Betrayal in the Butterfly Garden

Nevermore Gardens Cozy #2

by Karen Sue Walker

She came to tend the gardens. She stayed to solve a murder.

Most people walk through a garden and see flowers. I hear the low hum of contentment from a well-pruned shrub and a pulse of distress from an oak tree whose roots have been disturbed. My neighbor thinks I'm simply intuitive. He has no idea.

When his butterfly garden is raided overnight and the rare eggs he's been protecting disappear with the plants, I start listening harder. Then someone dies, and the garden stops humming altogether. Every clue points somewhere the police refuse to look. And the raven who's been circling the overhead might know more than he can tell.

The canyon has its own way of telling the truth. I only have to trust what I'm hearing. Even the part about my missing husband that no one wants me to believe.

Betrayal in the Butterfly Garden, is a cozy mystery with light magical realism featuring a connection to the natural world and a mystery inside a mystery.

Grab your copy today.

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2026

About the author

Karen Sue Walker is a lover of cozy mysteries, from Agatha Christie to Joanne Fluke. When not working or writing, she spends time with her very talented daughter and ever so fun granddaughter.

Reviews

[Javon50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone stole his Canyon jewelweed plants, eggs and all. All he wanted was to assure that with this plant and with the eggs laid perfectly across the leaves, he now has a chance to see the illusive butterfly that has been seen by very few people. When her neighbor asked Laurel Elloway for help in finding the thief, she reluctantly agrees. Not knowing who would steal the plant but with several members of the garden club hearing about the plant it could be anyone. The last time Laurel investigated a mystery she almost got killed. This time, she will be more careful. A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[JACKIE K]

This is the second book in the new series featuring Laurel Elloway, who has found a temporary home on the estate of Dr. Walter P. Moss, assessing the neglected gardens and formulating a plan for restoration. She is still mourning her husband, but deep down she believes he is alive. After previously solving a long ago murder on the estate in the first book, she is looking forward to enjoying some time walking the paths and using her intuitive gift to determine how best to restore the variety of flora present on the grounds. When a neighbor has some unique and valuable plants stolen, Laurel finds herself involved in the search for the eggs of the legendary Whispering Blue Sylph butterfly, once thought to be extinct. Is someone in the local garden club responsible and just how far would they be willing to go to obtain such a priceless specimen?

I am enjoying the beautiful setting, the exotic foliage and greenery, the mysterious canyon, the interesting and diverse characters and the search the rare butterfly eggs. Laurel’s continuing uncertainty regarding her missing and presumed dead husband is an intriguing subplot and I’m hoping she learns more. Laurel needs to find a stable job and place to live, and the temporary nature of her present position is unsettling. Will she find a job, a place to live or the truth about her husband? No spoilers from me, but Laurel will find some answers. I received an ARC from the author and I am pleased to submit this honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating study of how we must allow time to mourn our losses while also moving forward to our future.

The MC continues to come to terms with her past and is building a rewarding life that allows use of her abilities in ways previously denied her.

The following quote from the book was particularly insightful and compelling.
“He’d spent his last years pining for a life he’d already lost, when he could have been building a new one. The plants would have told him, if he’d known how to listen. They don’t wait for the old season to come back. They reach for the sun even on the cloudiest day.”

Although it was my pleasure to receive this ARC from the author, it was completely my choice to share my honest review.

[Catherine Stratman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series!

Laurel is listening more to the plants that she is tending and helping them recover from two decades of neglect. Her neighbor has been cultivating some plants that are native to the canyon behind their houses, but his plants have eggs from a very rare (maybe extinct) Whispering Blue Sylph butterfly. When the plants are stolen in the dead of night, he asks Laurel for help in trying to figure out who stole the plants. The whole garden club knew about them. And just what did the other neighbor see? And what was worth killing over? Can Laurel figure out what's going on before becoming the next victim?

I received an ARC. This is my honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Sue has really hit 'the flow' with this new series. Just enough mysticism to make it magical while grounded in reality enough to feel like the events are 100% real.

I love the subtle weaving of Laurel's gift with everyday events and happenings. How it has been lightly defined but there's obviously still more to be understood about her gifting and the world (gardens) around her. I always feel a little more grounded after reading this new series which is ironic to me since I don't garden well.

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurel has settled down well in her new, albeit temporary job and the garden is beginning to grow well again. But not all is well in her neighbours' gardens - Rahm on one side and Gordon on the other just did not seem to be able to get on, even though they shared boundaries. And things got even worse when valuable plants are stolen.

I enjoyed Book 1 in this series and this Book 2 is just as good. What amazes me is just how much the author knows about the plants, or how much research she must have done, into them! Really good read, totally recommend!

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder struck again and Laurel found herself and her furry little friend Boswell sleuthing again, sometimes with her good friend Thistle. No one really liked the guy who died, so of course there were plenty of suspects. After a close call in the canyon, Laurel knew she had to be getting close. Once she was zoned in on whodunit, the showdown was peaceful.

Then she got some good news from Walt at the end. It’ll be interesting to see what shakes out with the Ben storyline since Kyle discovered something really interesting about the ashes he’d had sent to Laurel.

[Vicki Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in this new series and it’s a good one. This story is filled with likeable characters(and some not so likeable), mystery, drama, a touch of romance and a little bit of humour. I thought I knew who the murderer was at the beginning, but with plenty of twists and turns, it kept me guessing until the end. The author’s writing has you imagining yourself right there. I received this book as an ARC and am so glad I did.

[G.Terenzio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book.is a lovely sequence to number one in which Laurel is moving forward and start to work for Walt to bring his huge, sadly neglected garden, back to its former glory.
When neighbour Rahm's precious canyon jewelweed plants are stolen ( together with the even more precious eggs of the Whispering Blue Sylph butterfly) Laurel feels she should help to find the missing plants. Even murder and mayhem isn't deterring
her.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good story with interesting characters. Laurel has been hired to assess the extensive gardens at Nevermore Gardens and create a restoration plan. The neighbors greeted her and Dr. Walter P. Moss (her boss) by arguing over a bougainvillea plant on their property line. Gardens, butterflies, bugs and compost compose a lot of the conversations as the story unfolds. Mysteries and murder create confusion that needs to be solved.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second book in this series. I love all the characters Karen Sue Walker has introduced to us. You find yourself getting lost within the story and joining in on solving who the murderer is. Can't wait for the next installment of this series.

[Sandra R · Rating 4 out of 5]

One good, one bad

One mystery solved by the end. It was interesting though someone never gets asked exactly what he saw and where it was located. I think she would have talked to the detective about Ben by now. Still it was a good read.

[Martha Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book. Recommend reading this series.