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Dirty Business Mystery #1
Pushing Up Daisies
Meet Paula Holliday, a transplanted media exec who trades her stilettos for garden clogs when she makes the move from the big city to the suburbs to start a gardening business. Paula can handle deer, slugs, and the occasional human pest---but she’s not prepared for the mummified body she finds while restoring the gardens at Halcyon, a local landmark.
Casual snooping turns serious when a body is impaled on a garden tool and one of Paula’s friends is arrested for the crime.
Aided by the still-hot aging rocker who owns the neighborhood greasy spoon, a wise-cracking former colleague, and a sexy Mexican laborer with a few secrets of his own, Paula digs for the truth and unearths more dirty business the town has kept buried for years.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 5, 2008
62 people are currently reading
1150 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Harris
18 books56 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
ROSEMARY HARRIS has worked in marketing for Crown Publishers and American Express Travel Related Services and as a producer for Disney/ABC and WNET. She lives in New York City and Connecticut.
Series:
* Dirty Business Mystery
ROSEMARY HARRIS has worked in marketing for Crown Publishers and American Express Travel Related Services and as a producer for Disney/ABC and WNET. She lives in New York City and Connecticut.
Series:
* Dirty Business Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
August 29, 2013
Actually a 1 1/2 star would be appropriate. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't quite okay. I had a really hard time getting into this book. I even stopped and reread the first 4 chapters just to see if I missed something.
The good: the book follows a set direction, the mystery and the conclusion aren't bad.
The not so good: the characters were really lacking in personality. I didn't care one way or another about any of them. Which made keeping track of who was who Extremely difficult!!
There were a few sophomoric sexual innuendo attempts at humor that fell flat.
I have to add that I read the Kindle version and the formatting was quite distracting also. Lots of spa ces in bet ween words and str-ange hypens. I actually started using the underline feature for the first time and underlined some of the poorly formatted words -- came up with 70.
I was looking forward to reading so this was a big disappointed.
The good: the book follows a set direction, the mystery and the conclusion aren't bad.
The not so good: the characters were really lacking in personality. I didn't care one way or another about any of them. Which made keeping track of who was who Extremely difficult!!
There were a few sophomoric sexual innuendo attempts at humor that fell flat.
I have to add that I read the Kindle version and the formatting was quite distracting also. Lots of spa ces in bet ween words and str-ange hypens. I actually started using the underline feature for the first time and underlined some of the poorly formatted words -- came up with 70.
I was looking forward to reading so this was a big disappointed.
June 9, 2017
I loathe the main character. Mysteries are meh. Better than some but not worth reading.
October 20, 2009
UGH! UGH! UGH!
While this book had an interesting plot line, the characters NEVER engaged me (I found most of them tedious and boring) and most of the dialogue I felt was unnecessary. The characters never felt believable to me and I just could NOT wait for this book to be done.
Will NOT be reading ANY more in this series.
UGH!!
May 13, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up. I actually thought that for a cozy, this was a smart, thought-out mystery with vibrant and fun characters. I would have given it a 4-star rating except that the main sleuth got on my nerves with her arrogance. I love books with arrogant characters that have humble moments, and those were few in this book. Still, a good mystery with great secondary characters and s great ending. It was a solid cozy mystery for me.
March 18, 2018
Good, dirty fun! And by dirty, I mean actual dirt, because it's a cozy mystery about a gardener--so it's almost like it was written just for me.
Seriously. Super fun and engaging. Just what I needed during one of the worst cold's I've ever had!
Seriously. Super fun and engaging. Just what I needed during one of the worst cold's I've ever had!
May 17, 2011
Paula Holliday has left the tv production industry in the big city to build a nursery/landscaping business in the suburbs. She's got the energy and the artistic eye to pull off pleasing garden design, so it should be way less stressful/far more fulfilling, than her former life, right? Well...the first big job she lands...the first day on her tour of the property as a matter of fact, she discovers a buried box, which, appallingly enough, contains the mummified body of an infant child!
