Jeanne Reviews: A Sprinkling of Murder: A Fairy Garden Mystery by Daryl Wood Gerber

Please welcome back to the blog Jeanne of the Bristol Public Library today with her latest review. Today she is reviewing a mystery. For more reading suggestions, make sure you checkout the Bookblog of the Bristol Public Library.

 

A Sprinkling of Murder: A Fairy Garden Mystery by Daryl Wood Gerber

 

Courtney Kelly has a shop in Carmel, California (is that alliteration enough for you?) where she sells whimsical items for fairy gardens and operates a teashop.  She tells her customers that they too can see fairies if they just open themselves up to believing; after all, she has her own fairy, Fiona, who flits around Open Your Imagination where the true believers may catch a glimpse of her.  This idyllic world is in for some tough times after Mick Watkins is found dead by the fountain after the shop had closed.  Watkins operated a dog grooming establishment just across the way from Courtney’s place.  Who could have done it? And why was he in Courtney’s shop?

 

This is a first in series book, so there’s a lot of background to fill in.  Gerber gives us just a taste of fairy lore and offers tips on building a fairy garden, but most of the book seemed to be introducing the cast of characters. There are the usual posse of good friends, mostly female, and a hint of an upcoming love interest.  There is a cat, Pixie, who sleeps and plays with Fiona. She is a Ragdoll cat.  That’s about it for Pixie.

 

Courtney’s relationship with her father seemed the most promising to me; it appears it can be more nuanced.  As with the fairies, there are some strong hints, but I have high hopes that this will be more fully developed later.  

As for the fairies, I have to say I wasn’t overly impressed; I expected more of a sense of wonder and didn’t get it.  I felt I had come in in the middle of the story, and not the beginning: Courtney is quite used to having Fiona around so it is no big deal.  Fiona wants to get her adult wings which was sort of interesting because Fiona seems like a cheerful adolescent to me so it makes sense. But it all  just seemed sort of, well, ordinary. 

 

The mystery was pretty standard with a number of suspects tossed in for our heroine to investigate.

 

I did like the garden tips, which are interesting and good for making any sort of cute little display garden.  Color, texture, and focal points are covered.  It made me want to make one myself—oh, wait, I have a closet full of materials for uncreated craft projects.  Never mind.

 

There are also recipes included.

 

Gerber also writes some other series, including The Cookbook Nook Mysteries and The Cheese Shop Mysteries (under the name Avery Aames).