The Case of the Unlucky Gardener: A Connie McKinnon Sailing Detective Cosy Mystery

by Tina McLachlan Brassington

A yacht, a beautiful Aegean town, a grand hotel and the unexpected death of a TV star...

After being shipwrecked on the Turkish Aegean coast, Connie McKinnon, author and sometime private investigator, is forced to stop in Ayvalik, the only place with the facilities to repair her yacht, Sunlight.

She befriends the wealthy socialite Frances Tredegar-Jones who asks Connie to look into the recent death of her friend, Sylvie Bertillon. Sylvie, a famous TV gardener and hotel consultant, was working at The Ayvalik Grand when she died suddenly.

With a publishing deadline to meet, a boat to repair, a husband with a sailing itinerary and a cat to entertain, Connie reluctantly agrees to Frances’ request for help. But Connie’s investigations cause mayhem for all concerned...

Escape to the beautiful Aegean coast and meet the colourful characters of Ayvalik as you join Connie on her adventures in this light-hearted, cosy mystery.

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2022

About the author

After years of studying and working in boring stuff like City banking, business and law, Tina retrained as a further education teacher, which she enjoyed enormously.

She then moved abroad and rebuilt and developed a derelict farm into a successful eco small holding business with her husband.

Latterly, after bidding a fond farewell to the farm and menagerie, Tina is now sailing around the Med with her husband and cat - there was no room for the pigs, goats, turkeys, hens, ducks and geese, sadly...

Between writing and travelling, she enjoys taking on silly roles in TV advertising and doing voice overs.

You can follow her social links on https://linktr.ee/tinamcbauthor

Reviews

[Miranda | BookishlyBrewed | · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know me, you know I’m continuously on the hunt for hidden gems. 💎
I’m always looking for a independent author who isn’t well known, who has that “it factor” that main stream authors are said to carry(but as you and I know—they hardly live up to said hype.) This quality is what makes me love these small artists even more! They light that flame once again that drew me into reading in the first place and remind me how amazing it feels to get swept off my feet and sucked completely into a book and it’s own unique world. 🏝️

Tina has done a phenomenal job with The Case of the Unlucky Gardener. 🙌🏻
Mysteries can sometimes be painfully predictable — but Tina has seemingly mastered the art of pulling you along and leaving you guessing— chapter after chapter! 🔍
Despite not having an inkling of who was the mastermind until about 10 pages from the conclusion, there was not a moment in the book where I felt like it was drawn out and overdone. I enjoyed every page and actually was left with wanting more!
👉🏻More adventures of Connie and Conrad.
👉🏻More beautiful destinations painted that I could only ever dream of visiting.
👉🏻More family like friendships and characters I wish I knew in real life!

Was this read perfect? They never are.
Was this read refreshing and SO enjoyable? Absolutely!

I so look forward to experiencing more of Tina’s work.
You’ve earned a new loyal follower in the U.S., and I hope this review will encourage others to dive in and enjoy this book that you so obviously poured your heart into. 💗

Happy reading, friends!
P.S. check out my notations on goodreads if you want to see my thoughts through the book! ✨

[Kirsty · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the book, a character gets depressed by reading bad reviews, and a friend tells her to ignore them and concentrate on the good. That's all very well, but how can she improve if she ignores any advice? Anyway, sorry, but this isn't going to be a great review, but vaguely constructive, at least. The characters and scenario are actually engaging, but there are a couple of things that make this hard to read. The dialogue sounds stilted and unnatural quite often, which interrupts the flow of the story, but the thing I find more difficult is that the story's written in the first person, mostly, but then you suddenly find a paragraph or two about completely different people in a different location with no break. By the end of the book, there are markers splitting scenes - a big improvement. The book seemed to drag a bit - maybe it just needs a really good edit?

[Hristina Borisova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book! It brings the charm of the Turkish Aegian coast, the sunshine and lusciousness of the landscape right to your door or rather - to your armchair. I've been to Ayvalik once and therefore admire how brilliantly the author has described its beauty.

The book is engaging and a pure delight to read thanks to the author's pleasant style and eloquence. The plot is full of twists and turns, which kept me interested until the very end.The characters are so lively, well-developed and realistic that I almost felt as if I had met them in real life.

A great holiday read, I would say, which could also be a nice Christmas present. Can't wait for the next book of the series - Connie's adventures turned out to be highly addictive.

[Christine V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come along on an adventure to the Aegean Coast. Stop in at the Grand in Ayvalik and enjoy some well spent time with friendly faces over a cup of coffee at the local Cafe. 


After being shipwrecked with her Husband on the Turkish Aegean Coast during a major storm, Connie and her husband, Conrad, get settled into a cozy villa in the town of Ayvalik. During their stay, a mystery arises that Connie cannot turn away from, when she meets an upper class socialite whose friend, Sylvie, suddenly passes away. Unable to shake the feeling that something is wrong Frances Tredgar-Jones enlists the help of Connies detective skills. 



While dealing with a deadline to finish her next book and the eagerness of Conrad wanting to get back on the open waters, will Connie be able to help Frances uncover the truth behind the secrets of the townsfolk? Will she be able to bring closure to Sylvie’s sudden death? Will she be able to met her deadline and set sail to another part of the coast? 


Brassington created a relatable protagonist in Connie, trying her best to handle a variety of tasks while doing her best to get answers to questions that are not adding up. When the Police Chief and Coroner are quick to shut down an investigation into this random death deeming an accident, Connie continues to not let her judgement get clouded. I thoroughly enjoyed joining Connie & her friends as they grow a new found friendship and a togetherness for finding out the truth. 



While the Unlucky Gardener was an exciting tale, I couldn’t help but feel that the final chapter was lacking. The final part of the story ties all the missing pieces together for the final unveiling of who may have killed Sylvie, but with little excitement. Unfortunately, by the end of the previous chapter, we had already put the pieces together. For me, it felt like there was just more of the same information already provided previously. I feel that chapter could have been better served, for where Connie was off to next, another adventure, perhaps? 



The Case of the Unlucky Gardener is a lovely cosy mystery that will keep you guessing who dun it and if everyones secrets could be the reason to Sylvie’s demises. You can’t help but keep wanting to read another chapter. 



I would recommend this book to any one looking for a quick read with a twisting tale or anyone who overall enjoys mysteries and minor suspense.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Connie Mckinnon, who is an author, but also does some private investigating as well. When she is asked to look into a recent death, Connie runs in head first. The author writes a good novel, with a great mystery. This is a quick read and would be a great day on the beach read.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who killed Sylvie Bertillon and why??? Connie will figure things out though, won't she??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.

[Deanna Pandolfini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Sweet Mystery

The reason I gave this book 4 stars is the ending. I feel like the author rushed the ending and didn't give the conclusion enough explanation.