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English Garden Mystery #4
The Trail of the Wild Rose
The hunt for an ancient Chinese rose turns deadly in this latest English Garden Mystery featuring Dr. Lawrence Kingston.
A plant-hunting expedition haunted by tragedy leads to a perilous trail of greed, larceny, and deceit. Has Peter Mayhew, the man who plunged to his death on a mountain in China, come back to life? Which of the expedition members is hiding an explosive secret? Why are some being targeted for murder?
Once again, Dr. Lawrence Kingston—retired professor of botany and reluctant sleuth—finds himself at the center of a baffling case like none he has ever encountered. Following an ambiguous trail with only scant clues, he must find the hidden meaning dormant in a cache of valuable Chinese antiquities, shadow a ruthless assailant through London’s teeming Underground, and travel the length and breadth of Britain, from a hospital ward in Oxford and an anonymous rendezvous in a Hampshire garden, to a remote farm in Dorset and the mystical Cornish coast—even to the mountains of Wales—in his search for the truth. Even the most likely suspects are becoming victims themselves, and the stakes rise exponentially as each lead comes to a dead end...literally.
Racing to save the lives of the remaining plant hunters and not become a victim himself, Kingston discovers the extreme lengths to which desperate men will go for riches, recognition, and the thrill of the hunt. Clever and chilling, The Trail of the Wild Rose effortlessly combines Anthony Eglin’s horticultural knowledge and literary skills to create an innovative and riveting new mystery.
A plant-hunting expedition haunted by tragedy leads to a perilous trail of greed, larceny, and deceit. Has Peter Mayhew, the man who plunged to his death on a mountain in China, come back to life? Which of the expedition members is hiding an explosive secret? Why are some being targeted for murder?
Once again, Dr. Lawrence Kingston—retired professor of botany and reluctant sleuth—finds himself at the center of a baffling case like none he has ever encountered. Following an ambiguous trail with only scant clues, he must find the hidden meaning dormant in a cache of valuable Chinese antiquities, shadow a ruthless assailant through London’s teeming Underground, and travel the length and breadth of Britain, from a hospital ward in Oxford and an anonymous rendezvous in a Hampshire garden, to a remote farm in Dorset and the mystical Cornish coast—even to the mountains of Wales—in his search for the truth. Even the most likely suspects are becoming victims themselves, and the stakes rise exponentially as each lead comes to a dead end...literally.
Racing to save the lives of the remaining plant hunters and not become a victim himself, Kingston discovers the extreme lengths to which desperate men will go for riches, recognition, and the thrill of the hunt. Clever and chilling, The Trail of the Wild Rose effortlessly combines Anthony Eglin’s horticultural knowledge and literary skills to create an innovative and riveting new mystery.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published April 14, 2009
4 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Eglin
7 books52 followersAuthor of the Arsène Lupin Literary Prize winner THE BLUE ROSE and International Book Awards winner, THE ALCATRAZ ROSE, Anthony Eglin grew up in England and worked in art and advertising before starting The Larkspur Company, which produced a series of best-selling garden videos. Addicted to gardening, his own former pint-sized garden was awarded Garden Design magazine's Golden Trowel Award. Tony is a member of the American Rose Society and lives in Sonoma County, California with his wife, Suzie and family cat, Pyewacket.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 5, 2019
Dr. Lawrence Kingston, is a wonderful professor of botany, and his pastime of sleuthing is always entertaining. This series is at the top for garden mysteries. The research on roses, the trips to noted English gardens and manors, are intelligently written and a delight to read. His working on the murders with the local police really begs belief but it's fun just the same!
May 12, 2009
I enjoyed the novel just as much for the horticultural and botanical information on roses, their propagation from the 18th century onward, as well as for the complicated plot and the travel description of places in the U.K. such as Oxford, Dorset, Cornwall, London, and Wales.
There is a lot to like about this mystery by Anthony Eglin, which I think is better than his last, The Water Lily Cross, which had a too unbelievable plot - a waterlily hybrid that desalinates sea water, turning it into fresh water over time!
In The Trail of the Wild Rose, however, plant lovers will like Eglin's discourses on the history of the modern varieties of roses; travelers will like the descriptions of gardens around England, and mystery lovers will like the elaborate plot.
Plant hunters mysteriously start dying off in the novel, the first during an expedition in the mountains of Yunnan, China, and the second as a result of a hit and run four years later. Will similar "accidents" happen to the third, fourth, and fifth persons who were on the plant expedition with the first victim? What is behind the deaths, and does it have any relation to their plant gathering in China?
The plot has lots of red herrings, false leads, and more than a few culprits who go out of their way to obscure the truth.
