SFPD Inspector Rachel Laing is currently working with the Cold Case Unit - a serial killer known as the Highwayman has been identified - the race is on to discover the name of his victims and the location of the bodies before he dies.
When human remains are discovered under a sculpture being moved on the Gardner Estate, she is sent to investigate and determine if the remains are related to the Highwayman. The story alternates between the past and the present of the estate - during the seventies it was a commune focused on peace, love and living off the land. In the present, the estate is overseen by members of the trust to ensure that the estate will survive. The stories of the people involved in the commune are revealed and the reason it eventually fell apart. Rachel examines the lives of those involved, trying to uncover any connection to the Highwayman and the identity of the human remains. While she is successful in obtaining information from the Highwayman about his victims, the identity of the remains found on the estate is unexpected.
Character driven page turner - thanks to Random House and Netgalley for an ARC.

Homicide detective Raquel Laing, now on cold cases, has her work cut out for her. Fifty years ago, the heir to a California estate, Rob Gardener, turned his home into a counterculture commune to spite his oppressive grandfather. But that was also a time the now-captured and dying serial killer The Highwayman was at work.

And now, as the Estate is preparing for a new future, a human skull is discovered. A lot of people disappeared from the Gardener Estate the summer when the commune fell apart: a young woman, her child, and Rob’s brother, Fort. And back then Rob Gardener was a troubled Vietnam vet whose girlfriend vanished after a festival that summer. .

This cold case mystery is a clever police procedural, but not a page turner for me until close to the end. I’m a huge fan of King’s Mary Russell series so I was eager to try this standalone, but Raquel doesn’t stand out the way Mary does. We didn’t spend a lot of time in her POV in the beginning and it took a while for me to get familiar with her, her situation, and relationships.

It has a dual timeline between the present and the 70s. Some parts were slow, especially with the exposition in the beginning and some of the descriptions of the house and art. I didn’t feel like the pace picked up until 2/3 into the story. But then the last third and the final solution of the victim and the perpetrator was great and I couldn’t stop reading.

A mix of contemporary police procedural and historic killings (1970s) with fascinating characters. First rate reading.

Big thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Back to the Garden.

Fifty years ago, the Gardener Estate's young heir, Rob Gardener, turned his palatial home into a counterculture commune of peace, love, and equality. However, a lot of people seem to have disappeared from the estate that summer, when the commune mysteriously fell apart. Inspector Raquel Laing is trying to solve the Highwayman cold case when bones are uncovered underneath a famous statue in the beautiful estate's garden.

I really enjoyed Back to the Garden! (Partly because I grew up during the hippie/commune era!) It was a NEVER boring book. The story was in dual timelines but each chapter had a Then or Now chapter heading so was easy to keep straight. Also, there was a bit of a large cast of characters but I found them easy to keep track of.

The main character, Inspector Raquel Laing, is very likable and well fleshed out. Now that I think about it, I liked all of the characters! In fact, I would love to see this book become the first of a series.

#BacktotheGarden #NetGalley

As a new reader to Laurie King, I was amazed after reading this book that I had never read any of her previous novels.

This book takes place during two time periods, the tumultuous 70's and the present. Inspector Rachel Laing is introduced as the detective investigating a cold case murder that occurred on a Commune during the post Vietnam War and the Hippies movement . Past and present combine as family secrets are revealed to a conclusion that I did not see..

An excellent thriller that I will strongly recommend.

I really enjoyed this dual timeline mystery centered around a body found buried in the base of a statue in a grand California estate. We follow the modern day investigation as they try to uncover the identity of the body and could if possibly be the work of a serial killer working the area in the 70's.

This story kept me turning the pages as the backstory involving the estate's time as a commune unfolded. I liked the characters and found them well written and interesting. The mystery kept me guessing and I didn't see the ending coming.

This was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend to anyone interested in a good mystery.

Rated 4 out of 5.

A NetGalley ARC, this one due to be published on September 6, 2022. As a fan of King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, I immediately wanted to read this standalone book. Thank you to Random House for approving my request!

