Oak and Dagger

A White House Gardener Mystery #3

by Dorothy St. James

Missing documents, death threats, mysterious holes in the South Lawn, and now a dead body's been found in the garden! It's up to White House organic gardener Casey Calhoun to uncover the deadly link between the stolen papers, the holes in the lawn, and a rumored 200 year-old treasure...before the killer strikes again!

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction, Gardening, Cozy

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

Pseudonym for author Dorothy McFalls

Mystery author Dorothy St. James was born in New York but raised in South Carolina. She makes her home on an artsy island community in South Carolina with her husband, tiny little dog and fluffy cat. Though writing has always been a passion for her, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology and a graduate degree in Public Administration and Urban Planning. She put her educational experience to use, having worked in all branches and all levels of government including local, regional, state, and federal. She even spent time during college working for a non-profit environmental watchdog organization.

Switching from government service and community planning to fiction writing wasn't as big of a change as some might think. Her government work was all about the stories of the people and the places where they live. As an urban planner, Dorothy loved telling the stories of the people she met. And from that, her desire to tell the tales that were so alive in her heart grew until she could not ignore it any longer. In 2001, she took a leap of faith and pursued her dream of writing fiction full-time.

Reviews

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series had its ups and downs but this was the best book out of the three that is in this little series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Sorry to see the characters go. I am glad I decided to finish this series.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oak And Dagger is the third book in the A White House Gardener Mystery series by Dorothy St. James.

Another wonderful story from Dorothy St. James, but I also want to draw the readers attention to the chapter headings. They are quotes from various First Ladies and are quite entertaining.

Things are hectic for the White House garden staff. First the First Dog has been digging holes in the yard, the President in the middle of planting two trees for the press hits an underground water line and the head gardener, Gordon, has been accused by the White House curator of stealing some files from here office. But in addition to the files that the curator say are missing, there is also a schematic for the sprinkler system missing from Casey's office, too. These files pertained to an item of President Jefferson's, that Dolley Madison gave to a member of the staff to save before the British set fire to the White House and he reportedly buried somewhere in the White House lawn.

Casey soon hears that the curator was going to meet Gordon in the Children's Garden to confront him once again. She soon finds Gordon face down in a small koi pond, alive, but barely breathing. After Gordon has been transported to the hospital sets to clear her mind and to see if she can find any clues as to what might have happened. She finds where Gordon had been working and also finds his pruning saw with blood on it and nearby the lifeless body of the curator. Now it is Casey against the D.C. Police. Casey is sure that he had nothing to do with her death and the police say all the evidence points directly at him.

So Casey, along with some help from her “sidekick” Special Agent Jack Turner, she if off scouring the office and the White House lawn looking for clues. Casey needs to learn more about Nadeem who is the assistant curator and seems following Casey most of time. There is also Marcel, who is working on some design work for the First Lady. Marcel seems to turn up everywhere and with out an escort. The one Casey is most concerned with and not sure how to go about asking questions in the First Lady's sister, Lettie. Lettie seems to want to be involved in everything to do with the gardeners, but creates more of a mess than helping. Add to all this Casey is also getting death threats.

It appears that Casey's romance with Jack is moving ahead, she also learns more about her father's past.

Looking forward to the next book and the inside working of the gardening staff at the White House.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! Fast paced, interesting and with very little 'filler' in the form of internal dialogue or constant review of suspects - this was handled really gracefully with a paragraph here and there throughout the story. I absolutely loved the ending of this book and the plot wrap-up. Ms. James did an excellent job of letting you think you knew the killer only to keep throwing things topsy turvy. And the climax of the "hidden treasure" part of the plot - well, I just thought it was to coolest ending!

With the exception of Lorenzo who is the "jackass" character in this series that's becoming a bit of a cliche in cozies lately, I love these characters, they are likeable, engaging and I find myself wanting to know what comes next for each of them. What could be a cheesy and emotionally manipulative storyline concerning Casey's past is beautifully written - she's got baggage, but she's not a whiny victim. The revelation of secrets kept for ages was sort of predictable, but interesting nevertheless. I love the dynamic between Casey and Jack - lots of potential there and lots of sparks. The addition of his brothers to the cast of characters made for a very light moment in the book - I hope to see a bit more of their comedy relief in future books.

Overall, I can see this being a book I'll pick up again and again - I just genuinely enjoyed 99% of this book cover-to-cover. If you like gardening and cozies, I recommend you give this series a spin.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet again, I'm starting a cozy mystery series with book three, but also yet again, it didn't seem to really matter. I quickly picked up the plot, grew to love the characters, and needed to solve the mystery. I didn't quite have all the details, but a suspect was there all along and I was suspicious, that's for sure! I absolutely must go back and read the first two in this series, and see how Casey/Jack came to be, and more about her relationship with the first family. I absolutely adored the gardening references; I am the complete opposite of a green thumb, everything living in plant form that I touch dies, but it is something that intrigues me from a safe distance.

