Roots of Murder (Gardening Mystery)

The flower shop in River City, Missouri, is Bretta Solomon's whole life. Widowed more than a year ago when her cop husband died of a heart attack, Bretta has thrown herself into her florist business and her place in this small, rural midwestern community. And her diet--she's lost a lot of weight in the intervening year. If only she could shed her grief in the same way.

When Bretta reads in the newspaper that Isaac Miller, an Amish farmer who supplied some of her most beautiful flowers, has died under mysterious circumstances, she's shocked and saddened. But her shock turns to curiosity when Isaac's brother, Evan, a friend of hers since his family bought her parents' farm in the neighboring Woodgrove, calls and asks her to help him learn more about his brother's death.

Bretta's life becomes a whirlwind of mystery and mistrust. Everybody is a suspect--from the Amish bishop, Eli Detweiler, to the eccentric neighbor, Sam Kramer, to the flower wholesaler Leray Hodges. Bretta must race against the clock to find Isaac's killer and protect his beautiful garden from destruction before she becomes the next victim.

Janis Harrison's debut is a charming cozy mystery about a woman with a real talent for digging around.