What do you think?
Rate this book
Rosewood #1
Thorns of Rosewood
Gloria Larsen knows only three things about her birth mother: she was over forty, she lived in Rosewood, Nebraska, and she was accused of murder in 1974.
When Gloria is offered a job as newspaper editor in the small town, she jumps at the opportunity to discover the identity of her birth mother. Digging into the past, she finds a story of the disappearance of a judge's wife and four friends accused of murder. Gloria tracks the now-elderly women to an assisted-living facility. This is Gloria’s chance to write the story of a lifetime and finally know her heritage. Even if she can't learn the truth of her origins, she must find out what really happened to Naomi Waterman Talbot.
When Gloria is offered a job as newspaper editor in the small town, she jumps at the opportunity to discover the identity of her birth mother. Digging into the past, she finds a story of the disappearance of a judge's wife and four friends accused of murder. Gloria tracks the now-elderly women to an assisted-living facility. This is Gloria’s chance to write the story of a lifetime and finally know her heritage. Even if she can't learn the truth of her origins, she must find out what really happened to Naomi Waterman Talbot.
326 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
427 people are currently reading
2131 people want to read
About the author
Gina Marie Barlean
18 books44 followersG. M. Barlean is a Nebraska author who calls both Omaha and David City her home; city mouse and country mouse, in turn. She is a member of The Nebraska Writers Guild since 2009. She is also a member of The Nebraska Pen Women. The author of cozy mysteries, suspense fiction, collections of essays and even a love story, her latest book is non-fiction and about the people of her heritage and the land from which they came: Czech & Slavic Epic History.
Barlean has a website at ginambarlean.com, and a Facebook page where she shares her life stories with friends and readers.
Barlean has a website at ginambarlean.com, and a Facebook page where she shares her life stories with friends and readers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
January 22, 2015
3 stars!
Every once in a while I do like to mix things up a bit and take a break from romance, and this mystery read piqued my interest with the very first line – Gloria Larsen knows only three things about her birth mother: she was over forty, she lived in Rosewood, Nebraska, and she was accused of murder in 1974. And since I can never pass up a good mystery, I had to read this one.
Overall, I liked this book…and I didn’t. Basically the female lead Gloria is an editor looking for solid material to write a smashing blockbuster and when she hears about four women – dubbed the ‘Thorns of Rosewood’ – who were accused of murdering a judge’s wife but then let go, she’s determined to get the full story. She does have an ulterior motive too – her foster parents also reveal to her that one of those women was her mother.
I didn’t really like or dislike Gloria. Her character alone wasn’t what kept my eyes glued to the pages – I just wanted to know the whole story and relationship dynamic between the four women and the judge’s wife. In regards to that mystery, I was let down, but not because it wasn’t gripping. If anything, the need to find out what happened drove me to flip the pages, but I really had to suspend disbelief in order to somewhat enjoy the story. I especially found it hard to believe that these women who were in their forties were more naïve than I am in my 20s (or maybe I’m too cynical of everything LOL).
It’s hard to explain, but there was a childish feel to this book. Things happened too conveniently (like the four women were just willing to talk to Gloria about the ordeal) and the mystery was like the old ladies version of Pretty Little Liars (4 best friends + that 1 girl who’s a control freak and has to have everything).
However, I chose to give this one 3 stars as it did have my attention and made me flip the pages fast. It wasn’t a book that made a lasting impression on me, but it was a quick, entertaining cozy mystery read.
“...you know what sweetheart? We do have a helluva story. So buckle up. This story may get a little bit weird. But it’s a good one. I promise you that. And when it’s all said and done, you may learn a little something more than you even realized you came for.”
My chica Jahayra kindly gifted me a copy of this book! Thank you ♥
Every once in a while I do like to mix things up a bit and take a break from romance, and this mystery read piqued my interest with the very first line – Gloria Larsen knows only three things about her birth mother: she was over forty, she lived in Rosewood, Nebraska, and she was accused of murder in 1974. And since I can never pass up a good mystery, I had to read this one.
Overall, I liked this book…and I didn’t. Basically the female lead Gloria is an editor looking for solid material to write a smashing blockbuster and when she hears about four women – dubbed the ‘Thorns of Rosewood’ – who were accused of murdering a judge’s wife but then let go, she’s determined to get the full story. She does have an ulterior motive too – her foster parents also reveal to her that one of those women was her mother.