She is horrified, followed by nauseated, and is immediately immersed in a perplexing 30 to 40 year old mystery of just who, and whose, this child was. Amazingly, she retains the job to refurbish the formal gardens of the eccentric Peacock sisters, both of whom have passed away. The stately home and it's gardens have been left to the Historical Society and the hope is that the updated gardens will attract donations to Springfield Connecticut's Historical Society. Richard Stapley, the Historical Society's president has hired Paula to get the rundown site ready for a society fundraiser to be held in a couple of months.
Paula's environment is peopled with several unique characters including some of her Mexican employees, other small business owners, several police officials, and the genteel upper crust of Springfield's society. As if one mysterious death is not enough, one of Paula's employees is surprised by an intruder in Paula's home, Paula is locked in the greenhouse at Halcyon gardens overnight by an unknown individual, and one of her landscape business competitors is attacked and left for dead in his office. There is a lot going on in sedate little Springfield, and before long her New York buddy and former co-worker Lucy Cavanaugh is joining Paula on weekends to prune and plant, and oh by the way, help get to the bottom of the various mysteries.
The dialog is clever and witty, and Rosemary Harris does a good job of weaving the mysteries together, leading us along the path to a satisfying conclusion.
Cleverly, the first chapter of the next book in the series is included for good measure. A fast and enjoyable ride...check it out!
She is horrified, followed by nauseated, and is immediately immersed in a perplexing 30 to 40 year old mystery of just who, and whose, this child was. Amazingly, she retains the job to refurbish the formal gardens of the eccentric Peacock sisters, both of whom have passed away. The stately home and it's gardens have been left to the Historical Society and the hope is that the updated gardens will attract donations to Springfield Connecticut's Historical Society. Richard Stapley, the Historical Society's president has hired Paula to get the rundown site ready for a society fundraiser to be held in a couple of months.
Paula's environment is peopled with several unique characters including some of her Mexican employees, other small business owners, several police officials, and the genteel upper crust of Springfield's society. As if one mysterious death is not enough, one of Paula's employees is surprised by an intruder in Paula's home, Paula is locked in the greenhouse at Halcyon gardens overnight by an unknown individual, and one of her landscape business competitors is attacked and left for dead in his office. There is a lot going on in sedate little Springfield, and before long her New York buddy and former co-worker Lucy Cavanaugh is joining Paula on weekends to prune and plant, and oh by the way, help get to the bottom of the various mysteries.
The dialog is clever and witty, and Rosemary Harris does a good job of weaving the mysteries together, leading us along the path to a satisfying conclusion.
Cleverly, the first chapter of the next book in the series is included for good measure. A fast and enjoyable ride...check it out!
March 11, 2008
This is the first in a new gardening series and as a first book, has strong and weak points. I loved the characters and dialog. Some very funny moments as well.
The protag is Paula, who is a gardener who bids to restore the gardens of Halycon, after the oldest sister dies. While digging, she uncovers a box with the body of a baby long dead in it. This leads to old secrets and some ugly moments for Paula.
I thought the plot needed a bit of cohension and was tied up a bit too fast. Maybe a little stronger editing. Particularly in the killer's motivation. But as I said, this is a first book, and I imagine the next one will be stronger.
The protag is Paula, who is a gardener who bids to restore the gardens of Halycon, after the oldest sister dies. While digging, she uncovers a box with the body of a baby long dead in it. This leads to old secrets and some ugly moments for Paula.
I thought the plot needed a bit of cohension and was tied up a bit too fast. Maybe a little stronger editing. Particularly in the killer's motivation. But as I said, this is a first book, and I imagine the next one will be stronger.
July 21, 2013
Cozy mysteries are a great way to change up from serious or deep or depressing or sad books. Or just for a fun, light read to spend a relaxing few hours. Unfortunately, they often move too much in the direction of silly and over the top. This one didn't go there. The author created an interesting character with an interesting job and there were a couple of chuckles along the way too. I'll be reading more of these.
