Ripley's neatly plotted fifth horticultural cozy (after 2005's Summer Garden Murder
) takes Louise Eldridge, host of a PBS show, Gardening with Nature
, on location to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the lush setting for an elite botanical conference. Louise has scheduled a panel featuring an explosive mix of egos and agenda from plant explorer and entrepreneur Dr. Bruce Bouting, pharmaceutical company consultant Dr. Matthew Flynn, environmentalist Dr. Charles Reuter and Pacific Island plant expert Dr. Tom Schoonover. But on a sunset walk along the beach, Louise discovers one of these men dead, the deep wound gouged at the base of his skull definitely not sustained from a fall off a cliff. As another botanist perishes, Louise once again turns amateur detective to solve the murders. Ripley's green thumb fans will relish the paradise island setting and Louise's reliable sleuthing. (Nov.)