I didn’t really like or dislike Gloria. Her character alone wasn’t what kept my eyes glued to the pages – I just wanted to know the whole story and relationship dynamic between the four women and the judge’s wife. In regards to that mystery, I was let down, but not because it wasn’t gripping. If anything, the need to find out what happened drove me to flip the pages, but I really had to suspend disbelief in order to somewhat enjoy the story. I especially found it hard to believe that these women who were in their forties were more naïve than I am in my 20s (or maybe I’m too cynical of everything LOL).
It’s hard to explain, but there was a childish feel to this book. Things happened too conveniently (like the four women were just willing to talk to Gloria about the ordeal) and the mystery was like the old ladies version of Pretty Little Liars (4 best friends + that 1 girl who’s a control freak and has to have everything).
However, I chose to give this one 3 stars as it did have my attention and made me flip the pages fast. It wasn’t a book that made a lasting impression on me, but it was a quick, entertaining cozy mystery read.
“...you know what sweetheart? We do have a helluva story. So buckle up. This story may get a little bit weird. But it’s a good one. I promise you that. And when it’s all said and done, you may learn a little something more than you even realized you came for.”
My chica Jahayra kindly gifted me a copy of this book! Thank you ♥
January 22, 2015
Review to come.
July 21, 2022
Thorns of Rosewood has been on my TBR for years. I honestly don't remember ever adding it but 2016 was a long time ago. So, yeah, I figured it was time to jump into this. It also probably doesn't hurt that it was on KU either.
Let's just continue the honest train here people, this was just an okay book. I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters throughout this. Especially when it came to the main character. Sure, any kind of murder mystery has the potential to be super appealing. Or maybe that's just me expecting something to excite my boring work meetings.
The mystery sort of left me disappointed. Okay, it really did. There is no sort of. It also didn't help that the characters were horribly naive when it came to certain things. I mean they are older than me and still acted to certain things unexpectedly. One would think they would know and understand it better than myself.
Other than that, I feel like maybe younger me (2016 version of myself) would have appreciated everything a bit more. Since my naivety would have matched with theirs. Probably. Maybe? Not sure. If the next book gets better, or is free on KU, then I might jump into it. If not, then eh - oh well.
Let's just continue the honest train here people, this was just an okay book. I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters throughout this. Especially when it came to the main character. Sure, any kind of murder mystery has the potential to be super appealing. Or maybe that's just me expecting something to excite my boring work meetings.
The mystery sort of left me disappointed. Okay, it really did. There is no sort of. It also didn't help that the characters were horribly naive when it came to certain things. I mean they are older than me and still acted to certain things unexpectedly. One would think they would know and understand it better than myself.
Other than that, I feel like maybe younger me (2016 version of myself) would have appreciated everything a bit more. Since my naivety would have matched with theirs. Probably. Maybe? Not sure. If the next book gets better, or is free on KU, then I might jump into it. If not, then eh - oh well.
February 9, 2023
Such a fun and easy read. I felt like I made a group of new friends. I couldn't wait to start the next book to see what they were up to next!!!
October 19, 2014
From Goodreads:
Gloria Larsen knows only three things about her birth mother: she was over forty, she lived in Rosewood, Nebraska, and she was accused of murder in 1974.
When Gloria is offered a job as newspaper editor in the small town, she jumps at the opportunity to discover the identity of her birth mother. Digging into the past, she finds a story of the disappearance of a judge’s wife and four friends accused of murder. Gloria tracks the now-elderly women to an assisted-living facility. This is Gloria’s chance to write the story of a lifetime and finally know her heritage. Even if she can’t learn the truth of her origins, she must find out what really happened to Naomi Waterman Talbot.
My Thoughts:
As a journalist, this book struck a cord with me IMMEDIATELY! What journalist wouldn’t love a chance to hear a story that no one has ever heard and have a chance to write that story for the world to hear?
This is a wonderful small town murder mystery that has been haunting the town for decades. Instead of ever getting down to the bottom of it, the story was sealed up and the community is left with rumors to spread and pass on through the ages.
The story is told through the past and the present – when the main characters were just girls, to now, when they are Golden Girls….literally. One thing I don’t know about Gloria is how she could ever break her sessions into multiple ones. Once I would have gotten them going, I’m not sure I would have been able to stop and put it on hold for another time. Their story is riveting and very hard to put down and to be honest, hard to figure out. I have a love/hate relationship for books I can’t get :)
I give The Thorns of Rosewood 5 out of 5 bookmarks and I’m seeing that a second book in the series in the works. Woo woo!
Gloria Larsen knows only three things about her birth mother: she was over forty, she lived in Rosewood, Nebraska, and she was accused of murder in 1974.
