[.ca] Mulch ADO about Nothing: A Jane Jeffry Mystery (ISBN 0380804913)

Light Frothy Gardening Mystery:
If you like light, frothy and cozy mysteries, this is the book for you. I enjoy Jill Churchill's books even though I have been able to guess the murderer in each, but this does not deter me from further reading. Jane and Shelly are best friends living next door to each other. Jane (not unlikely for a cozy mystery) has a detective boyfriend named Mel. So when a murder does happen, he is conveniently there to help her and her friend solve it. In this book, Jane and Shelly enroll in a gardening class, but the teacher has bludgeoned and lies in a coma. A stuffy plant researcher takes over the class but instead of teaching the basics of gardening, he immediately delves into plant patents by showing off his pink marigolds. The class itself is made up of an odd assortment of garden "lovers" who want to show off their particular gardens to the others--some of which are very good and some horrid. Then, the substitute lecturer is found dead in his own compost pile, and Jane and Shelly are off to find who in the class did him in. Mulch is an enjoyable and quick read with many humorous touches thrown in by the author. Plan to read Jill Churchill's books if you want to be entertained, and you won't be disappointed.

Enjoyable enough:
Todd was at soccer camp, the cooking lessons were to keep Ursula away, who cares what Shelley's husband was doing? Or Jane's in-laws? Or if a murder doesn't actually happen until late in the book? It's still got a mystery in it! I liked Shelley's and Jane's gardening solutions, too!

Definitely Not Her Best Work...:
I was very disappointed when I read this book. I wouldn't miss a Jane Jeffry mystery novel, but this is something that even a fan like myself can pass on. This book is lacking in plot and concentrates too much on the gardening. The mystery is mentioned in the beginning, and seems to falter off as the story slowly wears on. With a few mentions every twenty pages or so, the mystery seems to be forgotten. Suddenly, the reader is hit in the face with the solution and the killer. It comes to an almost abrupt end, and is definitely not Jill Churchill's best work.

An enjoyable read!!:
I picked up this book at the grocery store when I was desperate for something to read while visiting relatives. What a joy! Although this was my first Jan Jeffry novel, it's not my last! Jane Jeffry and her friend Shelly Nowack offer some laughs while they work to solve a crime. In this case they signed up to take a gardening class when the instructor is attacked and the substitute instructor is killed. While Jane juggles house work, raising children and a gardening class, her and her friend work to solve a the murder. If I could rate it a 4+ I would have done that or a 5-. Mainly because I thought the ending was a little bit abrupt. However, it was a great read and I'm buying more of her books today. Enjoy.

A little heavy on gardening:
The scheduled instructor for a basic botany class is bludgeoned, leaving her with traumatic amnesia and no memory of the attack. Suspicion points in many directions. With questions about plant patents and a composted corpse, the plot becomes complex. Events lead to a surprising conclusion, but the clue leading to the final analysis seems a little vague. The main failure of the novel is an overly heavy discussion of gardening, with the mystery intertwined along with discussions of personalities and cooking. The reader sometimes loses the thread of the crime investigation. Overall, it is an interesting plot, suitable for a rainy evening or an airline flight. The main character seems somewhat like Miss Marple.