A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

This was just an OK cozy mystery. Fiona travels to Scotland to collect an inheritance from her Godfather Ian. She has inherited a cottage and a magical garden. On her first day in Scotland she discovers a dead body in her garden and sets out to solve the mystery. I liked the setting and some of characters. The mystery was OK with a few surprises. The book felt like it was quickly written. There was a lot of repetition. It was a quick and easy read. I have enjoyed this author's other books more.

The first in the series of a young woman, Fiona, going to Scotland to see about her inheritance. Finding a dead body in the garden is not a nice way to start, and meeting a group of interesting characters in small town Scotland makes for many red herrings and fun side stories. I read the 2nd and 3rd book before this one, which I do not recommend doing by the way, but many of the characters introduced here are found in the other books too. I did enjoy this though, and highly recommend this book and author. Fun cozy mystery.

Flowers and foul play is the first book in the Magic garden mystery series. In the span of a few weeks Fiona Knox lost her flower shop and her fiancé. When her Godfather dies and leaves her his cottage and garden in Scotland she jumps on the first plane and heads there. Her Godfather taught her about her love of flowers so it only seems right that she should go.

When her Godfather, Ian’s, elderly caretaker Hamish MacGregor shows her to the cottage upon her arrival, she finds the once resplendent grounds of Duncreigan in a dreadful shambles along with a dead body in the Garden. Within the first few hours of being in Scotland she is already being questioned by the handsome Chief Inspector Neil Craig and getting her passport seized. But it’s Craig’s fixation on Uncle Ian’s loyal caretaker, Hamish, as a prime suspect, that really makes her worried. Can she help prove that Hamish is innocent before he ends up arrested?

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books in this series. Love the characters!!

This is my first cozy mystery read from Amanda Flower. This is book one in a brand new series. It takes place in a small Scottish town. It has to do with a magic garden and murder. I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written and I can't wait to read more. I recommend this to others.

The mystery is well written and there are enough suspects to hold your interest. The author doesn't make it too difficult to determine who the killer is, but she does give the reader an entertaining conclusion. The characters are entertaining, interesting, and each have their own personalities. The one thing that I wasn't a big fan of were all of the editing errors, which had me losing my focus on the story every time I came across one of them.

Good start to a new series. The idea of a magical garden got my attention and the story was whimsical and fun to read. Being set is Scotland was a nice change and provides a good escape, nice weekend read.

The first book in a new series, FLOWERS AND FOUL PLAY finds Miss Fiona Knox, a newcomer to a Scottish village because of an inheritance. She's just left behind her life in America, which she had become aware was falling apart.

The pretty typical stuff for a cozy mystery:
An ex who broke her heart that she's left behind in the US. A new love interest almost immediately.
A mysterious background connection to the person who left her the inheritance. While we're introduced to him being her godfather, there are definitely some signs that imply there's a biological connection.

A magic garden, an eclectic village, and a squirrel, cat and fix that are all given humanistic traits...Definitely check it out.

what a lovely beginning to a new series and a new author{for me}. A magic garden, Scottish small town, murder. absolutely enjoyable. i did feel that there was a bit of a cliffhanger at the ending. hopefully it will be addressed in the next book. I was given a free ARC through Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books. my review is freely and honestly given

This is a great debut in the new series by Amanda Flower.

Fiona answers a summons to go to Scotland to claim her inheritance of her late godfather 's estate...little does she know all of the adventures that await her. A small town where news spreads fast, new friends, cuddly animals, a handsome inspector, and a murder in her magical garden that starts springing back to life as soon as she arrives...that's enough to make her question whether she wants to remain in Scotland or flee back to her hometown of Nashville, where a failed business and ex-fiance await.

Fiona is tough, caring, and spunky: a perfect protagonist for this new series.

Flowers and Foul Play is the first book in The Magic Garden Mystery series. It’s about Fiona Knox, a recently dumped florist who has to go to Scotland to handle her recently deceased godfather’s estate. When she arrives in Scotland, she stumbles upon the dead body of her godfather’s lawyer and must catch the culprit before her godfather’s dearest friend goes to jail.