When Gloria is offered a job as newspaper editor in the small town, she jumps at the opportunity to discover the identity of her birth mother. Digging into the past, she finds a story of the disappearance of a judge’s wife and four friends accused of murder. Gloria tracks the now-elderly women to an assisted-living facility. This is Gloria’s chance to write the story of a lifetime and finally know her heritage. Even if she can’t learn the truth of her origins, she must find out what really happened to Naomi Waterman Talbot.
My Thoughts:
As a journalist, this book struck a cord with me IMMEDIATELY! What journalist wouldn’t love a chance to hear a story that no one has ever heard and have a chance to write that story for the world to hear?
This is a wonderful small town murder mystery that has been haunting the town for decades. Instead of ever getting down to the bottom of it, the story was sealed up and the community is left with rumors to spread and pass on through the ages.
The story is told through the past and the present – when the main characters were just girls, to now, when they are Golden Girls….literally. One thing I don’t know about Gloria is how she could ever break her sessions into multiple ones. Once I would have gotten them going, I’m not sure I would have been able to stop and put it on hold for another time. Their story is riveting and very hard to put down and to be honest, hard to figure out. I have a love/hate relationship for books I can’t get :)
I give The Thorns of Rosewood 5 out of 5 bookmarks and I’m seeing that a second book in the series in the works. Woo woo!
August 18, 2014
This sounded like an interesting read. The idea of four women getting away with murder and having someone write about years later. Gloria finds out that she is adopted and her mother was charged with murder. She takes a job as an editor at the Rosewood paper. Gloria thinks this will be a great way to find out about her birth mother. Gloria looks thru old newspapers to see what murders happened around the time of her birth and finds the story of four women who were suspected in a murder. Gloria believes that one of the four women is her mother'. She finds them in an assisted living home. Gloria decides she is going to write a book about the women. The twist of the story happens at the very end. The author did a great job with the story development. The ending seemed to go one way and the author surprises the reader with an ending you didn't see. Really great story. This was my first time reading this author but it will not be my last. Highly recommend for readers who love mystery.
February 24, 2014
Rosewood sounds like a lovely place – small town, neighborly, and predictable…but wait, there’s more! Add to the mixture a group of BFF’s who live in the same assisted living facility, the essence of murder and mayhem, and an eager newspaper gal who wants to know the whole story. The Thorns of Rosewood are four elderly women who gradually tell their secrets. By the time you’ve sat through one session with them, you won’t be able to put the book down until you know everything that happened.
G.M. Barlean has created realistic characters – you’ve know someone like them at some point in your life. Attention to detail brings the scenes to life, and pretty soon you’ll consider yourself a Rosewood resident. This is a delightful glimpse into lifelong friendships, charismatic old women, and the frustrations of small community hierarchy, but it’s also a mystery with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end.
G.M. Barlean has created realistic characters – you’ve know someone like them at some point in your life. Attention to detail brings the scenes to life, and pretty soon you’ll consider yourself a Rosewood resident. This is a delightful glimpse into lifelong friendships, charismatic old women, and the frustrations of small community hierarchy, but it’s also a mystery with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end.
March 30, 2014
Riveting small town mystery written with wit, tension, twists and amazing style. Gloria Larsen is Rosewood’s newspaper editor…and she’s out to solve a 50 year murder mystery. Naomi Talbot is the villain in this tale, and just like Barlean’s other books, she’s a doozy. You can’t help but hate her as she goes about destroying so many lives. When she goes missing in 1974, four friends are accused of murdering her and hiding her body—women who have hated Naomi since high school. But proof is never found and they move away from the gossip and rumors that plague small towns. Now Gloria Larsen is determined to discover the truth from the ‘Thorns,’ who all happen to live in the same retirement home. She also hopes that by interviewing each of them, they may reveal which of them is her birth mom. The 4 Thorns are unique characters who tell a good story as they weave the past into a spellbinding tale for Gloria’s future book. I loved this story!
August 22, 2017
A quick read, pretty well written.
February 24, 2014
Gina Barlean has done it again. She has a gift of creating characters you cannot help but care deeply about or wish to see retribution rained down upon their heads tenfold.
Rosewood, Nebraska is the quintessential small Midwestern town complete down to the the old men's table at the local eatery to the nosy old neighbor determined to set up single editor of the local newspaper, Gloria, with her erstwhile grandson. But Gloria has other pressing matters on her mind than romance.