When a statue is moved at the Gardner Estate due to waterlogged ground, a body is discovered underneath. Based on when the statue was put into place, the body has been there since the 1970s, or approximately 50 years. The discovery brings San Francisco Police Inspector Raquel Laing down to San Mateo County to determine if the remains could be one of the Highwayman's many victims despite his known hunting ground being the Bay Area.

Questions arise as Laing digs deep into the history of the Gardner family and the Estate, the commune and the people who are still in the area who remember what it was like back then, including Estate Manager Jen Bachus who grew up nearby.

A convoluted tale of greed, love, jealousy, and resentment. The characterization is extraordinarily strong, the plot satisfyingly complex, and an ending that could work as the start of a new series.

I wouldn't call this a fast read, but King's ability to draw you into the world she has developed demands to be savored, so no complaints on my part. There are some flashbacks, something I'm not usually a fan of, but in this case it helped me to know Rob better, to understand why he was like he was. I really enjoyed this from start to finish. Definitely would recommend to those readers who like a more complex story with dollops of history, art, and a bit of psychology.


(Crossposted on GoodReads, Tumblr, and StoryGraph._

Often, writers get pigeonholed into a single series. Truly gifted authors are able to transcend a single series and create new stories that are completely different. Laurie R. King has been doing this for years with the Russell & Holmes, Stuyvesant & Grey, Kate Martinelli, and her standalone novels. This new offering, featuring neuro-divergent San Francisco police detective Raquel Laing is one I hope will turn into a series, because Laing deserves more stories!!!

King tells a story here that has roots in the robber baron era of the American West that spread into a 1970s commune, and all the way to a present day California mansion. The robber baron era plays a very small part here, essentially setting background for the 70s commune and present day mystery involving bones discovered beneath a massive statue on the grounds of the Gardener Mansion.

King blends the Gardener mystery with a serial killer who operated during the same time as the commune and is only now being investigated for his crimes while he approaches death. There’s a lot going on here - plenty of story threads that somehow all converge to a very satisfying ending. King evokes the naive, counterculture, freelove of the commune perfectly and brings those characters into the present time with sensitivity and care. But, it’s the character development of Detective Laing that shines here. She’s one of the most interesting characters I’ve read in a long time and I hope we see more of her in the future.

King is a consummate storyteller, and that skills shines through here.

Highly recommended.

The book was a slow start for me and felt wordy to begin with. I pushed through and found myself enjoying the bounce between the “then” and “now” chapters. I felt the second half of the book redeemed the first half’s slowness. I appreciated invitation into Raquel’s thought process.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Another great read by Ms King. Her use of flashbacks were tightly woven within the story and kept the reader turning the pages.

This book by Laurie King has an interesting plot with a surprise ending. I found it to be a very slow read with lots of details and a very slow place, but it was worth the time and effort. The storyline moves between "Now" and "Then," providing details that are the background for the case that Inspector Raquel Laing is investigating. Human remains have been found at an estate with a very intriguing history that includes a troubled family and four years of being a commune. Laing is involved in the chase to uncover the past murders of "The Highway Man" that stretch across decades and include the deaths of countless young women. With the suspect literally on his deathbed, the police are pressing him to give up the names and locations of his victims, and Laing believes the remains found at the Gardner Estate could be one of his victims. She is willing to risk her career and her safety to solve the case. Will she be successful? Read and find out.

Laurie King fans will quickly devour this newest stand alone story. It introduces a new character Homicide Detective Raquel Laing who has been assigned to work a cold case about a serial killer operating in the 1970's . In the course, she gets involved in another case involving the recent discovery of another body from the same time period at an estate in the San Mateo area. King has masterful character and plot development, with dual timelines. Her attention to detail makes the setting real. You want to visit there, and talk to the characters. The story brings her Kate Martinelli series of detective procedurals into the present day, and uses Mary Russell's logic and attention to specifics, to bring us a rolicking good story of the peace and love days of communes in California. For those who have never read Laurie King, this is an excellent place to start. She is at her best here.

