Digging Up the Remains - REVIEW
★★★★★
Note: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Lilly Jane and the town of Goosebush are getting ready for a fall festival, but things aren't exactly ideal. New to town, reporter Tyler Crane is ruffling feathers and stirring up secrets as he digs for dirt on the town's residents, and someone is upset enough to kill. Lilly and the Garden Squad look into Tyler's murder, but as the investigation continues, secrets keep emerging, leaving the people of Goosebush the subject of nasty rumors, conjecture, and fear. Lilly and the Garden Squad must get to the bottom of the murder before the fall festival is ruined - as well as the lives and reputations of their neighbors.
The Garden Squad mysteries are such a delight to read, I'm really grateful for the opportunity to read this book, because I can't imagine waiting any longer to read them than necessary, these books are that fun! As I've been rewatching the show Murder She Wrote, and reading this book at the same time, it really brings home what I love about the Garden Squad mysteries - a fabulous older heroine, mourning a late husband but finding a life for herself while helping her friends and dealing with small, close-knit community angst, solving mysteries and always getting to the bottom of the mystery with minimal stress to the reader. I see a lot of Jessica Fletcher in Lilly Jane, and I love that the Julia Henry has taken a familiar formula and made it into something new, fun and fresh.
The plot to the book was excellent, and the mystery well crafted. Despite several red herrings I did not suspect who the 'killer' ended up being. I also really enjoyed the commentary on social media, blackmail and unsubstantiated gossip, the power of secrets, as well as questioning whether justice was truly served in the case. Like Lilly, I found myself dissatisfied with how justice was served, but I am hopeful that there is a path to a good future and healing for all involved. What a lovely book! Once more I can't wait until the next installment.
As always, I love that Julia Henry includes gardening tips at the end of the book. It's such a cute, charming thing to do, I love reading the tips and getting further insight into gardening.
Digging Up the Remains is set to release on August 25, 2020.