Searching through the old papers, Gloria finds a story that rocked the small town decades ago. A crime never solved with suspects tried in the court of public opinion. For unknown reasons, the story pulls at her until she decides to investigate for herself the story behind the Thorns of Rosewood. Did the group of now elderly women murder the high society Naomi Waterman Talbot, a ruthless social climber whose ambition and vindictiveness that knew no bounds, all those years ago? After years of silence, the infamous four agree to tell their story to Gloria.
The Thorns' story will resonate with anyone who has dealt with overinflated egos and cruelty that power can create whether in small town America or the boardrooms of Chicago. This story is a page turner which sends you from laughter to gut wrenching rage with a turn of the page. Thank you, Ms. Barlean, for the emotional ride.
Rosewood, Nebraska is the quintessential small Midwestern town complete down to the the old men's table at the local eatery to the nosy old neighbor determined to set up single editor of the local newspaper, Gloria, with her erstwhile grandson. But Gloria has other pressing matters on her mind than romance.
Searching through the old papers, Gloria finds a story that rocked the small town decades ago. A crime never solved with suspects tried in the court of public opinion. For unknown reasons, the story pulls at her until she decides to investigate for herself the story behind the Thorns of Rosewood. Did the group of now elderly women murder the high society Naomi Waterman Talbot, a ruthless social climber whose ambition and vindictiveness that knew no bounds, all those years ago? After years of silence, the infamous four agree to tell their story to Gloria.
The Thorns' story will resonate with anyone who has dealt with overinflated egos and cruelty that power can create whether in small town America or the boardrooms of Chicago. This story is a page turner which sends you from laughter to gut wrenching rage with a turn of the page. Thank you, Ms. Barlean, for the emotional ride.
October 5, 2015
Got this on a whim and REALLY GLAD I did! Very nicely written! Transitions between time periods extremely smooth, effortless and easy to keep up with! Characters so well drafted they feel like the women you already know! Even though I figured out the "mystery" early on it was an enjoyable journey to get there in the authors own telling. I liked this enough to read the next in the series if it's in my price range.
February 24, 2014
The author set the hook early and kept me on the line. Pulled me in one direction and then another while I tried to solve the mystery. I loved the characters. I hated one with a passion, and that's good. I love a wicked, evil character. The setting in a small town made for a story that would be gobbled up in a city and the mystique lost. I read the book through because I had to know.
February 25, 2014
Ms. Barlean has done it again! As with her other books, this book will keep a reader's interest from the first page clear through to the last page! As I was reading it, I became so enthralled with the story that I felt like I knew these ladies. I will be purchasing several copies for familiy members and I am looking forward to the next book in this series!
September 28, 2015
Think Gone Girl meets Fried Green Tomatoes. The "Amazing" Naomi is the most hated, evil, sociopathic villainess since Amy Dunne. I like the way the story is told as a series of renaissances by a group of older women. I think it would actually make a great movie. Very suspenseful.
June 28, 2014
Enjoyed immensely
I really enjoyed this book. I think it would make a very fun movie. Looking forward to a sequel soon.
I really enjoyed this book. I think it would make a very fun movie. Looking forward to a sequel soon.
June 4, 2014
I really enjoyed this book it was a fast read (maybe cause I did not want to put it down)and a well written story.
September 12, 2014
Quick read, excited for the next one (sequel?).
August 30, 2014
An interesting and entertaining book--many twists and turns
September 25, 2015
I always enjoy a mystery that is a little different. This was a fun one.
July 30, 2014
Nice refreshing mystery.
March 17, 2020
I enjoyed this book for the most part. I liked the plot, although I couldn't understand why it took four years for Gloria to get working seriously on the story of Naomi's disappearance and the role of the Thorns in it. The writing, however, was unsophisticated and could have been tightened up. It took the author a while to get to the interesting part of the story, as I indicated previously. Also the author used the same phrases over and over again, such as people slapping faces and grabbing arms. I hope in the next books the author came up with more varied actions. Finally, I liked it when Ms. Barlean said in every community there are one or two women who abuse power. I live in a neighborhood of 65 homes in a lake community. Yes, we do have our Naomi character and even in our relatively small community, we do have our drama too! Ms. Barlean does seem to know human character well.
November 17, 2017
The Thorn in Their Sides!
Gloria Larson, Editor of the Rosewood newspaper read the 1974 headline "Thorns of Rosewood Go Free". The wife of a prominent judge, and who was from a wealthy family, came into some foul play and now is a missing-person case.
