What do you think?
Rate this book
Murder at Manito: A Rex Begonia Mystery
Shortly before the kickoff of Spokane's string of garden related events, the head gardener of the Lilac City's prestigious Manito Park is found dead - shot through the heart. The city's curmudgeonly top detective Rex Begonia and his protégé Ivy Lizei are tasked with solving the crime. Can they weed out the growing list of suspects and crack the case in time for Mayor Sammy Proscuitto to announce his re-election campaign and garner the green vote? Enjoy the wordplay in this comedic mystery while attempting to solve the murder with Rex and Ivy.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 31, 2020
6 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 1, 2024
Local author, lovely person who kindly came to our book club, this is her first book. I had difficulty following the action, and a lot of the humor is garden club in jokes.
The best part is the last few pages of chapter 38 and Rex's musing on evil.
That being said, it is a book I would recommend to anyone who both gardens and enjoys cozy mysteries.
The best part is the last few pages of chapter 38 and Rex's musing on evil.
That being said, it is a book I would recommend to anyone who both gardens and enjoys cozy mysteries.
December 2, 2025
As someone who lives close to Spokane, yes the potholes are really that bad as described in the book.
I will be reading the other Rex Begonia books and I hope more are coming!
I will be reading the other Rex Begonia books and I hope more are coming!
October 16, 2022
“In a garden, Arthur would be the brown fall leaves fading into the landscape, while Bill would be the mammoth sunflower commanding attention and attracting all the bees.”
Chris Bieker’s Murder at Manito is a love letter to the gardening community of Spokane, with a whole lot of intrigue and murder thrown in!
It was quite obvious the author loves gardening and has a special place in her heart for Spokane’s garden community. I could picture Manito, having been there myself, from the duck pond to the conservatory! In fact, there were lots of references to local Spokane only Spokanites will catch. Plenty of Easter eggs to hunt out!
It’s also clear that she’s a fan of Shakespeare and fun names! My favorites included: Rex Begonia, Sammy Prosciutto, Barney Blueblood, Arthur Rugula. The book covers a wide variety of characters with plenty of diverse heritages: Japanese, Native American, and Italian, to name a few.
All in all, a fun romp through the city of Spokane! Read it in a single afternoon!
Chris Bieker’s Murder at Manito is a love letter to the gardening community of Spokane, with a whole lot of intrigue and murder thrown in!
It was quite obvious the author loves gardening and has a special place in her heart for Spokane’s garden community. I could picture Manito, having been there myself, from the duck pond to the conservatory! In fact, there were lots of references to local Spokane only Spokanites will catch. Plenty of Easter eggs to hunt out!
It’s also clear that she’s a fan of Shakespeare and fun names! My favorites included: Rex Begonia, Sammy Prosciutto, Barney Blueblood, Arthur Rugula. The book covers a wide variety of characters with plenty of diverse heritages: Japanese, Native American, and Italian, to name a few.
All in all, a fun romp through the city of Spokane! Read it in a single afternoon!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews