A Thorny Plot

Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library #23

by Catherine Dilts

The beautiful gardens are in full bloom at Castleton Manor in Lighthouse Bay, Massachusetts. The upscale literary retreat provides the perfect backdrop for the Hidden Treasures Literary and Gardening Retreat as authors, gardening enthusiasts, and horticulturists descend on the manor.

Everything's coming up roses for librarian Faith Newberry as she welcomes her parents to the retreat and prepares for her upcoming wedding with Wolfe Jaxon, co-owner of the manor.

But her festive mood withers when the retreat takes a disturbing turn and a guest dies.

The death is ruled a murder, and Faith and her friends in the Candle House Book Club set out to dig up clues. But their investigation proves to be thorny. The victim had enemies in spades, and the list of suspects continues to grow.

Meanwhile, Faith's clever cat, Watson, hits pay dirt when he makes an incredible discovery. How far will someone go to bury the truth?

Faith and her friends must root out the sinister plot before someone else is pushing up daisies.

Genres: Cozy Mystery

Paperback

About the author

Catherine Dilts is the author of the Rose Creek and the Rock Shop mystery series, and several installments in various Annie’s Fiction series, for a total of twelve traditionally published novels. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and the Pikes Peak Writers anthology. After a career in environmental compliance for a global corporation, Catherine now gets to write fiction full time. Most of her published works have a cozy mystery flavor. She is stepping into Indy publishing this year with her co-author daughter Merida Bass and the YA science fiction Tapestry Tales series.
https://www.catherinedilts.com/

Reviews

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost the end of this series my friend AC introduced me to several years ago. (I took a break after the first 10-12 books and only recently returned to the series.)

Faith's family comes to visit (and for her parents to attend the retreat).

Do you think Watson approached Betsy because he realized she was mourning the loss of her pet? Or because he felt he wasn't getting the attention he was due from Faith because of her focus on the upcoming wedding? (It took me a bit to realize it was a plot set up so that there wasn't a full blown search when Watson didn't appear for a while. And also a set up for a pet adoption later.)

[Loraine Nunley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Changes are happening for Faith and Watson as family visits and they prepare for the upcoming wedding. In this book we are introduced to Faith's parents who I just loved, particularly her retired policeman dad. However, there is no rest for the detectives when another murder occurs at Castleton Manor. I really enjoyed trying to solve the mystery as well as the suspense when Watson gets himself into another sticky situation. Nice clean cozy mystery series.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these little mysteries. Watson really got himself into a jam this time. Even though Faith should be concentrating on her upcoming wedding and the current retreat she is again trying to solve a murder. As Faith is busy with the current mystery Watson disappears and this causes her to have a lot of stress, to the point of tears.

One more book in this series.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The overarching storyline progresses in this penultimate series entry. This story has a different feel than the others, as the environment is more center stage than in the other books. Not sure if the author was sending a message, or if it tied in well with the Secret Garden theme the story was built around. Stakes were also a bit higher in this story, with quite a few anxious moments.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next to last book in the series. The story line is for a gardening themed event held at the castle. Faith is planning a wedding so her parents are visiting. The friends are gathering around to help solve a mystery. A nice way to pass a wintry afternoon.