February 20, 2009
This was pretty good. It's her first mystery and I enjoyed it but thought it dragged a little bit in places. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a light mystery with no gore and minimal sexual tension.
July 15, 2010
Pretty good cozy mystery. Not the tightest plot there ever was, but great characters and a fun feel. I even enjoyed all the gardening tidbits. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
December 4, 2010
Nice little garden mystery set in the northeast. The main character is a gardener who turns up a mystery while spading away at a new job. Fun characters - nice light read.
December 11, 2021
Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris is the first book of the Dirty Business cozy mystery series set in contemporary Connecticut. This cozy follows a very familiar 'recipe': a female protagonist leaves a big-city high-stress job, and failed romantic relationship, to live in a small town and work with her hands. Oh, and by the way solve a murder, sparking a new relationship with the local homicide detective. This cozy's 'new career' recipe ingredient is not craft, food or innkeeping...it's landscape gardening.
Paula Holliday was a filmmaker in New York City. Her live-in romance fizzled. So she takes up professional landscaping and gardening in Connecticut. She easily lands her first job: to restore the once-famous (but now neglected) grounds of an historic mansion. She just happens to have connections to hire a talented crew of workers. They're off to a flying start, until she digs up a body.
Plenty of side plots, red herrings and genuine clues. A handsome 'gardener' turns out to be a wealthy and influential man; a smarmy creep gets killed. An honest, hard-working man is arrested on circumstantial evidence. Paula and the homicide detective spar; she disagrees with his conclusions and disregards his orders. Paula must research the history of not only the mansion's former residents, but their neighbors as well, to finally understand both murders. When attacked by the killer, Paula calls upon her self-defense training (first mention of that!)...but it isn't quite enough. Luckily, the detective shows up at exactly the right moment.
What I liked best: the fascinating information about the plants Paula works with and researches.
Paula Holliday was a filmmaker in New York City. Her live-in romance fizzled. So she takes up professional landscaping and gardening in Connecticut. She easily lands her first job: to restore the once-famous (but now neglected) grounds of an historic mansion. She just happens to have connections to hire a talented crew of workers. They're off to a flying start, until she digs up a body.
Plenty of side plots, red herrings and genuine clues. A handsome 'gardener' turns out to be a wealthy and influential man; a smarmy creep gets killed. An honest, hard-working man is arrested on circumstantial evidence. Paula and the homicide detective spar; she disagrees with his conclusions and disregards his orders. Paula must research the history of not only the mansion's former residents, but their neighbors as well, to finally understand both murders. When attacked by the killer, Paula calls upon her self-defense training (first mention of that!)...but it isn't quite enough. Luckily, the detective shows up at exactly the right moment.
What I liked best: the fascinating information about the plants Paula works with and researches.
June 2, 2021
Paula Holliday eine Frau die nicht auf den Mund gefallen ist, alles am liebsten fettarm zu sich nimmt und ein Fitness Ass ist, hat ihre Karriere als Dokumentarfilmerin an den Nagel gehängt um sich eine Gartenbaufirma in ihren Lieblings Erholungsort Springfield aufzubauen. Doch als Neuling im Ort ist es nicht gerade einfach lukrative Angebote zu erhalten.
Im Paradies Dinner hat Paula eine gute Freundin gefunden, die Besitzerin und ehemaliger Chorsängerin einer mittelmäßigen Metall Band, Babe Chinnery.
Tatkräftige Unterstützung erhält Paula auch von ihrer Putzfrau Anna Peña, die nur hautenge Leggings trägt und auf permanent Make-up schwört.
Als Paula von Babe erfährt, dass das Historical Society eine Gärtnerin für das alte Anwesen der verstorben Peacock Schwestern sucht, lässt sich das Paula nicht zweimal sagen. Gesagt getan und nicht zu fassen, sie hat den Job.
