The Language of Flowers: A Larkspur Lane Mystery

Nora Vane came to Larkspur Lane Community Garden to restore a Victorian walled garden. She did not come to investigate a murder. But when Desmond Goode - exasperating, magnificent, the finest grower on the site - is found dead in his greenhouse on a Tuesday morning, she cannot stop thinking about the unfinished temperature log, the small bottle of herb oil on his bench, and the odd little flower arrangement in the cut-glass jar that everyone else has already forgotten.With her brilliant, warm-hearted friend Rita at her side, Nora begins to ask questions. The site turns out to have no shortage of people with reasons to dislike Desmond: a property developer with an undeclared planning interest, a florist nursing a three-year grudge, a young delivery driver whose beloved hens were reported and rehomed. The investigation is almost fun - a puzzle for two friends to solve together.Almost.Because somewhere in the greenhouse, Desmond left a clue. Not in the temperature log. Not in any note or letter. But in the flowers themselves - arranged with failing hands, in the Victorian language of flowers that almost nobody still knows - pointing directly at the one person Nora least suspects.Larkspur Lane is a warm, witty, and beautifully plotted cosy mystery for readers who love gardening, friendship, and the particular satisfaction of a secret hiding in plain sight all along.Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Alexander McCall Smith, and The Thursday Murder Club.