A perfect mixture of a cozy small town mystery, American girl in the UK, and a touch of magic. The characters are charming and the mystery was engrossing.

This is the first book in the series that I have read but I will now start at the beginning. I loved the characters and the idea of a magical secret garden. Throw in family secrets and it gets even better. Fiona’s sleuthing kept my interest and I look forward to more of her adventures.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Between a visit from her busybody parents intent on guilting Fiona into returning home to take over the family farm and her responsibilities with the upcoming concert in her small town of Bellewick, Fiona has her hands full. On top of this, someone has broken into the magical garden she has inherited from her Godfather and killed all of the plants inside. Before she can begin to make a plan to bring the plants back to life, she is embroiled in another investigation. When Barley, the superstar fiddler who returned to Bellewick for the concert is found murdered in his tour bus, Fiona jumps at the chance to investigate, even though she risks disapproval from her boyfriend who also happens to be the chief inspector in charge of the case. As she starts digging for clues she soon realizes there are plenty of people in the community angry at Barley for one reason or another. It soon becomes evident that Fiona has her work cut over for her as even her own father has ties to the murder victim.
Mums and Mayhem is the third in the magical garden mystery series set in the small, picturesque Aberdeenshire community of Bellewick. The mystery was smartly plotted and moved swiftly as Fiona uncovered clues that led her in many different directions. The revelation of the true killer at the end came as a true shock, as I was unable to guess their identity beforehand. Fiona makes for a great lead; fiercely independent yet willing to seek out help when necessary. Readers were finally introduced to Fiona's parents and many secrets pertaining to Fiona's past were unveiled. The members of the Bellewick community are comically blunt, if not always kind, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to these multi-layered mysteries. I look forward to seeing what the future now holds in store for Fiona in her next adventure, which I hope is released soon. I highly recommend this series, as well as the author's other mystery series, for those looking for some light mystery reading.

Amanda Flower does it again with another amazingly well written cozy mystery. Of all the cozy authors out there, Amanda Flower is always consistent with the work she produces, and each novel is fast-paced, exciting, and full of amazing characters. "Mums and Mayhem" is the 3rd instalment in the Magic Garden Mystery Series, and is the first novel in the series that I have read. I was wary to try this book out only because it is a few books into the series. Thankfully, the author does such a great job in the opening chapters catching a new reader up to what has happened in the previous novels without giving too much away if one wants to go back and read book one and two (which I fully intend to do!)

In "Mums and Mayhem", Fiona Knox is a member of The Merchant Society, a group of business owners who are involved with making the village of Bellewick a better place. The society is all working together to host a home-coming concert for world famous Scottish fiddler Barley McFee who was born in Bellewick but left home and became famous vowing to never return. With all the hardwork of planning the concert, Fiona also has to keep up with her parents who are coming to Scotland to visit, and her sister Isla's new romance with less than stellar Seth. On top of this, as guardian of the magical garden gifted to her by her Godfather Ian after his death, Fiona has a lot of her shoulders. The last thing she needed was to find Barley McFee dead in his tour bus.

What follows is a fast paced mystery that plays on a lot of peoples past secrets and shows that no matter how long you are away from your past, it never truly leaves you.

The author is a genius at creating landscape and scenery in her writing. Whether she is discussing a small town in New York State, an Amish settlement in Ohio, or a small Scottish village, she takes great effort in creating this space that the reader can visualize very clearly. Her characterization is unique, and each minor character she introduces is woven seamlessly into the story, and everyone has a purpose.

I highly recommend all of Amanda Flower's books, and the Magic Garden Mystery series should be on every cozy mystery fans TBR list.

