The Garden Tour Affair: A Gardening Mystery

Gardening Mysteries #4

by Ann Ripley

Ann Ripley's charming and savvy series starring the irrepressible Louise Eldridge has delighted mystery and gardening fans alike--and this time the horticultural expert and reluctant sleuth tangles with a new and even more dangerous plot of quick-growing lies, betrayal, and murder.

What could be more enjoyable for Louise than a weekend in Connecticut with her family, filming a garden tour for her popular television show, Gardening with Nature? The historic Litchfield Falls Inn is idyllic, and the tour will feature the famous Sacred Blood iris.  Everything seems perfect--until, there amid the verbena and love-in-a-mist, Louise finds a rampant overgrowth of the human species.

Among an uneasy group of guests are a pair of unhappy yuppie newlyweds; a fragile, flower-crazy poetess; a widow suspected of murder; a bankrupt heir to the innkeeper's fortune; and the dashing, prominent botanist who developed the controversial Sacred Blood iris.  Most of them have met before, and you can hardly cut the tension with a scythe.  So it doesn't strike Louise as an accident when their gracious, wealthy hostess trips--almost fatally--on a loose stair rod.

Her suspicions take root when, the very next day, a guest falls to his death on nearby Bear Mountain.  Within hours another guest plunges down the inn's picturesque waterfall in an apparent suicide.  Throw in some mysterious bumps in the night and passionate sighs overheard in the hallway, and Louise knows this is no garden-variety gathering.  Here the grapevine whispers of warring lovers, botanical scams, academic scandal, and family finagling.

Is someone playing Grim Reaper in the Litchfield Falls paradise? And how many more guests--including one nosy garden show host--are about to be cut down?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

302 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

A former newspaperwoman, Ann Ripley now spends her time organic-gardening and writing mysteries. She lives with her husband, Tony, in Lyons, Colorado. Her first novel, Mulch, won the Top Hand Award from the Colorado Authors' League. She is now at work on her fifth gardening mystery.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a fun read when gardens are included. Tall & svelte garden show host, Louise Eldridge, along with family and neighbors, sets out to film a garden tour for an upcoming episode while staying at a historical mansion with an impressive lineage. From the very start, mishaps begin. Stairwell tumbles, followed by cliff & waterfall “slips” all seem to be too coincidental, so Louise and posse take it upon themselves to find the common denominator, before it can stop them dead.
Always filled with garden tips and a little lore, it’s one of my favorite cozies.

[Chris Eirschele · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Garden Tour Affair by Ann Ripley takes place away from Louise Eldridge's home near Washington, D.C. Eldridge takes her television show, and her family, on a road trip to Connecticut's historic Litchfield Falls Inn. In hopes to mix family time with work.

Immediately the proprietor of the inn takes a tumble down the stairs, and it does not seem a mere accident. Then two people are murdered along the hiking trails not far from the inn. Readers may need to keep notes to keep track of the cast of characters, and suspects, in this cozy mystery, but it is worth the effort.

Ripley also adds her signature threads of horticultural intrigue, this time with a story of a hybrid iris and it's true ownership. Would an iris be worth killing over?

The book contains a selection of Ripley's nonfiction writing every few chapters, as well.
If you like cozy mysteries you will enjoy The Garden Tour Affair. If you enjoy gardening, you will doubly be easily immersed in the story.

Just a caution, Ripley's books have older copyrights and may be difficult to find in print.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a life-long learner and as a gardener, I thoroughly enjoy these gardening mysteries. This one was a little dated with the positive GMO support, but still I learn so much from the inserts. Louise Eldridge is no fluffy government wife supporting her man's dedication and their youngest daughter's emotional roller coasters bring back my memories with a teenage daughter in the house. Louise's new career as a TV gardening host is a wonderful vehicle for taking the show on the road. In this episode it was only up to Connecticut, but the guests for the garden tour and taping brought plenty of baggage and death with them. And...a few hints for future episodes were left.

[Diane Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Garden Tour Affair by Ann Ripley
Louise is in Connecticut with her family doing a filming at a few gardens for the TV station she hosts.
They are all staying at an old inn with an odd assortment of guests. If you have read any of the other books by Ann Ripley you know Louise always gets involved with solving a murder or two.
The other value of these books besides entertainment, they provide an immense amount of plant information.

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked "The Garden Tour Affair" however, I would not say I couldn't put it down. I would read more of this author but wouldn't go out of my way to do so. Her characters don't have a lot of character in my opinion. I didn't feel like they were people I wish I actually knew. Very easy reading!

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I like gardening and audiobooks; book was available via Hoopla and a perfect way to spend the weekend working in the yard. Not a super thriller, but well done.

[Christina Ellzey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, the characters are well developed and the story lines make sense.

[M Morand · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is very good and I love the flower discussions, but the extra chapters on garden facts were skipped. Also hated the borders. I will try another to see if the plotting continues to be strong.

[Nann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely-written cozy mystery.

[Sallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mystery that's been hanging around for awhile in one of my TBR piles. I think I got this from my county library book sale since it was with others books I got there a few years ago. Not the first of the series, and I always prefer to begin at the beginning, but it's here NOW, so I'm reading it.

Well, it's more of a 2.5 stars, but I upped it because I did like the mystery, but I began to be irritated by the sections on gardening when all I wanted to do was read the mystery part of the book. Granted the author tied them into what was happening, somewhat, in the mystery part, but too soon I was just skipping those sections to finish the mystery itself.

[Badette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really smart!
The plot started out in a nice and smooth introduction. It called out my eagerness plus the garden tips. This is a one of a kind suspense novel. I love the characters. The scenes were unique to the point were you have to focus on some points not to form wrong ideas about how the story would end up. The nerve whacking arguments and investigations make the story bold and strong.

More power to Ann Ripley!

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#4 in the Louise Eldridge series. 1999 entry in the series about an organic gardener with her own TV show.

Louise Eldridge travels with her family to the Litchfield Fall Inn in CT to tape two segments for her gardening show. An attempt on the life of the owner is suspected to be an attempt to hasten inheritance. Accusations of the theft of red iris genes, a tough love ministry, and college exam cheating muddy the motives for two subsequent murders. Louise investigates.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I enjoyed this garden mystery, though found it frustrating in places when obvious clues weren't picked up on. Also, bad production in the audio book, with bad timing, mistakes throughout, questionable pronunciation, which I rarely have experienced in other audio books. ("Books in Motion", never heard before.) 4th in the series."

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author and this cozy mystery plucks at my heart strings with both it's content and gardening themes. The reader is provided with a lot of insightful, interesting information on flowers and gardening while being swept along on sleuthing expedition. A very satisfying read for those disposed to those passions.

[Angie crosby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I disliked this book. I read it only to read it. The plot was boring, the characters not developed. The most interesting part was the bits of flower info throughout and only some of this was interesting. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, fast read with short chapters on gardening information tucked into the story--kind of like Nora Ephron does with food.

[Margo Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - 3 stars. I liked the gardening theme. The plot was good. The language was decent, but not great literature. It is a fun, fast read.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 - Very Good

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good series.
Heroine stars in a gardening show on public television.