Daisies For Innocence (Enchanted Garden Mystery, #1)

by Bailey Cattrell

The Enchanted Garden behind Elliana Allbright’s perfume shop draws people of all ages with its fragrant flowers and lush greenery. But when the magical serenity is interrupted, it’s up to Ellie to sniff out a killer.
 
Ellie’s life has blossomed in Poppyville, California, since she opened Scents & Nonsense, a custom-made-perfume store. Her skills with aromas and botanical essences—some from her very own garden—seem almost…supernatural. Her perfumes can evoke emotions,  bring about change, or simply make people happy. Customers are flocking to the store to buy her wares or just to sit in her beautiful garden, sip tea and enjoy homemade cookies. 
 
But she smells trouble when she learns that her part-time assistant Josie is dating her ex. And before she can tell the young woman to beware of his charms, she finds Josie dead in the Enchanted Garden. Now the prime suspect in Josie’s murder, Ellie must search for the real culprit in Josie’s past—because it’ll take a miracle to nip this problem in the bud....

• ISBN10: 0451476883
• ISBN13: 9780451476883
• Publish Date: 5 January 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: New American Library
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451476883

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

Bailey Cattrell is also Bailey Cates is also Cricket McRae.  This is the third series she's written that I've read and if the first book is any indication of what's to come, it'll be the best yet.   

The first series she wrote was as Cricket McRae and it was a Home Crafting series.  I loved it; the MC was intelligent and independent and I found the different home crafts in each book fascinating.  The second series, currently ongoing, is the Magical Bakeshop series she writes as Bailey Cates.  It's cute, the magic is interesting and I enjoy them, but the MC is a bit more wide-eyed innocent and there's an air of immaturity (in the sense of age and experience).   

In Daisies for Innocence the author has come full-circle while retaining a little of the magic of the Bakeshop series.  Ellie's a little more world-weary, and she's coming out the other side of that time in life when you really figure out who you are.  Gardening, the meaning of flowers, and aromatherapy are the backdrop and the subtle magic here is closer to magical realism than paranormal.  She weaves interesting facts about flowers and crafting natural products into the narrative gracefully and while it's clear that the author believes in living light upon the Earth, she's never preachy about it.   

The plot is well-structured and the mystery all comes together towards the end so there's no telegraphing the murderer early on (although in retrospect there was one scene...).  My only real complaint about the book was the unrealistic animosity and lack of professionalism shown by one of the detectives and the over-compensation of the other.  Both threw the rhythm of the book off a bit since neither were subtle; otherwise, this was an excellent start and I'm really looking forward to the next one.