Rann ans Werk und los gebuddelt.
Blöd nur, wenn man gleich am ersten Tag eine mumifizierte Babyleiche entdeckt.
Dieser Krimi ist einfach nur umwerfend. Ich musste selten so viel kichern, wie bei diesem Buch.
Die Protagonisten sind alle etwas übertrieben, was wunderbar zum lustigen Erzählstil der Autorin passt.
Die Spannung baut sich erst langsam auf, doch dann konnte ich gar nicht mehr aufhören zu lesen.
Manchmal habe ich mir nur etwas schwer getan mit den vielen Namen.
Ich freue mich schon auf Band 2. Hoffentlich wird der genauso amüsant und spannend.
Wer humorvolle Krimis mag dem kann ich dieses Buch nur ans Herz legen.
Im Paradies Dinner hat Paula eine gute Freundin gefunden, die Besitzerin und ehemaliger Chorsängerin einer mittelmäßigen Metall Band, Babe Chinnery.
Tatkräftige Unterstützung erhält Paula auch von ihrer Putzfrau Anna Peña, die nur hautenge Leggings trägt und auf permanent Make-up schwört.
Als Paula von Babe erfährt, dass das Historical Society eine Gärtnerin für das alte Anwesen der verstorben Peacock Schwestern sucht, lässt sich das Paula nicht zweimal sagen. Gesagt getan und nicht zu fassen, sie hat den Job.
Rann ans Werk und los gebuddelt.
Blöd nur, wenn man gleich am ersten Tag eine mumifizierte Babyleiche entdeckt.
Dieser Krimi ist einfach nur umwerfend. Ich musste selten so viel kichern, wie bei diesem Buch.
Die Protagonisten sind alle etwas übertrieben, was wunderbar zum lustigen Erzählstil der Autorin passt.
Die Spannung baut sich erst langsam auf, doch dann konnte ich gar nicht mehr aufhören zu lesen.
Manchmal habe ich mir nur etwas schwer getan mit den vielen Namen.
Ich freue mich schon auf Band 2. Hoffentlich wird der genauso amüsant und spannend.
Wer humorvolle Krimis mag dem kann ich dieses Buch nur ans Herz legen.
February 12, 2022
This is the first book in a series. If you like cozy type mysteries with a bit of gardening thrown in, this might be a series you want to consider.
In this book, Paula Holliday used to be a media exec but has recently decided that she would much prefer moving out of the city to the suburbs. Here she’s started her own gardening business. She doesn’t mind the pesky bugs or other creepy crawlies. She can even deal with annoying people but when she finds a mummified body while she is restoring gardens at Halcyon, a local landmark, she isn't quite sure how to react.
She starts doing a little snooping here and there and soon a body is impaled on a garden tool and one of Paula’s helpers is arrested for it. With the help of the owner from the neighborhood greasy spoon, a former colleague, and a Mexican laborer who is harboring some secrets, Paula digs for the truth and boy does she find some deeply hidden secrets.
This book was alright. I thought it was a little slow with the actual mystery bits. It seemed like sometimes it just wasn’t going anywhere but you did get to know the characters well. When the story picked up it was good but I found myself putting the book down and not getting an overwhelming urge to pick it up. I still wanted to know what happened, I just didn’t need to know very quickly.
Still, if you like gardening and mysteries you may just find that this is the perfect series starter for you so I recommend it if that fits you or if you are just curious to see what this book is all about and how it pans out in the end.
In this book, Paula Holliday used to be a media exec but has recently decided that she would much prefer moving out of the city to the suburbs. Here she’s started her own gardening business. She doesn’t mind the pesky bugs or other creepy crawlies. She can even deal with annoying people but when she finds a mummified body while she is restoring gardens at Halcyon, a local landmark, she isn't quite sure how to react.