I always enjoy this author’s books and this was no exception. Well written and entertaining cozy murder mystery with quirky characters. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Magic and Mayhem by Amanda Flower is the third book in the Magic Garden Series. Set in the quaint village of Scotland, the story features yet another murder mystery at Fiona's hands, which she solves with some help from her magical inheritance and her adorable nosy nature. Not only that, she is also a grave danger of having her 300 year old legacy killed at the hands of an unknown trespasser, and at the same time battling questions of her birth and identity.
The book is a quick, refreshing and engaging read. The multiple mysteries kept me engaged and the numerous characters made the book an enjoyable read. Fiona comes across as a mature and balanced woman trying to keep her heritage alive, all the while owing up to her slightly nosy nature and trying to investigate the mystery on her own. Isla, her sister, on the other hands, is a playful and chatty character, and likeable in her own way, though I did find her a bit too immature for my taste. The mystery of Fiona's birth added more mystery to the already interesting storyline, and Fiona's maturity in dealing with the questions of her identity without spiraling was commendable. The magic garden, yellow rose, the cute Ivanhoe, and the blue eyed fox created a environment of magic and comfort.
The mystery was not a big head-scratcher, and I was a bit disappointed at the climax. I was expecting the rejuvenation of the garden to be a more mysterious and magical affair, and was disappointed that it wasn't so. There were also a few typos here and there, which probably need to be corrected before publishing.

I loved this book! The premise is magical and done so well. I also liked the plot very much. Not an old standard but a new and interesting and complex story!

Another installment in Amanda Flower Magic Garden Mystery.
Brought back to Scotland with Fiona, her sister Isla, and constable Craig.
Another murder in the small fishing town and a travesty in the secret garden.
I recommend reading previous books in series to understand some of the storyline.

Amanda Flower has written a wonderfully fun cozy mystery. The setting and the writing style are A plus. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This is the 3rd in the Magic Garden Mystery series. Fiona Knox awakens from a dream in which the magic garden is dead. She rushes to the garden and all is well but she is very troubled. Fiona is working with the local merchants group to support a homecoming concert of Barley McFee a local fiddler who is world famous. When he meets Fiona she learns he was childhood friends with her Uncle Ian and he gets evasive when she asks about her Father. Fiona is putting the mums around the stage when she hears a violent argument between Barley and Kenda who is a backup fiddler in his band. She is just hoping all goes well and the village can go back to normal. Fiona’s parents are arriving from the US and she is anxious to talk to the about Uncle Ian and her birth. When they do arrive they avoid any serious conversation and when she mentions the concert she asks her Father if he knew Barley and he becomes evasive. The day of the concert arrives and all is going well. The band takes a break and Fiona is asked to go find Barley in his tour bus and unfortunately she finds him dead in a horrific way. On the way to the bus she sees the historian Carver who has been bugging Fiona about the garden and she immediately goes back to the image of the garden. After the news breaks of Barley’s death the band must stay in town and Fiona heads back to her flower shop and is besieged by some of his fans BMG’s (Barley McFee Grannies) to get flowers for the spot he was killed. She arrives home late and wakes early thinking about the garden. She runs to the garden and finds it is dying. The yellow rose coming out of the menhir has been cut. Fiona takes the rose and puts it in water and is struggling how to get the garden to come back. The press have arrived and are trying to get info about Barley’s death. Fiona’s sister Isla tells one that she found the body and that she is dating Inspector Craig. Yikes. Fiona learns from Kenda the backup fiddler that another man named Stephen saw Barley after she left to go to the stage. Fiona knows that is her Father. Now she must investigate to clear her Father’s name. There was a lot going on in this mystery and the mystery of the garden along with the murder. I really enjoy this series and the idea of the magic in the garden and what we may learn in the future about the stone. Will be interesting to see the next in this series. Anything this author writes I will read!

Such a fun cozy mystery. I really enjoyed getting to know Fiona Knox and Chief Inspector Craig, not to mention the beautiful, magical garden and the Scottish countryside.

