An entertaining and satisfying cozy mystery. I enjoyed the previous book more but this was still a good cozy.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

When Lilly Jayne's friend Harmon Dane dies suddenly, Lilly learns she has been named executor of his estate. In Tilling the Truth by Julia Henry, Lilly believes there will be unpleasantness with his relatives and she is correct. Once again, the Garden Squad is involved in jealousies, inheritance squabbles and murder. An entertaining mystery

Julia Henry has created a delightful sense of community in the small town of Goosebush, Massachusetts. Lilly Jayne and her Garden Squad provide enjoyment with their willingness to help each other and desire to solve the town's problems. 'Tilling the Truth' is the second in the series and it further fleshes out the characters, their motivations and the opportunities for growth. I am especially interested in what might happen between Lilly and Roddy. 'The fallout from the murder in the story impacts everyone in ways I hadn't anticipated and I was diverted from the true culprit in expert fashion. I am looking forward to more in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Garden Squad is back! With Lilly Jayne as their de facto leader, they are cleaning up gardens and solving mysteries all over Goosebush, Massachusetts. This is book two in the series and can be read as a stand-alone. It is wonderfully written. Lilly Jayne is rich with eccentricities and she actually seems rather southern to me.

There are a lot of characters, both recurring and new, to keep track of. The mystery is a bit tough to follow as there are many suspicious players. However, it's resolved well. The beginning of the book really drew me in and established the setting. Then it was just a LOT about the murders and less about the town and non-murder interactions. Despite that, I will definitely be looking into book #1 in this series.

#NetGalley #Reviewathon
#TillingTheTruth

I'm so glad the title of this book caught my eye! I really enjoyed meeting the Garden Squad. That being said I wish I had read the first book, but I have downloaded it from my library. I loved the setting, and the people coming together to help one another. I highly recommend this book and will anxiously be awaiting the next book in the series.

I fell in love with the first book in this series and had high expectations for this one. I'm happy that I wasn't disappointed.
I love Lily, she's a great and well written characters. It was great to meet again the cast of characters and read about the changes in their life.
The setting is lovely as usual and the plot is engrossing and entertaining, based on an original idea.
The mystery kept me guessing till the end and it's full of red herrings, twists and turns.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Lilly Jane and her group of friends thought that they were in the clear when it came to murder, but when death comes to Goosebush again, this time it puts Tamara, Lilly’s best friend, in the spot light as a possible suspect. In between committee meetings and local real estate drama, newcomers and old grumps, the Garden Squad comes face to face with murder in a way that puts several of their own lives at risk. Lilly swears to mind her own business, but her inquisitive mind can’t help her but get closer to the truth than she knows…

What I like best about the Garden Squad mysteries is that the relationships between the characters are so rich, and the small town community so interesting, that I could honestly just read a book about Goosebush drama sans murder and find it just as compelling. Henry really gets the small, close-knit, historical town vibe just right - people do get that heated about zoning and permits! It makes reading so much fun because it’s drama that’s relatable and familiar.

There are a lot of red herrings in this book but it really keeps the reader guessing, and I honestly thought the killer was going to be an entirely different person. I love that about a good mystery, when you think you have the motive and murderer nailed down but it ends up being something totally different that makes even more sense. Henry does this with ease, intertwining the mystery and town drama together effortlessly in a deeply compelling way.

Tilling the Truth will be released on August 27, 2019.

New to me author, but a delightful ready with wonderful characters, a fast pace with plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting..

Lilly Jayne and the Garden Squad are back and making Goosebush, Massachusetts a better place to live. When a local woman is murdered, the Garden Squad steps up to find out who did it and why, especially since one of their own was set up to take the fall.

As the group of friends begin digging, they find quite a few trails that lead back to a group of locals and find that one of Lilly’s dear friends may have been murdered after everyone thought he had died of a heart attack. But trails need proof and the gang needs to find it before they can clear up not just one, but two murders.