She starts doing a little snooping here and there and soon a body is impaled on a garden tool and one of Paula’s helpers is arrested for it. With the help of the owner from the neighborhood greasy spoon, a former colleague, and a Mexican laborer who is harboring some secrets, Paula digs for the truth and boy does she find some deeply hidden secrets.
This book was alright. I thought it was a little slow with the actual mystery bits. It seemed like sometimes it just wasn’t going anywhere but you did get to know the characters well. When the story picked up it was good but I found myself putting the book down and not getting an overwhelming urge to pick it up. I still wanted to know what happened, I just didn’t need to know very quickly.
Still, if you like gardening and mysteries you may just find that this is the perfect series starter for you so I recommend it if that fits you or if you are just curious to see what this book is all about and how it pans out in the end.
September 21, 2018
First in the Dirty Business series.
Paula used to work as a media exec in the big city, but downsizing gave her the opportunity to start her own landscaping/gardening business. Her business isn't large, and she is surprised as anyone else when she manages to land a huge landscaping project; restoring the gardens as Halcyon, a local landmark where the most recent resident, one of the elderly Peacock sisters, recently passed.
While doing a little digging, thinking about how to lay out the gardens, Paula digs up the mummified body of a baby! But that's just the first mystery. Another murder follows, Paula feels threatened, and vows to figure the whole thing out.
I liked the book just fine; as a first in series there is a lot of character development going on. As a breath of fresh air, the policeman is neither incompetent or drop dead gorgeous. Some of the gardening talk made my eyes glaze over, but all in all it was an enjoyable read. The mystery got a bit convoluted in the end but it made sense. Rosemary Harris was leading us down a path and then wham, it wasn't what we thought after all. Nice.
I will seek out the next in the series.
Paula used to work as a media exec in the big city, but downsizing gave her the opportunity to start her own landscaping/gardening business. Her business isn't large, and she is surprised as anyone else when she manages to land a huge landscaping project; restoring the gardens as Halcyon, a local landmark where the most recent resident, one of the elderly Peacock sisters, recently passed.
While doing a little digging, thinking about how to lay out the gardens, Paula digs up the mummified body of a baby! But that's just the first mystery. Another murder follows, Paula feels threatened, and vows to figure the whole thing out.
I liked the book just fine; as a first in series there is a lot of character development going on. As a breath of fresh air, the policeman is neither incompetent or drop dead gorgeous. Some of the gardening talk made my eyes glaze over, but all in all it was an enjoyable read. The mystery got a bit convoluted in the end but it made sense. Rosemary Harris was leading us down a path and then wham, it wasn't what we thought after all. Nice.
I will seek out the next in the series.
July 28, 2019
I really loved this debut and would give it 4.5stars rather than just 5. It was an engaging, quirky and fun mystery. I really liked the cast of characters, some of which are particularly funny and really bring the story to life. Paula Holliday is a fantastic leading lady. A gardener and amateur detective of sorts, she isn't afraid to get hands dirty, both figuratively and literally. Lucy, Babe and Mike are my other favorite characters and I can't wait to read more about them. I didn't know what to expect when I first picked up the book, but I was excited to try out a new-to-me series and I was not disappointed. The gardening information was interesting and added to the story, without droning on and on which can sometimes happen with cozies. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozies or is looking to try the genre out.
July 18, 2020
I really wanted to love this book. The characters were good. Paula is a great amateur sleuth - a former television writer turned gardener, she's smart, peppy and just annoying enough to make people want to stop her. All the supporting players were fleshed out enough for a first novel. The mystery itself was pretty decent. When Paula digs up the body of a baby in the garden of reclusive sisters, someone should know who that baby belonged to. The problem was solving the mystery didn't really hold my attention. I would read a chapter and my mind would wander. I'm not sure why that was. I think the non-existent romances that friends kept pushing on Paula got in the way. I also think there were too many critical characters who didn't really move the plot along. I'm glad I finally read it.
