The Skeleton Garden

Written by Marty Wingate

Narrated by Erin Bennett

Texas transplant Pru Parke has put down roots in England, but she never dreamed she'd live in a grand place such as Greenoak. When her former employers offer Pru and her new husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, the use of their nineteenth-century estate while they're away for a year, she jumps at the chance. Sweetening the deal is the prospect of further bonding with her long-lost brother, Simon, who happens to be Greenoak's head gardener. But the majestic manor has at least one skeleton in its closet-or, rather, its garden.

Working on renovations to the extensive grounds, siblings Pru and Simon squabble about everything from boxwood to bay hedges. But when the removal of a half-dead tree turns up the wreckage of a World War II-era German fighter plane and a pile of bones, the arguments stop. That is, until a rival from Simon's past pays a surprise visit and creates even more upheaval. It's suddenly clear someone is unhappy their secrets have been unearthed. Still, Pru's not about to sit back and let Simon take the fall for the dirty deed without a fight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781515982685

Reviews for The Skeleton Garden

[aztwinmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In The Skeleton Garden, Pru is working with her brother, Simon, to bring the garden at Greenoaks to its full splendor. But first, she will need to solve the yesteryear of the body dug up in that garden. Who is it and who killed him? A wonderful cozy mystery, the story does a great job of mixing in friendships and family relationships with a good mystery. I highly recommend this 4th book in the Potting Shed Mystery series.

[bettesbooks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

An English cozy mystery steeped in history of WWII, sounded so interesting to me, but after reading 30% of the book I am waiting to learn what is the mystery. The author has spent the first 1/3 of this book introducing characters but not developing them, or even indicating their importance or relevance to the plot. There is so much clutter I no longer care who is who, what the plot is, if there is even I mystery. I am now setting this book down, as there are so many other books to read, if there ever comes a time there is nothing available to read I might pick it up again. But I doubt it.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Long buried secrets are unearthed and the repercussions echo to the present when Pru Parke and her brother Simon unearth a World War II plane and some bones in the garden where they are both working. Someone doesn't want the mystery of the identity of the bones to be discovered. This story is filled with all sorts of tangled relationships.Pru is just getting to know her brother Simon since her mother left him behind when she moved to America with her new husband at the end of World War II. Simon is still dealing with the fact that his supposed mother was actually his great-aunt and that he was abandoned - though left in a loving home. He is torn between love and anger now that his mother has died and he is having a hard time deciding how he feels.When an old rival for Simon's wife returns from Canada even more emotions surface. When the rival is found dead in the same place where the bones were found, Simon becomes one of the suspects. Christopher is back doing police work after his retirement as a detective inspector for the Metropolitan police but he doesn't want to take over from the local police officer who is his superior. Still he and Pru get involved in investigating both deaths. The story is filled with all sorts of characters who have ties to the World War II past and who might have reasons to want to keep the secrets buried. I really enjoyed the relationships in this story. I like the way Christopher and Pru are building their new marriage. I like the friendships that are forming among the characters. This was a great cozy mystery in a series that is filled with great characters.

[vesper1931 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

An English airman is killed during World War 2 and his body lies undiscovered in a crashed German plane (in a garden) where it is discovered 60 years later. But then there is another killing. What possible link is there?
Too much garden and plants and not enough mystery for me.
A NetGalley book.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the second in this series I have read and enjoyed them both. I love how the author really lets us get to know the characters. The story is not just about the mystery, but the people in the book as well.Pru Park and her husband, Christopher, are staying at Greenoaks while the owners, former employers of Christopher, are away on an archealogical dig. Simon, Pru's brother, is the gardener and she wants to get to know him better (they did not know each other existed until they were adults). They had learned they were siblings separated by the end of WWII, when their mother left Simon with distant relatives and headed to the U.S. While digging up a dying tree in the middle of one of the gardens they come across the remains of a WWII German fighter plane. This was a mystery, but it became a crime scene when they also uncovered a skull and other bones. Christopher takes a backseat in the investigation and is assisting/training Martin to be the lead investigator. While all this is going on, the locals are planning a Christmas fete using a WWII theme. This causes people to check out attics, basements and whatever for memorabilia. Meanwhile, another body is discovered in the garden and Pru finally gets to investigate with Christopher's blessing. Who was the body found with the plane? What is causing the recent break-ins in the village? Why was Jack killed, or did he die of natural causes? There are secrets to be revealed, but someone goes to great lengths to keep them hidden. A great mystery with a lot of interesting details about the war as well as gardening. Any cozy mystery buff would love this book. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[anissaannalise-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another good installment to the series (I've read all of these so far). It was nice to visit again with Pru and Christopher and follow their newlywed life in pastoral Hampshire. Pru and brother, Simon are now working together on the garden of the Wilsons's home as they are away on an archaeological dig. For those who've read all the previous books there's quite a lot of information from those that are related here from chapters 1-10. I'm not going to call that a flaw because it's characteristic of cozy mysteries and helps those who read these things out of sequence. It's all to the good to letting the reader know what's come before, character relationships & hints about past mysteries. So while it felt tedious a retread and I just wanted to get on to the bit in this book that involves the actual plane & body touted in the summary (takes place in chapter 10), I completely understood the why.

