; however, the main suspect is missing, who also happens to be one of the series reoccurring characters, Annie’s father. We know what a loveable old coot he is, so to the reader half the mystery is solved. We know he didn’t do it, so who did? Like a walk down the garden path, Carlson keeps us guessing with so many characters that you need a 3x5 card to plot out all the people and their relationships, but after having had the pleasure of reading all three in the series, so far her style is becoming catching and the maturity in her craft is peeking out from behind the azaleas.

Keeping the society’s reputation intact and averting a scandal are becoming Cam’s full time job; so what’s next, daisies or dahlias?


( )

Keeping Mum is the third book in the A Garden Society Mystery series.

Samantha is trying to convince Cam to have the Roanoke Garden Society to stage a political fund raiser for Jared Koontz. Then when cam's best friend, Annie, asks for help for the same thing, Cam decides to organize the event. Annie suggests having a murder mystery dinner. But then when Derrick Windermere is found dead, killed by flower pot, a fun game turns into reality. At about the same time Annie's father, a former state senator, goes missing. Now the question that needs to be answered is: are the two events related or someone taking advantage of bad situation or did someone see something they shouldn't have.

Cam soon finds out that Windermere was a bit of a shady character and there was not a lot of love lost with quite a few people. It's matter of finding out who was the most hurt.

We don't get to see members of the Barden Society as much in this book, as the others. But we do get to spend more time with Cam's boyfriend, Rob, and Annie and her boyfriend, Jake.

I think this is the best book in the series so far. A very interesting story of murder and a kidnapping and how they are intertwined.

Looking forward to the next book. ( )