November 17, 2017
Pushing up Daisies by Rosemary Harris is a mildly interesting mystery featuring Paula Holliday, a master gardener who seems to fall into mysteries on a regular basis. This is the first in a series entitled A Dirty Business Mystery, in which Paula solves mysteries while working on garden repair and renovation. In this outing, Paula is restoring the gardens at a well known landmark estate when she digs up the body of an infant. By the end of the book, several mysteries are solved and the reader may also pick up on a few gardening tips.
April 11, 2020
A good start to a new series, nothing particularly new or exciting though. Single woman who is constantly finding dead people - check. Love triangle, hopefully temporary. Typical alleged small town with all kinds of kooky characters and every possible business under the sun - you betcha. Just once I'd like to read about a small town where the MC has to drive 45 minutes to another town to buy potting soil or milk or an evening gown.
April 26, 2020
Gardening can be extremely rewarding, but not if you dig up a body. Paula has a small landscaping business and when she lands the job renovating the very large Halcyon garden she is thrilled. That feeling abruptly fades as she becomes involved with investigating the mystery of the buried baby, a missing young woman, and the attack on a fellow landscaper. Fans of gardens and gardening will be attracted to this cozy mystery series set in New England.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2018
I have been looking through tea cozies by various authors, M. C. Beaton, being my all time favorite. Rosemary Harris was suggested. It wasn't my type. Although written well, I found it was stuffed with too many distractions and minutiae that took the reader away from the real story. I lost interest about 1/3 through and just skimmed it to see if I pegged the murderer. Wouldn't recommend.
March 10, 2020
I loved this start to a new series. What's not to love great characters from Paula to her friends Babe, and Lucy to all the other smaller characters in the book. I loved hearing the different mysteries and even though I had guessed who was who in all the mysteries before the end I loved the twists and turns. I think this will be a great series that I am going to love to read.
April 11, 2025
Paula Holiday leaves the media world to own her own gardening business in a small town. She is fortunate to get a large job, revitalizing the garden of an estate. On her first day, Paula discovers the bones of a baby in the soil. She is intriuged and becomes an amateur sleuth. Fun, quirky characters and garden advice make this a clever novel. Plot moves quickly and is an enjoyable read.
June 23, 2017
Utterly believable
A nice mystery, and the characters all act in a consistent, believable manner. It's nice to see a story that doesn't cave in to overdone Hollywood tropes like a cop that decides getting the bad guy is reason enough to repeatedly break the law.
A nice mystery, and the characters all act in a consistent, believable manner. It's nice to see a story that doesn't cave in to overdone Hollywood tropes like a cop that decides getting the bad guy is reason enough to repeatedly break the law.
July 13, 2017
Has a lot going on, but that adds to interest of investigation. Pretty good overall, although mc a little confusing. Frequently referred to as health nut while contrastingly shown eating mainly junk... 3*
February 22, 2018
The mystery was okay. impossible to guess along at times but it had good twists and satisfying solutions. However, there was a very strong focus on the gardening and the main character was a tad bit annoying as she kept going on about her food and exercise habits.
September 29, 2019
Cozy mystery- yes, potential for amazing story line - yes... I enjoyed the novel, very quick read but it was not as pulled together as I would have hoped. Would recommend for those Murder, She Wrote fans. 😜
April 24, 2020
3.5*
A decent cozy mystery. I wonder if the author has ever really been short of money though - her main character Paula is supposedly barely making ends meet but she can afford massages & manicures?
A decent cozy mystery. I wonder if the author has ever really been short of money though - her main character Paula is supposedly barely making ends meet but she can afford massages & manicures?
July 30, 2024
This wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read but it wasn’t the best either. It has a good plot line, but the plot is not executed in a way that makes this book interesting to read. Overall, I thought this book was kind of boring and drug out.
October 26, 2017
Very well written, this is a light mystery. The characters are fairly well-developed and the situations are mostly believable. A fun read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews