The Woman in the Garden by Jill Johnson

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Woman in the Garden by Jill Johnson, which is well narrated by Rachel Capell.

Jill Johnson is a new to me author. I'm always on the look out for new to me authors. I was drawn to the plot summary for The Woman in the Garden as this novel contains "a Professor of Botanical Toxicology with only her extensive collection of poisonous plants for company" and also a mystery is involved.

First off, I found the protagonist, Eustacia Rose, annoying!! She's very smart, but very odd, quirky and eccentric... These can be good things, but I found her to be simply annoying for the most part throughout much of this novel... However, by the end of the novel, Eustacia Rose had grown on me.

Overall, I liked this mystery novel featuring a woman sleuth. There was a lot of twists and turns throughout The Woman in the Garden. By the end of the novel, I was glad it was over with though. The Woman in the Garden is the first novel in Eustacia Rose mystery series. I think I'll be passing on reading the rest of the series.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Woman in the Garden by Jill Johnson, which I found on Goodreads:

Every garden has its secrets…

Eustacia Rose is a Professor of Botanical Toxicology with only her extensive collection of poisonous plants for company. Her life is quiet, her schedule is unchanging, and her closest friends are the specimens she tends to. But she does have one other watching her neighbors through her telescope, taking extensive notes on their lives for research.

When Eustacia hears a scream one evening, the temptation to investigate proves irresistible. Through her telescope, she catches a glimpse of her extraordinarily beautiful new neighbor, Simone, and soon becomes obsessed with her and her life. But who are these four men that orbit Simone? And why does Eustacia get the feeling she needs to protect her from them?

One day, Eustacia comes home to find her precious garden destroyed and learns that someone close to Simone has been murdered with a rare poisonous plant. As she is drawn deep into the crime, Eustacia's closed-off life begins to crumble, forcing her to break free from the walls of her secret garden and take matters into her own hands. Soon, she's forced to realize that the world is filled with people who are just as toxic as her plants....

I am giving The Woman in the Garden by Jill Johnson a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!