Fantastic mystery,I really enjoyed reading this book and will definitely seek out more from this author. Highly recommended

This is the latest installment of the Magical garden series. Fiona's parents are coming to visit her and her sister, Isla, in Scotland. There is also a concert from a famous fiddle player going on in the village. Not long after he arrives, the fiddle player is found dead in his tour bus. Fiona tries to juggle the murder, her parents visit, and the mystery of her garden. I enjoyed the mystery and how it tied in with Fiona's parents visit. I liked learning more about the garden. We finally get some answers about Fiona's past with. There were a few typos that through me off a couple of times, but the story overall was good.

I love this series but this was not my favorite. The pace seemed slower than previous books and the whole the parents are here thing didn't add a lot for the story. A few characters that were constant in the other books in this one had to give their time to the "parents show up in the city" arc and the little sister, instead of just endearingly silly become rather obnoxious.
Despite the problems, it was still a fun story to read and I look for the next book already.

Fiona Knox (from Tenn.) inherited a cottage and garden in Scotland from her biological father. The garden is magical and Fiona is the keeper of the garden. The garden is damaged and the fox that hovers close by alerts Fiona to find the trespasser and culprit of the damage. The town is holding a concert for a celebrity, Barley, a fiddle player that was born in Bellewick. In the middle of the concert Barley is found dead by Fiona. Fiona is curious and solves the murder of Barley.

I love a good cozy mystery and this is one of my favorites so far! I haven’t read the first 2 books in this series but I didn’t need to. I was able to understand what happened in the last books that contributed to this story without a large retelling. The story flowed nicely, I was able to picture the setting, and the murder was a surprise! I’m finding Amanda Flower to be one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. I can’t wait to read the first two books of the series!

Fiona is a softy at heart with a nosy exterior but she means good, she reminds me of someone very close. Anyhow the juice of this book happened in the middle thereby, taking this book from meh, as my son loves to say, to it’s alright now. The characters are cool except that Claver guy I think Fiona was too easy on him after what he did. Like I said she is a softy, I would have let him have it, in jail that is. Craig seems to be the right mix for Fiona who is gun shy from her previous broken relationship but her heart is deeply entwined with Craigs, that’s for sure. This cozy mystery had the right blend of romance and mayhem, it was just right.

Which is worse? A visit from your parents who desperately want you and/or your sister to move back home and who have kept the secret of your birthfather from you your whole life or being embroiled in another murder investigation? Actually, worse is having both happen at the same time and toss in that someone has vandalized your not so secret magic garden! I absolutely love this series and this book is by far the best yet! Yes, I say that after each book, but I really do mean it each time! I can't wait to see what happens in the next book! Great characters that you connect with and wish they could be your actual friends as well as a charming setting make you hope the next book will come quickly. Although the multi-layered plotting may be the actual meat of the book and keeps you entertained and wanting more, the characters will charm you and keep you wanting more, more, more!!!

A charming cozy mystery. I found the book to be fun, interesting and we'll written. The action of the book starts close to the beginning, the book becomes more enjoyable as the plot twists and turns. The characters are relatable and I enjoyed getting to know them as story went on. Fiona the main character lives a complicated but enjoyable life doing what she loves. The characters are well developed and a bit quriky. I also enjoyed not being able to figure out the plot within the first few chapters, Amanda Flowers kept me guessing until the end. If you enjoy cozy mysterys that are well written and thought out you will enjoy Mums and Mayhem

Mums and Mayhem was a delight to read. I thoroughly enjoyed being back in Fiona's world, in Scotland. In this installment, Fiona has much on her mind. A famous, acclaimed musician from Bellewick returns for a homecoming concert and is murdered. Fiona's family is visiting, and it soon becomes apparent that her parents have ties to this murdered man. As the secrets begin to be revealed, Fiona realizes that it is up to her to clear suspicion that her father might be the murderer. To add to her worries, the magic garden is dying and Fiona doesn't know what to do to help it recover.

I really enjoyed the back drop of the small Scottish village, the magic garden, and Fiona and her friends and family. This is a charming series, and I enjoyed the storyline and mystery in this one. I was given a copy of the book by the publisher and this is my honest review.