This book started out so strong and compelling and then wrapped up a little too neatly for me. I was very interested in the story, the characters, the plot, and the way the story went back and forth between modern-day and the past - it was all very appealing and compelling. The wrap-up was very disappointing. I hope to see this detective again and to see a bit more follow-through in the plotting.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for gifting me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this book so much. For some reason I began to feel it drag toward the middle, and I can't quite put my finger on why. There are two ongoing stories: one set in present day, and one following a hippie commune in '70s California. The characters were interesting and multifaceted, and I really enjoyed the writing style. I really don't have anything negative to say other than I was pretty bored at some points during the read.

Inspector Raquel Laing gets assigned to the San Francisco Cold Case Division. She takes on a 50-year-old cold case following a skeleton recovered at the Gardener Estate, which housed a commune in the '70s. The suspect in the case is a man who is recently discovered to have been a serial killer around that time. He also just so happens to be on his death bed. Inspector Laing must race the clock to try to find a connection between this victim and killer.

Back to the Garden by Laurie R King tells the story of Inspector Raquel Laing who is working on a 50 year old cold case. I have not read one of her books before. I really enjoyed the characters and her writing style. A brilliant contrast between the grandparents era and the hippie era. I kept wanting to read even though the killer is identified in the beginning I hope we get to work on another case with Raquel. I will recommend this book. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

On my goodness, This is a great book! I could not put it down. The author paints such a picture of what life was like in the 70's, what life was like in a Commune in those times, and what a great estate in California was like. She does this so well! The mystery, the murders, the serial killers, the jealousy, all wrapped up in very interesting and well developed characters. What's not to love? I loved the book, the story, the characters, the suspense, the intrigue, and did I mention the characters??? I want to see them all again and again. Rob, Fort, Davey, Meadow, Annabelle, Sparrow, and especially Jen and Raquel! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. Ms. King's characters and sense of place and time are excellent. I often get annoyed with novels that switch back and forth from past to present but this technique was suited to the novel and well-executed.

This was great. Told in two time periods and two storylines that all wrap up into one. Story 1: weathly estate turned into a commune turned back into an estate and all the history along with it. And then they find the dead body buried underneath a garden statue that's been there for decades. Story 2: Investigator thinks she's stumbled on a serial killer from the past. Is this body one of his victims? Suspenseful and kept you guessing. Definately recommended.

***I was provided an advance copy of this book for free by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. Here it is...***

I am a big fan of Laurie R. King and have read every book in her Mary Russell Mysteries series. However, I have never read one of her standalone novels, until now. This was a five-star book for me. The dual timelines were masterfully done, the characters were well developed, and the plot twist was actually surprising.

King created a great cast of characters that was large but that were easily distinguishable from each other. The main character definitely had some Sherlock-type tendencies but was likable and interesting. Given the vagueness of some of the main character's backstory, I can't help but wonder if we will see more of Inspector Raquel Laing someday. The ensemble characters, both in flashbacks and present-day, were well developed without being overly drawn out and detailed.

The dual timelines were easy to keep straight, even though you were switching back and forth frequently. I enjoyed reading from both and loved the descriptions of how different life was in the 70s, especially in the commune setting. The descriptions of the Gardener Estate's house and surrounding gardens make me wish there was such a place in Northern California to visit. The plot twist made sense, especially as other options were weeded out as the story went on. The reveal and the ending felt a little bit rushed, but I can see how things might be revealed quickly externally after being processed and figured out internally by the main character.

This felt a lot like the Mary Russell books, just with a more modern setting. The pacing and clue dropping were very similar. If you're a fan of the MR books, you will like this one too!

SFPD Inspector Raquel Laing is called to the Gardener Estate to investigate bones found buried below a statue on the grounds. The mystery of the bones kicks off a dive into the Gardener family’s history and the time when the estate was briefly a commune in the mid-1970s. During this time, there was also an unknown serial killer, dubbed The Highwayman, on the loose in the area. Were these events connected and, if so, how? The story goes back and forth in time, from different perspectives, as we fill in the blanks to get the full picture. The descriptions of the estate’s past are so vivid that it’s a character in this book as much as any of the people. Laurie R King really captured the time and place! I just loved this book and hope it’s the start of a new series! 🤞
*Thanks to the author, Bantam Books and NetGalley for this advance reader copy for review.