As to the past murder mystery and the current one, those were teased out well and I enjoyed following them. No spoilers but I can say that this one was more a conundrum for me and made for a satisfying solution in the end. I will happily look forward to the next book in the series as I am still enjoying Pru, Christopher and any circumstances that arise around them. Reader, pick it up for a quick, weekend read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[sszkutak_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received The Skeleton Garden from Netgalley, Alibi, and the Chatterbox program in exchange for an honest review.

The Skeleton Garden is the 4th book in a series about a gardener who seems to have bad things, i.e. bodies, turning up around her. And in this book there are actually a few. Pru, the main character is a gardener working with her older brother on the large garden of an English home, when they start digging up the yard to find out why a tree didn't grow, they come across a WWII plane and a skeleton. Not much later in the same hole another body appears and the town is excited to find out who committed the crime or if it was an accident.

This book had a very slow start, I have not read the first books in the series, so I really didn't have enough background about the characters to really feel for them - and even through the book, didn't really feel for them either. So it was hard to read. Yes the book picked up when the bodies started appearing and the investigations started but overall I was not feeling it.

I love a good mystery and this book did provide a few, which was nice, but not having connected with the characters I felt that something was missing for me. But like I said if you read the other books in the series, that may add to the connection with the characters that I did not have.

[nevans1972 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book and will be reading the next in the series. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and this book combines history and mystery together. Thank you to Random House/Chatterbox(house party) for the opportunity to read this fine book.

[kristymk18-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy from Random House through Chatterbox in return for an honest review.Rating: 3.5 StarsI have never read a cozy mystery, but as a fan of all things mystery and suspense, I've been curious. The Skeleton Garden takes place in England and is as much about family and relationships as it is about murder. Pru and her husband, Christopher, are staying at Greenoak where she and her brother, Simon, are redoing the massive gardens. While there, they discover the remains of a person next to an old WW2 plane. With no identification or idea as to how it ended up beneath the garden, Christopher, now assisting with the local police, and his superior, Martin, delve into this cold case. However, this surprise find isn't the only mysterious thing to happen at Greenoak. Days later, Pru is shocked to discover a body laying in the garden; it looks as if another murder has taken place at Greenoak and there are no leads. Wingate does a great job at keeping you guessing and misdirecting you as to who could be responsible. I enjoyed the mystery and unsolved cases, but I think my favorite part of The Skeleton Garden was the relationships. I didn't realize going into this that it was a part of a series, and I'm woeful I didn't get a chance to see these characters as they met and grew before I started this book. However, I don't think that diminished my overall enjoyment of these characters or their relationships. Pru and Christopher had a great marriage, working well alongside each other and leaning on each other for support. Every scene with both of them made me smile. The side characters were diverse and dynamic, creating both added stress and comic relief. I think Orlando, Christopher's teenage nephew, was my favorite. Seeing him taken from his technology filled world and thrust into gardens and mystery made me laugh. Even though the story centers around Pru, each character shows growth throughout the story. Since this is a small town where the murders took place, we get a close look at the many citizens here and also a look into their familial past. In the end, this is what helps Christopher (and Pru) put the necessary pieces together to solve these two cases.