I can fully recommend this cozy series as something a little different, and not just your average gardening mystery. Definitely going to be checking out the rest! Four stars.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started this new-to-me cozy mystery series with the second volume (The Scarlet Pepper), & now to the third.. Perfect rainy day/beach day reads. Each of the chapters starts with a choice quote from one of the actual President's wives from early years through to Lady Bird Johnson. The books take place in and around the White House in the Obama era (although not identified at all as Obamas). There was an emphasis on dogs, children & gardens during Michelle Obama's time in the White House. This book involves murder of the White House historical curator, with talk of buried treasure in the gardens during President James Madison's time, and missing documents. The British invaded & burned the White House. The head gardener is the chief suspect for both the missing documents and the curator's murder, even though he ends up seriously ill himself in the hospital during the same episode. The books are actually fairly cleverly plotted. The heroine, Casey Calhoun, an assistant gardener, has some rather annoying "quirks" with her scattershot approach to solving crimes, but she does that well in the end, usually with the assistance of one of the Secret Service staff, Jack, who has become rather dear to her over the series. I think I may go back to read the first in the series, to see how it starts, although the author is quite good at giving enough background to be able to read each book as a stand-alone. Better to read them starting from the beginning, though. I'm not sure the author wrote any further books in this series. She does have a number of other series on the go.

[Danielle Mintz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Casey is an assistant gardener at the White House she has a talent for sniffing out and solving crimes.
Casey started receiving death threats when a historical document's goes missing from the curator's office. With the head gardener being the one to blame but when the curator is found dead and the head gardener is for half-dead. Questions are asked with all evidence pointing at Gordon Sims as the murder it's up to Casey and her sidekick Special agent Jack Turner who just happens to be her new romance.
Now let me just say this is the third book in this series I haven't read the first two. So this was a slow read and very hard to get into the plot was wrapped up nicely and kept me guessing who the killer was. Also the climax of the hidden treasure is what kept me reading. So Lorenzo was just a jackass in this and getting the feeling he probably was like this in the first two books. We learn more about Casey's backstory and with it Casey is learning the truth. There is a romance starting out with Jack and Casey but the fact that Jack is hiding things and acting dodgy but the addition of his brothers brings a very light moment and what he was hiding sure the one thing was something he should have brought to the table first in regards to his crazy ex the other thing wasn't that bad. So would I read the first two books? I think I'll skip them.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was tons of fun. A few years ago I read a series of cozy mysteries featuring the chef at the Whote House. This book revolves around an assistant gardener, she is in charge of organic gardening projects on the Whote House grounds and in Lafayette Park, and her fellow gadening staff, the First Lady and the East Wing staff. A Treasury official who has been auditinfg several New York investmnt banks is found murdered in Lafayette Square Park. At the same time, our heroine is knoced out and left face down in a bed of tulips she was weeding. All of this takes place while a high profile conference of bankers, complete with protestors, is being hosted at the White House. Lots of fun details about working at the President's house are included and our heroine proves to be not only intrepid, but clever and determined. Her own familial backstory makes the case all the more intriguing. I'm going to search out the other two books in this series.

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of the White House assistant gardener being the detective was cute, and so was the conceit of having quotations from First Ladies at the head of each chapter. And your little dog, too!

Don't be fooled, however: this little fiction with the punning title is deeper than it looks. There are three family destinies to work out (the Bakers, the McGraws, and yes, Casey Calhoun's own tangled family history), plus a legacy from the days when the British sacked the U.S. capital and Dolley Madison had to head for the hills.

I didn't mind not having read the first two books in the series, but now I'm curious to go back and see how this character developed.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey again is involved in solving a murder. This time she is trying to prove that the head gardener is not a murder. She needs to find the treasure that was suppose to have been buried in 1814 when the British were coming to burn the White House. Again, I enjoyed reading about things and places I have seen and can picture Casey being there. I think I will have to find some non-fiction books about Dolly Madison

[Linda Lugar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this series. I am sorry there were only three books in the series, but they were good.

She did a nice job "wrapping" up some of the back story in this book. Plus, she left it open if she ever writes another in the series ~ fingers crossed!

[Crissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo!!!

[Virginia Adi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story fit well together. Enjoyed the series.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series. More and more questions answered as I've been reading. On to the next one, maybe?

