The Mysterious Garden Muse

Habeas Hortus: Mystery Books with a Garden Theme B&B Riverboat Luncheon Cruise Cincinnati Flower Show Friday, April 25, 2008 Reading List by Author Name: Albert, Susan Wittig: China Bayles Mysteries: Thyme of Death (1992) Witches' Bane (1993) Hangman's Root (1994) Rosemary Remembered (1995) Rueful Death (1996) Love Lies Bleeding (1997) Chile Death (1998) Lavender Lies (1999) Mistletoe Man (2000) Bloodroot (2001) Indigo Dying (2003) A Dilly of a Death (2004) Dead Man's Bones (2005) Bleeding Hearts (2006) Spanish Dagger (2007) Nightshade (April 2008) Wormwood (To be published in 2009) An Unthymely Death (2003) Murder Most Crafty (2005) China Bayles' Book of Days (October 2006) Christie, Agatha: Mysteries with garden-related themes: Nemesis (1971) The Regatta Mystery (Short story “How Does Your Garden Grow?” 1939, 1984) Eastman, Brian: Rosemary and Thyme Mysteries: (additional DVDs available) And No Bird Sings (2007) M

Habeas Hortus: Cultivating for Clues Mystery Books featuring Garden Related Topics By Becke Davis Gardening is a deceptively gentle pursuit: we ruthlessly weed out unwanted invaders, deadhead with gusto and wield the glistening blades of our pruners without remorse. If cold-blooded murder doesn’t fit with your image of rose-covered arbors, think again. Who else can mourn the loss of a beloved plant while investigating ways to get rid of moles and other pests with bloodthirsty enthusiasm? Like turning over a rock, gardening has a dark side, too. The planting pit that hides a grave, the freshly tilled soil revealing bleached bones – these are age-old themes in the mystery genre. Who hasn’t read a mystery that featured arsenic or strychnine in the garden shed or clues left clinging to the ivy outside the victim’s window? Thorns and roses. Perfumes and poisons. Gardens and graves. The very serenity of a garden can conjure up sharply contrasting images. There is a literary trad