This has to be one of my favorite newer series. The first book gripped me and I was waiting for the second book with bated breath. While the main character is older, the Garden Squad members range in age on down to a newly minted college instructor. There is something for everyone in this series and the mysteries are well thought out and give clues that help you discover the murdered and determine why if you piece them all together. Let the count down to book three begin!

#GardenSquadGoals

I'll be honest, I picked this book to read as I needed a gardening book for a book bingo I participate in throughout the year. I really did not think I would like it but I did. In fact, I have already downloaded the first book from my local library.

I do agree with another review I read that it would have been better to have read the first book in the series. A few times I felt lost in the character development but the author did a great job in giving just enough information for me to figure it out.

Tilling the Truth has made me look around at neighboring gardens and appreciate the time and patience people put into them. I do know I would not know one poisonous plant from another.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

This is the second in a series featuring Lilly Jayne, town maven and her band of friends. Lilly is from one of the oldest families in Goosebush, Massachusetts and is dedicated to keeping the town a delightful place to live. A garden enthusiast, she is accompanied by friends who have both an interest in gardening and unique talents of their own that range from her childhood friend Tamara who is a real estate broker to her new neighbor Roddy. All of the secondary characters and members of the garden squad have unique talents and voices that add to the overall atmosphere of the book.
In this novel, it is apparent early on that someone is trying to implicate Tamara in the murder of a town resident. If that’s not enough, someone is also sabotaging her business, ruining her open houses and spreading rumors about her inability to be current in terms of dealing with the buying and selling of real estate
Lilly and friends are quick to enter the fray and begin gathering facts. From the outset, most readers will find the identity of the culprit easy to determine. There is a secondary murder which I had also suspected long before it was revealed. The book offers lots of clues but not many effective red herrings. Still, it is enjoyable to catch up on the goings-on in Goosebush for anyone who is interested in reading series.
The personal relationships between Lilly and other members of the town continue to grow and take more defined shape. While it isn’t necessary to have read the first book in the series, if a reader likes to be involved in the relationship changes as they happen, they would probably be best served to read books in order of publication.
I preferred the first book in the series in terms of well plotted mystery. This one seemed to leave little for the reader to figure out on their on. Still, the characters in the book are interesting, as is the small town of Goosebush and the book offers an opportunity to spend some time escaping into a different world, populated with some people many would welcome into their own neighborhood. My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Electronic Reader copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Visiting with Lilly Jane, Delia and the Garden Squad, in Goosebush, is like coming home to visit old friends!

A ruthless real estate agent, the surprising death of Lilly Jane's friend Harmon, greedy relatives, Delia moving out to follow her teaching career and bickering neighbors lead to murder and unrest in Goosebush. When Lilly Jane's best friend Tamera, is a suspect in a murder, the squad goes into action to clear her name.

I'm in "book" love with this series! The main character, Lilly Jane, is mature and has seen both happiness and sadness in her life, like we all have experienced, without letting the sad times overwhelm her. The credit for this goes to her strong will and the lovely group of friends she has had for years. Not only are they friends, but they share her curiously and need for the truth. The addition of Lilly Jane's new neighbor, Roddy, adds a small but if romance and I wonder what his"story" will be!

The mystery is fast-paced and filled with red herrings. The perfect mystery for me!

I received an ARC from Net Galley for a fair and honest review of this book.

Once again murder has invaded the idyllic small town of Goosebush, and it is up to Lilly Jayne and her garden squad to solve the mystery. When the body of the mean spirited Gladys is found at the town dump on recycling day with Lily's best friend Tamara standing over her with a faucet, after the two women had a major public fight just two days before and after Gladys had ruined an open house that Tamara was conducting, she seems to be the obvious suspect. But Lilly knows there is now way that Tamara could be guilty, so she and her friends once again ride to the rescue to save one of their own. This book has a fine plot, a delightful older heroine and a charming small town feel with a sense of community.

These books give me such a sense of peace when I read them. I love the stories, such great mysteries and how they are solved. I love the age differences in all the key players and how they all interact with one another. This is a fabulous series and I can't wait for more.