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

You need to read the first two in the series to understand the characters.

A lot going on in the book; a stretch in some areas, but overall enjoyable.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple tree planting leads to chaos at The White House. A schematic is missing from the Grounds Office and a set of important papers has also disappeared from the Curator’s Office. The gardeners are getting blamed for both. On top of that Casey is getting death threats, the First Dog is digging holes all over the South lawn and the First Lady’s sister is creating her own havoc.

Then the curator is found dead is a secluded garden and all the evidence points at Gordon Sims, the chief gardener. Casey just has to clear his name. When she learns all the chaos and the murder could have something to do with a two hundred year old treasure she realizes she must move fast before the killer strikes again….

Dollycas’s Thoughts
Casey Calhoun is a smart spunky protagonist and she is not afraid to get her hands dirty or stand out in the pouring rain to track down the killer. I am happy her relationship with Special Agent Jack Turner is moving forward. We also learn a bit more about Casey’s past.

There was so much happening in the installment that the pages were flying. The First Lady has her hands full with her twin boys and while her sister is supposed to be there to help she seems to have an agenda all her own. The decorator hired to create the nursery has much more interest in being out in the gardens instead in the space he is responsible for decorating. Jack is acting strange and seems to stand Casey up a lot. Gordon is in the hospital and Casey and Lorenzo have to work together and they never see eye to eye. The assistant curator is a strange little man who just happens to have rented the apartment below Casey.

Dolley Madison was important to this story. In fact the book starts with a quote from the famous First Lady: “And now, dear sister, I must leave this house or the retreating army will make me a prisoner in it by filling up the road I am directed to take.” Each subsequent chapter starts with a First Lady quote and I really enjoyed all of them.

Hang on tight! This story is a wild ride! I loved it!

[Ronna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third installment in the White House Gardener mystery series, and it's the best one yet, though you definitely need to read the previous ones first. Casey is one of the White House gardeners who always runs into dead bodies, but she was almost a dead body herself. When she was a child, her father left her and her mom, and a deadly gang came looking for him, ending up killing her Mom and seriously wounding Casey. Casey spent her remaining childhood years with her grandmother and two aunts, in a charming estate in Charleston, SC. Her aunts got her interested in gardening, while always emphasizing how to be a southern "lady". Casey got the gardening but somehow missed most of the "southern lady" lessons.

In this book her past begins to catch up with her, but her present situation takes front and center. Her great friend, and father figure, Gordon, the head WH gardener, has been found unconscious in one of the gardens, but there is also a dead body that seemingly had been murdered by Gordon. Casey just knows Gordon's not a murderer and goes about, hopefully, proving his innocence. Buried treasure from Dolly Madison's days in the WH has come back to cause troubles. Casey is also trying desperately to find seeds from the "founding father's" gardens to begin a new vegetable garden in the present day WH.

Many interesting facts about the White House fill the pages of this mystery, as Casey chases down a murderer. She's also getting threatening messages herself. Romance continues to develop between Casey, and Jack, a Secret Service Agent assigned to the WH. Characters and mystery are blended excellently in this fun and intriguing mystery. Sure hope Dorothy St James comes out with more books in this series.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey Calhoun is at it again. She's not only knee deep in dirt, but also eager to solve a couple mysteries around the White House - as well as do a little treasure hunting along the way! When the curator is found murdered in the children's garden, Casey's good friend and co-worker, Gordon, is not only in critical condition, but also the main suspect. The cast of new characters includes a famous French designer, an ex-assassin and the Fist Lady's crazy sister. Our favorite gardener will find a few surprises as she follows the clues to clear his name and find the real culprit.

I really enjoy this series. The setting is quite intriguing. It's fun pretending to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes to make the first family look flawless. The mystery was really good and kept me guessing until the very end. The last 100 pages was rather exciting if you've been following since book number one. We get a fun and entertaining glimpse into Jack's much guarded personal life. We also learn some interesting facts about Casey's dad!!! The only part that bugs me about this series, is Lorenzo. His negative attitude is excessive and rather annoying!! I really loved how all of the chapters began with a quote from a First Lady throughout the years. Several of them gave me a good chuckle. I enjoyed the hidden treasure story as well. I knew what it was going to contain.

[Lollyletsgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I really want to give it a 3.5 but I'm rounding up... I don't think it's the book's fault, but my own for reading it immediately after the White House executive chef series. I think it's a good idea before I start, but then a chapter or two in, I'm already starting to compare the two- and that's not fair. {You know, like your mom comparing you to your "perfect" sibling- NOT FAIR! ~ Not that it ever happened to me, that's because I was the perfect one.... ;] Little did she know! Mwuahahahahahah!}

Anyway, back to the story.. nice writing, really good red herrings. I thought it was one, and I was wrong- not the first time that has ever happened! Again, I unfortunately kept going back to the similarities with the other series, though in this one the Secret Service boyfriend is much more affectionate to the lead (his crime solving girlfriend). If you read both you'll see the overlapping of frenemy co-workers and the best boss in the world, but it was still interesting to read about the historical aspects to the White House landscaping and how each president likes to leave his (or her - just forward thinking) mark.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

White House gardener, Cassandra "Casey" Calhoun, loves her job, but when a simple tree planting goes wrong everything else does too. The tree planting debacle was caused by a missing schematic historical documents go missing from the curator's office, and the gardeners are being blamed. On top of that Casey has been receiving death threats, the President's dog has been digging holes, and the curator is found dead in the garden's with Gordon Sims found face-down in a pond and not breathing. To top that off, the new assistant curator is acting suspicious and living in the basement apartment right under Casey's apartment, Gordon is the prime suspect because his fingerprints are on the murder weapon, and Special Agent Jack Turner isn't acting right. Casey has a lot on her plate.

This series is fun to read, I like the characters, and I think the book is well written. I look forward to more in this series.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this third novel of the 'A White House Gardener Mystery' series, assistant gardener Cassandra 'Casey' Calhoun is shocked to come upon her boss, Gordon Sims in dire straits. To even make matters worse she finds the deceased body of the Curator who had earlier accused Gordon of theft!

As Casey and co-workers anxiously worry over Gordon even more odd occurrences happen. Lawn schematics are stolen, historical documents are missing, Milo, the White House family's dog is busy digging holes around the gardens, and spies galore are on the periphery of everywhere Casey goes. Treasure? Did I mention the treasure???

This book has twists and turns. Romance and suspense tinged with humor runs throughout the storyline. The dialog is witty and credible. The characters, including Milo and the 'twins' are likeable. This series is getting stronger with each book.

A good solid cozy murder mystery to enjoy with a cup of your favorite beverage.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casey Calhoun is one of the head gardeners, a position she is well-prepared for; she is less prepared for her love affair with one of the White House Special Agents. When Casey discovers the Chief Gardener drowning in the koi pond with the dead body of the White House curator nearby, her life becomes very complicated. Casey is sure that her friend is not the murderer, but all evidence points in his direction. She wants to help prove him innocent, but has other problems at the same time: Is there a treasure from the time of Thomas Jefferson buried on the WH Grounds? Is that tied into the murder? Who is the mysterious Nadeem who not only is now working in the White House, but is living in the apartment below her? Who is leaving her messages saying “DIE”? Is the First Lady’s sister involved with the murder? Can she really trust her boyfriend? Can she find the answers and keep the White House grounds in good shape???? -- Read the book to find out.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another "fun" read but not much substance. Casey Calhoun is one of the gardeners at the White House. She gets involved when the curator of the White House historical collection is found murdered and her friend, and senior gardener, Gordon Sims, is accused of the crime. This one was easy to figure out and I certainly hope the real White House has a bit more security than they have in the book. Shady people walking around unescorted, holes being dug in the grounds, and noone notices? It was an OK book but I'm not sure if I would read any more.

[Sandybear76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casey, working in the White House gardens, is in charge of a couple projects on the grounds. One project makes a big splash as the President attempts to plant a few trees, creating an unexpected headline in the press. More trouble comes around and Casey tries to find a killer, a stalker, and a treasure.

[Nora-adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spies, murder, secret treasures of the White house... Casey, Jack and Lorenzo are hot on the trail. You'll be glued to your book until the very end. A must not miss chapter in the White House Gardener Mysteries.


FTC Full Disclosure: I received my copy of this book as a gift from a friend.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series. I wish the writing had been a little tighter. Weird explanations of people's reactions or movements. That said, I love the story and characters. I hope she keeps writing the series. I loved the tie in to history and facts about the White House.

[WinieP · Rating 5 out of 5]

This latest in the White House gardener series is the most enjoyable, as it ties up some loose ends in a very satisfying way. White House history, tips on gardening, and a cozy mystery, are hallmarks of this series, and this exceeded expectations. Enjoyed it so much, I am re-reading it.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy this Whit House gardener series and the peek it offers at life behind the scenes at the President's home. This newest entry also advances some serious back story info. Good fun!

[Deshay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series gets better and better. Loved the historical aspect of this story and think that could be a nice addition to all of the stories in this series.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute :-)

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book I enjoyed but had a hard time getting into it. But once I did I didn't want to set it down.