I’m a big Amanda Flower fan! I read several of her other cozy mystery series’ and just loved them all! And this one was no expectation. It was amazing! Literally amazing! I was drawn in from the first page and didn’t stop until I got to the last word of the story. I was hooked.

One of my favorite things about the book was the setting—Scotland! I’ve never been, but this book made me want to go. While reading, I felt like I was there. The descriptions were so crisp, colorful and detailed. They were beautiful and magical. I also loved the lore included in the story as well. Very intriguing.

Fiona was an excellent main character. Very likable and realistic. Her grief and her personality were just so relatable and real. I instantly connected with her and to everything she was going through. The secondary characters were all so delightful and interesting. Everyone had their own story and personality. I connected with each and every one of them.

The mystery itself was just—wow! It was SO good! It was captivating and twisty. It definitely caught me off guard sometimes, which I loved! It’s very unpredictable, and a lot of fun.

Overall, a great start to an amazing series! A+! I can’t wait for the next one.

I loved reading this book and seeing how Fiona found anew life with her godfather's home and garden. It was neat seeing Fiona see all that the garden had to offer and solve a mystery at the same time. Fiona's trip didn't seem to start out any better than what she had left at home, but as she gets to know her new community it all comes together and she finds her self very much liking her hopefully soon to be new home.
I received a copy from the author, the review is mine.

FLOWERS AND FOUL PLAY by Amanda Flower
The First Magic Garden Mystery

Fiona Knox's life has been turned upside down. Her beloved godfather, Ian, died, her flower shop went out of business, and her fiancee left her for the cake decorator! Fiona arrives in Scotland to Duncreigan, the cottage and garden bequeathed to her only to find more turmoil as she and her godfather's trusted friend and caretaker find the dead body of Ian's lawyer in the withered garden. The lawyer was disliked by many, primarily due to his selling out the town to developers, but the Chief Inspector has pegged Hamish for the murder. Certain of his innocence, Fiona investigates the town and its residents, but will she find the murderer or will the murderer find her?

The first Magic Garden Mystery ticks all the requirements of a great cozy mystery. There's a sympathetic protagonist to whom we can relate, a quaint setting in a charming town, some adorable scene stealing animals, a possible love interest, and a touch of magic! Not only that, there's a well plotted mystery with lots of suspects along with some excitement.

There's just a hint of magic found here, which grows as the book progresses. Scottish lore plays an important role, both in securing the setting and adding charm and mystical possibilities. I look forward to Fiona discovering her true role as Keeper of the Garden and discovering, along with her, just what that entails. I was enchanted, not only by the mysterious garden, but by my two favorite characters, Duncan and Ivanhoe. The mischievous and fierce little squirrel and the regal and entitled cat are fully developed characters in their own right. I only hope they can declare peace with each other as I want to continue reading about both of them.

FLOWERS AND FOUL PLAY is a great start to a charming new mystery series sure to delight readers.

A delightful new book to what should be a great series! I love the setting and Amanda Flower brought her flair for the pen to this novel. Along with vivacious characters, and a charming setting the mystery is great and will leave a reader wanting more!

Title: Flowers and Foul Play: A Magic Garden Mystery

Author: Amanda Flower

Ch: 40 plus Epilogue

Pg: 320

Florist Fiona Knox

Chief Inspector Neil Craig

Hamish



After her fiancé leaves her on the eve of her wedding and she receives news that her godfather has died Florist Fiona Knox leaves Nashville for Scotland and her inheritance. She wasn't planning on finding a dead body in the flower garden once she arrived. Now she has to figure out who done it before herself or the elderly caretaker Hamish is locked up for murder.