Readers will find the protaganist, retired botanist and teacher Lawrence Kingston, very British and somewhat charming as he goes about sifting out facts, smelling the roses, and helping the police come up with the solutions.
There is a lot to like about this mystery by Anthony Eglin, which I think is better than his last, The Water Lily Cross, which had a too unbelievable plot - a waterlily hybrid that desalinates sea water, turning it into fresh water over time!
In The Trail of the Wild Rose, however, plant lovers will like Eglin's discourses on the history of the modern varieties of roses; travelers will like the descriptions of gardens around England, and mystery lovers will like the elaborate plot.
Plant hunters mysteriously start dying off in the novel, the first during an expedition in the mountains of Yunnan, China, and the second as a result of a hit and run four years later. Will similar "accidents" happen to the third, fourth, and fifth persons who were on the plant expedition with the first victim? What is behind the deaths, and does it have any relation to their plant gathering in China?
The plot has lots of red herrings, false leads, and more than a few culprits who go out of their way to obscure the truth.
Readers will find the protaganist, retired botanist and teacher Lawrence Kingston, very British and somewhat charming as he goes about sifting out facts, smelling the roses, and helping the police come up with the solutions.
October 15, 2021
I love this series of mysteries set in London!
Dr. Lawrence Kingston is a retired professor of botany. As this book begins, a man is run off the road as he drives his motorcycle. In a coma, he babbles incoherently about a plant finding expedition to China.
The police notifies one of Dr. Kingston's former colleagues to get assistance about the expedition. He calls to see if Lawrence would be willing to go by the hospital and try to make sense of it. Lawrence goes to the hospital. And this begins his foray into this mystery.
This fits all the things I like best in a mystery. It is extremely interesting, not filled with sexual content, not overloaded with cursing, and the mystery is solvable with what the reader is given.
Dr. Lawrence Kingston is a retired professor of botany. As this book begins, a man is run off the road as he drives his motorcycle. In a coma, he babbles incoherently about a plant finding expedition to China.
The police notifies one of Dr. Kingston's former colleagues to get assistance about the expedition. He calls to see if Lawrence would be willing to go by the hospital and try to make sense of it. Lawrence goes to the hospital. And this begins his foray into this mystery.
This fits all the things I like best in a mystery. It is extremely interesting, not filled with sexual content, not overloaded with cursing, and the mystery is solvable with what the reader is given.
September 22, 2018
My first read in this series, but I enjoyed it. Lots of incidental British history, a likable "sleuth", interesting topic. The plot was a bit confusing, and I had a major player in the solution pegged, but hope to read more.
September 22, 2024
I enjoyed this book more than most of the others in the series. I thought the addition of historical information regarding English and international gardening was a great inclusion. It kept my interest more than the characters did.
August 30, 2022
Another great garden mystery.
September 11, 2011
The main character in all these books, Lawrence Kingston, a retired professor of botany, was very amusing in likable in the first few books I read of this series. He did have a tendency to be pedantic and maybe a little likely to overstay his welcome, but not boorish and so self consumed that he crossed the line.
He is wearing thin, at least to me, by this book. He is a little too likely to interfere in crimes scenes and take and withhold evidence, since he seems to think, though he doesn't admit to it int he books, that he can better understand and use the evidence than the police. What hubris. He apparently thinks he is a better investigator than the police, so he is entitled to use the evidence he comes across and that he is really not breaking the law, but he is by withholding evidence.
Unfortunately, the author fosters this (of course, this is his baby), by having the police comment on his natural talent as a detective - just don't do it again on my patch. However, to me the character is bordering on arrogance in his detective abilities, at this point and just too consumed with solving the mysteries himself, to the point that he is reckless and foolhardy.
Still enjoyed this book, but the character is getting a bit too unbelievable and even irritating to me.
He is wearing thin, at least to me, by this book. He is a little too likely to interfere in crimes scenes and take and withhold evidence, since he seems to think, though he doesn't admit to it int he books, that he can better understand and use the evidence than the police. What hubris. He apparently thinks he is a better investigator than the police, so he is entitled to use the evidence he comes across and that he is really not breaking the law, but he is by withholding evidence.
Unfortunately, the author fosters this (of course, this is his baby), by having the police comment on his natural talent as a detective - just don't do it again on my patch. However, to me the character is bordering on arrogance in his detective abilities, at this point and just too consumed with solving the mysteries himself, to the point that he is reckless and foolhardy.
Still enjoyed this book, but the character is getting a bit too unbelievable and even irritating to me.
