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jenn

Murder by Death

I read cozy and historical mysteries, a bit of Paranormal/UF, and to mix it up, I read science and gardening books on occasion.

Daisies for Innocence (Enchanted Garden Mystery, #1)

Daisies For Innocence - Bailey Cattrell

Bailey Cattrell is also Bailey Cates is also Cricket McRae.  This is the third series she's written that I've read and if the first book is any indication of what's to come, it'll be the best yet.

 

The first series she wrote was as Cricket McRae and it was a Home Crafting series.  I loved it; the MC was intelligent and independent and I found the different home crafts in each book fascinating.  The second series, currently ongoing, is the Magical Bakeshop series she writes as Bailey Cates.  It's cute, the magic is interesting and I enjoy them, but the MC is a bit more wide-eyed innocent and there's an air of immaturity (in the sense of age and experience).

 

In Daisies for Innocence the author has come full-circle while retaining a little of the magic of the Bakeshop series.  Ellie's a little more world-weary, and she's coming out the other side of that time in life when you really figure out who you are.  Gardening, the meaning of flowers, and aromatherapy are the backdrop and the subtle magic here is closer to magical realism than paranormal.  She weaves interesting facts about flowers and crafting natural products into the narrative gracefully and while it's clear that the author believes in living light upon the Earth, she's never preachy about it.

 

The plot is well-structured and the mystery all comes together towards the end so there's no telegraphing the murderer early on (although in retrospect there was one scene...).  My only real complaint about the book was the unrealistic animosity and lack of professionalism shown by one of the detectives and the over-compensation of the other.  Both threw the rhythm of the book off a bit since neither were subtle; otherwise, this was an excellent start and I'm really looking forward to the next one.