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Marigolds for Malice by Bailey Cattrell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Last night, I finished reading Marigolds for Malice by Bailey Cattrell. It's the third book in her "Enchanted Garden" mystery series, featuring aromatherapist Elliana "Ellie" Allbright.

Ellie and the women's business group she's part of are busy opening a new museum devoted to Poppyville's past. While searching for items to display, they come across a time capsule. When the capsule is opened, it contains a small, botanical manuscript that Ellie is inexplicably drawn to. In addition to the manuscript, there is a photo of a woman who looks much like Ellie, a page from a journal, and a gold nugget. Later that evening, Ellie can't get the manuscript and the photo out of her mind. She pays a late night visit to the museum, only to find a local historian/researcher dead, and the contents of the time capsule missing. Ellie is drawn into the investigation, and her sleuthing puts her in danger.

On top of another murder mystery to delve into, Ellie finds herself in a love triangle when her beau, Ritter, returns to town and her friend, Spence, makes it clear he's been angling for more than friendship from her. In the meantime, Ellie has a bad feeling about her friend Astrid's new boyfriend, causing a rift between them. Now Ellie has not only a murder to solve, but also her own relationships.

Lovely story with likable characters. I enjoyed revisiting this verse, hanging out with old friends and meeting new people. I did guess the killer quite early, but it was still fun to see Ellie work it out.

Favorite line: "The last thing I need in this garden is a rogue goat."

Rogue goats, for the win!

Very good, four stars:

****

Last night, I read the rest of Daisies for Innocence, which is the first book in a new series by author Bailey Cattrell, aka Bailey Cates. If you're writing in the same genre, why use another nom de plume? Honestly!

As the story begins, Elliana Allbright is establishing her own business after her divorce a year earlier. Ellie has opened a shop that sells custom-made perfumes, soaps, and other aromatherapy products. Ever since she was young, Ellie has had a knack for intuiting just what will help people the most, and she uses that gift to suggest and even create custom blends for them. Behind her shop is her cherished garden, which she calls the Enchanted Garden. Ellie had the shed at the bottom of the garden converted to a small cottage that she now calls home. She lives there with her corgi, Dash. The shop came with a resident cat named Nabokov.

When Ellie's assistant Josie tells Ellie that she's now dating her ex-husband, Ellie is shocked, and she fears her relationship with Josie will become strained. Instead, she finds Josie murdered at the edge of her garden the following day. Now Ellie finds herself the prime suspect in the crime, and she is determined to prove she didn't do it.

This was an adorable cozy mystery. I enjoyed Ellie's friends and neighbors, especially Astrid, who baked cookies each morning and brought them to Ellie's shop, Scents & Nonsense. Of the two cops assigned to investigate the case, one is a friend of Ellie's ex, and he's a total jerk to her. The other is a young woman who is new to the area. She and Ellie strike up a guarded friendship. And, best of all, Ellie's new love interest is NOT a police officer, sheriff, detective, private eye, Fed, or anyone involved in law enforcement. I mean, come on, people! Have the rest of you noticed that the female protagonist in cozy mysteries is almost invariably paired up with someone in law enforcement? Sheesh. Instead, Ritter Nelson is a botanist. Hah! I love it!

Favorite line: "The odds here are good, but the goods are pretty odd."

Fun, refreshing, and interesting. Four out of five:

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