I've read other books by Amanda Flower and enjoyed most of them. Flowers and Foul Play is an all new series set in Scotland. Complete with a magical flower garden and a small village in Scotland. For a first book in a series the book moved along at a pretty good pace not to slow or fast. With Amanda's other mysteries I've read I wasn't able to guess of the suspect was and that was nice. I like mysteries that keep me guessing right up until the end. I am looking forward to the next book in in the series.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. A

Fiona Knox's uncle and godfather Ian MacCallister had left her his cottage and grounds. After a disastrous folding of her flower shop in Nashville, TN and losing her fiance to their cake decorator, Fiona had nothing left to lose. She packed herself up and went to Scotland only to find her uncle's dead lawyer in the garden and the handsome chief inspector looking at the elderly caretaker as a person of interest. Fiona had to learn about the garden as well since a letter outlining everything from Ian was somehow lost in the mail or was living at her parents' house. Trying to get police attention away from Hamish, take care of the magic garden which thrived beautifully now that she was there and questioning possible suspects took most of her first few days in Scotland.

I had suspected the person behind it but definitely didn't know the motive behind it. The showdown was pretty exciting and the ending was very satisfying and sweet. I loved the last couple of sentences and had leaky eyes even though I had suspected that all along. I won't spoil it, you'll just have to read it and see! My favorite characters were Fiona of course, Hamish and Neil Craig, the chief inspector. Hamish had a few secrets but I also knew down deep he was a good man.

I'm hoping something definitely develops between Neil and Fiona. He really seemed to care about her as he gave her the usual warnings about investigating. I think he honestly was worried about her more than worried that she'd mess up his case. The character of the police chief was kind of a comic relief, at least to me. He was a volunteer and seemed so ridiculous I had to giggle at him once when he stormed into the pub saying if he'd been in charge of this murder, it would have been solved. I kind of pictured Constable George's character on the Murdoch Mysteries, only with a little more bravery to his voice lol.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley. I'm anxious to read the next book and am happy to have been approved by the publisher to read and review it as well.

An interesting start to a new series. The setting was very picturesque, and I would love to visit the village. The mystery was very interesting, although I feel like the ending was missing something. I can't wait to read the next book!

This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read by Ms. Flower and I’ve read several of them . It is so easy to love, Fiona Knox from the very beginning as you learn that her fiancé left her for their cake decorator and she has to close her flower shop. There is a silver lining when she inherits her godfathers estate, so she travels to Scotland to claim it.

Not only did I love Fiona, I loved everything about this novel. The setting, the cottage, Hamish the elderly caretaker of the property and the characters we meet in this story. I know that the author is going to write in a couple of furry characters that steal a few scenes and my heart but this time she surprised me with Duncan, a rather chatty squirrel and a dear companion to Hamish. Ivanhoe the cat is obviously very dear to me because I am a cat lover.

I was pleased to meet the residents of the village fairly early in the story which made it easy to keep track of them and get to know them and their relationship to Alistair Croft the attorney that Fiona needed to meet since he was handling the estate she inherited. The only problem with meeting Alistair is that he was murdered in the magical garden that now belongs to her. With this being a cozy, there is nothing graphic about the attorneys demise and there were several times I laughed throughout this book.

I’ve often wondered what it must be like to live in the mind of Ms. Flower although to be honest, I’m not sure I could keep up! Which is fine with me because I’m perfectly content to sit back and enjoy her wonderful imagination and the gift of her writing.

This is he perfect book for a lazy sunny day to escape to a garden that you don’t have to tend.

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley and have given my honest opinion

Super great new series. I love the magical aspect in books. The main character was endearing and lovely. I will definitely keep reading this series.

Flowers and Foul Play is a first rate cozy mystery! All of the important elements are in place: excellent characters, a charming and magical setting, a conflict that matters to the entire village, and a fast-paced, well-written mystery.
Fiona Knox travels to Duncreigan, her godfather's home in Scotland, to settle his estate and get some distance from the shambles her life had become in Tennessee. Her trip does not begin auspiciously, she finds a body in the garden and the Chief Inspector confiscates her passport. This sets Fiona on the path of solving the mystery. She finds danger and friendship in equal amounts. And, just maybe a little magic and purpose in the Duncreigan garden.
I am eager for the release of the next book in this series.