This and That with Karen : Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower

Aug 17, 2020

Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing Mums and Mayhem the 3rd instalment in the “A Magic Garden Mystery“ series by Amanda Flower. It can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading in order.

A famous fiddler has been kilt. A magic garden's left to wilt. Does Fiona Knox's father hold the guilt? Will florist Fiona's blood be spilt?

World-famous fiddle player Barley McFee arrives in blustery Bellewick, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for a grand homecoming concert organized by jeweler Bernice Brennan. Fiona Knox, owner of the Climbing Rose Flower Shop, is starting to regret volunteering to help with the concert. Bernice is an exacting taskmaster, and Fiona has enough tension dealing with her parents, who have traveled from Tennessee to visit Fi and her younger sister, Isla, and to reveal a secret about Fi's birth. But when Barley is found dead in his trailer during the concert's intermission, and his death is shockingly tied to Fiona's father, Fiona discovers there are more secrets surrounding her family than she realized.

Much to the chagrin of handsome Neil Craig, Chief Inspector of the County Aberdeen Police, Fiona delves into the case to clear her father's name. To make matters worse, Fiona learns that Duncreigan, the magical garden that she inherited from her godfather, is dying. At some point during the concert, someone broke into the garden and cut the centuries-old climbing rose--the source of the garden's magic--from the standing stone.

The stakes are higher than ever and Fiona could lose all that she's grown unless she's able to dispel this terrible curse and dig up the truth--fast.

This is my favourite series by Amanda Flower, and once again I was pulled in and taken on a wonderful journey to Scotland and the magic of Duncreigan. This series also has a nice hint of the paranormal that runs throughout each story. I don't think it is overpowering and I enjoy how the garden sends Fiona visions on what she needs to solve a mystery.

The mystery was well written and carries through the entire story. There were a couple of twists and turns that I didn't see coming which added to the mystery. I was surprised at who the murderer was and why they did it.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and I finished in a couple nights. I hope there will be more books in this series because I am looking forward to seeing how things turn out for a few of the main characters.