Gloria wondered if one of the 4 women accused in this case, was her birth mother. Gloria felt the need to pursue her search of finding her real parent's against the wished of the family that adopted her.
A mystery story of an adopted child's search that led to Rosewood and her fears. Did Gloria continue her chase once she met these women? Did her search end because of the need to concentrate on getting a headline story from these four women? Interesting read that keeps you guessing to the end.
Gloria Larson, Editor of the Rosewood newspaper read the 1974 headline "Thorns of Rosewood Go Free". The wife of a prominent judge, and who was from a wealthy family, came into some foul play and now is a missing-person case.
Gloria wondered if one of the 4 women accused in this case, was her birth mother. Gloria felt the need to pursue her search of finding her real parent's against the wished of the family that adopted her.
A mystery story of an adopted child's search that led to Rosewood and her fears. Did Gloria continue her chase once she met these women? Did her search end because of the need to concentrate on getting a headline story from these four women? Interesting read that keeps you guessing to the end.
June 9, 2017
Gloria Larsen knows only three things about her birth mother: she was over forty, she lived in Rosewood, Nebraska, and she was accused of murder in 1974.
Who could put a book down after an opening line like that? And it only gets better from there. This one had it all - characters you cared about (for good and for ill), a clean plot, easy transitions between time periods, and a twist or two to keep you guessing. I couldn't put it down until I found out what really happened in 1974. A big "recommend"!!
Who could put a book down after an opening line like that? And it only gets better from there. This one had it all - characters you cared about (for good and for ill), a clean plot, easy transitions between time periods, and a twist or two to keep you guessing. I couldn't put it down until I found out what really happened in 1974. A big "recommend"!!
May 31, 2018
I found this highly entertaining and a joy to read. The characters were well drawn and held my interest. Normally, flipping back and forth between different view points is a conceit that I find distracting, but in this case it worked for me. The story lent itself to that narrative view, and drew me into the world of the characters. I would definitely consider reading books by this author again.
May 10, 2018
Surprised
Read in in one day. Interesting never gets dull. Each character is a interesting part of the story. A story of strong vengeance, laughter. Faithful friendship. Courage and perseverance. And just because you think after a couple chapters you know what's going on. Think again. Read and enjoy. Well written. Clean. Looking forward to reading more.
Read in in one day. Interesting never gets dull. Each character is a interesting part of the story. A story of strong vengeance, laughter. Faithful friendship. Courage and perseverance. And just because you think after a couple chapters you know what's going on. Think again. Read and enjoy. Well written. Clean. Looking forward to reading more.
May 27, 2018
Kindle.
It kept me interested, I always read on my kindle, it is so easy to pick it up and open and I am ready to read. I read all three one after the other.
These books were good in many ways, but I was so happy that,,,no sex in it and it did not need any, I really liked them.
It kept me interested, I always read on my kindle, it is so easy to pick it up and open and I am ready to read. I read all three one after the other.
These books were good in many ways, but I was so happy that,,,no sex in it and it did not need any, I really liked them.
May 21, 2020
Research
Research for a book. How to do? I found it very interesting how Gloria started with the newspaper article. Then interviewed the people in the articles. The next step was to interview the local population about what they remembered. Then put it together in a book. Made a good read.
Research for a book. How to do? I found it very interesting how Gloria started with the newspaper article. Then interviewed the people in the articles. The next step was to interview the local population about what they remembered. Then put it together in a book. Made a good read.
April 26, 2021
Awesome read!
I must admit this is one of the strangest and best books I have ever read. Would have never thought the end would be as it was but was so well written that it kept me coming back for more. Don’t let the first few pages make you stop reading because if you do you will miss out on one of the best.
I must admit this is one of the strangest and best books I have ever read. Would have never thought the end would be as it was but was so well written that it kept me coming back for more. Don’t let the first few pages make you stop reading because if you do you will miss out on one of the best.
August 20, 2017
Read
It might not be everyone's read, but this the first book I in a long time I had trouble putting down. Even though I was right about the who, and wished I knew the second who.
It might not be everyone's read, but this the first book I in a long time I had trouble putting down. Even though I was right about the who, and wished I knew the second who.
August 25, 2017
Loved it !
Just the right amount of mystery and intrigue. This book made me cry, but it also made me so angry at times I just wanted to reach into the book and slap Naomi and Doug a few times . This was a really good read. I'm looking for the next one now.
Just the right amount of mystery and intrigue. This book made me cry, but it also made me so angry at times I just wanted to reach into the book and slap Naomi and Doug a few times . This was a really good read. I'm looking for the next one now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews