The temptation is great. Just drive her mother’s high school chum to the Pennsylvania Convention Center at 5:30 in the morning and Ginger Barnes gets to see the internationally renowned Philadelphia Flower Show before the rest of the world. What could possibly go wrong?
Lots. Winifred “Iffy” Bigelow is a bossy, ungrateful grouch. She treats Gin, her mother, and her niece Julia like low-paid employees then complicates their lives by ending up dead. Julia, just released from a mental hospital, snitches an Easter lily to place beside her strangled aunt and wins the title of Suspect No. 1. Mother Cynthia cannot bear the thought and commandeers Gin once again–this time to solve the crime.
Here’s the set-up for Donna Huston Murray’s Final Arrangements, just $2.99 on Kindle:
Gin’s mother trades a ride to the world-renowned Philadelphia Flower show for two passes to see it before the public arrives, a good deal until Iffy Bigelow, their #1 passenger, turns up strangled, ostensibly by their #2 passenger, Iffy’s emotionally disturbed niece.
Mom begs Gin to unearth the real murderer. “You’ve done it before, now you can you can do it for me.”
Gin Barnes never expected to become a detective, but when the Main Line horticulturist she escorts to the Philadelphia Flower Show is strangled, she finds herself seeking a vicious killer among the world’s most famous green thumbs.
From the Reviewers:
If you love the mysteries of Carolyn G. Hart, Jill Churchill, and Diane Mott Davidson, you’ll definitely want to add this new series to your library. — Nancy Pickard
The Philadelphia Flower Show is an event that draws thousands, and for good reason. It’s bright, colorful, dramatic and fun, just like this book! Gin Barnes is a down-to-earth woman who’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, both literally and figuratively, and when she gets drawn into a mystery, she draws you right in with her. If you like memorable local color, quirky characters and real suspense, this is the book for you.
Love Gin Barnes. Loved the background stuff about the flower show – who knew? And I didn’t guess the ending. Hope there are more…
I really enjoyed the original version of this book and am happy to have the updated Kindle version. It really kept me in suspense until the end, and the characters are great fun. I’m glad to read it again.
Anyone who’s been to the Philadelphia Flower Show will really enjoy this book. (It’s fun even if you haven’t been, too!) The original book has been nicely updated for the Kindle version.
Like her series character, Ginger Barnes, Donna Huston Murray was transplanted to Philadelphia’s very “in” Main Line when her husband became head of a small private school. Both love trying to solve all sorts of problems, and although neither has any tolerance for pretentiousness, “Only Gin gets to make cheeky remarks to strangers.”
Donna Huston Murray and her alter-ego, Ginger Barnes, are almost identical. Both love people, have an earthy sense of humor, and like to think they can fix anything. You can bet that if Gin hangs a chandelier or wrecks a faucet, Murray has done it, too. Fortunately, Gin is “taller, smarter, and braver,” because she stumbles over dead bodies far more often than you might expect.
In addition to the seven Ginger Barnes Main Line mysteries originally published by St. Martin’s Press, Murray has written for MYSTERY SCENE MAGAZINE, READER’S DIGEST, ECHELON, and REDBOOK. Her work can also be found in the Edgar-award winning companion book, THE FINE ART OF MURDER, and the LETHAL LADIES I and II anthologies by Berkley. Her most recent title, LIE LIKE A RUG, received a 4-1/2 star review from ROMANTIC TIMES magazine.
Murray’s husband, Hench, is an educational consultant. They live outside of Philadelphia and have two adult children, Robynne, and Casey.
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Donna Huston Murray and her alter-ego, Ginger Barnes, are almost identical. Both love people, have an earthy sense of humor, and like to think they can fix anything. You can bet that if Gin hangs a chandelier or wrecks a faucet, Murray has done it, too. Fortunately, Gin is “taller, smarter, and braver,” because she stumbles over dead bodies far more often than you might expect.