DIGGING UP THE REMAINS

A talented assortment of plant-loving pals share a penchant for solving murders.

Though far apart in years, Lilly Jayne and Delia Greenway happily share Lilly’s enormous Victorian house in Goosebush, Massachusetts. Both are heavily involved in planning the town’s 400th anniversary celebration, a labor of love whose problems are multiplied by numerous parties with differing agendas each working to put a stamp on the festivities. In addition, Delia’s still doing research on some long-ago murders she and Lilly discovered while investigating a modern case in Pruning the Dead (2019), and investigative reporter Tyler Crane is pushing them both to answer questions about the 150-year-old crimes. Crane is not above blackmailing people by threatening to reveal secrets he’s dug up about them on his blog. He throws out hints about five different people, including Lilly. So when his dead body is found just before the 10K race begins, Lilly, Delia, and their friends pitch in to help police chief Bash Haywood figure out what happened. Crane was disliked by so many that it’s hard to separate the killer from the chaff, which includes several of Lilly’s friends. Both the former police chief and his daughter tangled with Crane, Lilly’s neighbor is exceedingly proud of a pedigree that may not be his, and other residents are hiding even more secrets. Even though Crane is dead, his missing phone is occasionally turned on, automatically adding more material to his blog. Clearly, finding the phone is key to solving his murder.

Immensely likable characters, plant lore, and historical research all meld in this charming cozy.