April 15, 2012
These garden mysteries are getting better all of the time! I like the base mystery in this novel - man falling off cliff in arduous search for rare seeds in remote China. The actual story location is England and surrounding areas, which is fine with me, but the flavor of exotic background is interesting. Main character, Kingston, is challenged trying to assess policeman, Sheffield's acceptance of his deductions (never sure how suggestions are being taken) and also has an interesting relationship with friend, Andrew (who could be just a bit more outrageous). Prologue and early chapters set a thrilling beginning..
I hope to visit Quarryhill Botanical Garden sometime soon. Great book for garden/plant lover and English mystery reader.
I hope to visit Quarryhill Botanical Garden sometime soon. Great book for garden/plant lover and English mystery reader.
April 23, 2012
I liked the mystery, but I think the book could have used some serious editing down, and the conclusion went on for much longer than necessary. This was the first English Garden Mystery which I've read, and while I wouldn't avoid any others, I certainly won't seek them out. The character of Kingston is arrogant, long-winded, and takes too much liberty with crime scenes and evidence. The mystery was so long that I began to mix up the characters from the expedition, so now I can't properly remember how the book began. There was a man in the hospital and for some reason the police made the mistake of asking Kingston to come in and help them. I think the police regretted it, too, even though Kingston assisted in solving the crime.
May 22, 2009
In Anthony Eglin's books, I have enjoyed the main character, Lawrence Kingston, and the garden settings in the U.K. What I find most enjoyable is the setting in a garden, the activities surrounding the gardens and plants and of course a mystery that must be solved. This book I thought was not as good as the others as mystery to be solved was not part of a garden or a wild rose. Also, I thought that the main character didn't have enough to do between clues or events, seemed too lost and aimless. Overall, it was a good read, but not as good as his other books.
June 30, 2013
I figured out part of the mystery pretty early in the book, but still enjoyed it. One of my hobbies is gardening and the descriptions of the botanical gardens in England made me want to jump on the next plane there. I learned a lot about The different areas of Great Britain as well as the significance of China in the world of botany. This author has written other books and I look forward to reading them.
January 8, 2013
This is the second of Eglin's mysteries I've read. I preferred the plot and action of this book over the other one I've read. I am fascinated with the horticultural connections, too. I just finished retreading before presenting to book club. I love Eglin's non-fiction/factual inclusions with a good mystery!
May 21, 2013
In my opinion, this has been the best of the series so far. The plot was good, there was fascinating information about the history of roses, beautiful descriptions of various English gardens and manor homes, and a discussion of valuable Chinese pottery. This is the best rating I've been able to give of the books with one more to go.
June 4, 2014
I'm not super into the mystery genre but this was a good mystery for someone who is. It was well written and well conceived, but I just found too unrealistic which kept getting in the way of my enjoyment. However, despite that, I did continue to pick it up and want to know what happened. If you are better at suspending reality, then it can be a good quick story - a nice beach read.
January 1, 2017
Ah, another great mystery solved. I did at one point figured out whodunnit, reading these things I pick up on the structure of the books, these cozy mysteries are easy to figure out. I do enjoy the atmosphere of this series, which is why I like to pick it up. Makes me miss having my scones though.I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
December 30, 2009
I read the first volumn in this series and kind of forgot about them. Its solid plotting and the main character is likable retired professor of botany which brings a lot to the book. I'll be looking for the the 2 books I missed.
March 27, 2010
usually this series has a lot of garden lore, but not this book. also, the Dr. Kingston character is much more stodgy than in the previous 3. The plot concerns a mystery revolving around a chinese plant hunting expedition and is simply not as riveting as the plot lines in his other novels.
June 28, 2013
Dr. Lawrence Kingston becomes involved in several murders connected to a plant-hunting expedition in China. Great for those who love mysteries and botany.
March 5, 2016
Another wonderful English Garden mystery -- all 4 have been exceptional and I will be SO disappointed if there are no more coming.
January 21, 2012
Botany and chinese pottery in Cornwall
February 1, 2012
I enjoyed this book, but enjoyed The Lost Gardens more. Would still recommend.
Read
June 8, 2017Miniseries: An English Garden Mystery
Category: Mystery
Category: Mystery
August 1, 2014
waiting for more ...
June 8, 2015
An interesting story with an over-complicated solution and hamfisted botany lessons that were informative but often out of place.
Read
July 6, 2015Good mystery--little slower than the others.
November 21, 2016
Not as good a The Blue Rose
November 5, 2016
Excellent!
May 7, 2009
A little too much detail from Dr. Lawrence Kingston, but otherwise a good story.
Read
January 11, 2013Yawn!!!
September 18, 2013
Perhaps if I was a gardener I would have enjoyed it more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews