Slugfest

Anthony and Agatha Award-nominated Rosemary Harris is back with another Dirty Business mystery featuring amateur sleuth/master gardener Paula Holliday! Welcome to The Big Apple Flower Show where more than just the plants are dying. When Paula Holliday agrees to help a reclusive garden sculptor at a legendary northeast flower show, she expects a quiet weekend sharing garden tips - she doesn't expect to be knee-deep in jealousy, rivalry, horticultural homicide, and something the loose community of gardeners has dubbed the Javits Curse! The mishaps start out small but the uneasiness intensifies when an overeager attendee is found floating in the river and Paula realizes she accidentally holds the clue to his identity and the reason for his murder. And so does the killer. That's when the garden gloves come off and this flower show turns into a real Slugfest! This time out Paula is joined in the sometimes crazy (and neurotic) subculture of conventions and the "show" circuit by a colorful cast that includes Rolanda "Fort" Knox, a no-nonsense security guard, Guy Anzalone, Brooklyn's Tumbled Stone King and his wife Connie whose fake nails and high heels don't keep her out of the garden, J.C. Kaufman, a feisty senior who never leaves home without her weapon of choice, some snooty garden club ladies who never get dirty and a slick marketing guy hawking the hottest new product at the flower show - Slugfest, a foolproof pest repellant that people and companies are dying to get their hands on. Making cameo appearances are Paula's friends from the first three books in the series, former rock and roller and owner of The Paradise Diner, Babe Chinnery, and best pal, Lucy Cavanaugh, who lends Paula a memorable red dress that keeps getting her in and out of trouble! "Harris' writing is sharp and funny. Slugfest is an absolute treat. 4 Stars" RT Book Reviews "Hilarious" Kirkus Reviews "Sophisticated comedy, romance and murder" Connecticut Post Praise for Rosemary Harris "Think Diane Mott Davidosn's Goldy Schulz or Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper" Omaha World-Herald "Dead Head may be the perfect book for summer" NPR (CT) "A wild and funny ride" Crimespree Magazine "Smart, hip and laugh-out-loud funny" Harley Jane Kozak, multiple award-winning author of A Date You Can't Refuse "An absolute must-read for cozy lovers. Readers of Susan Wittig Albert and Earlene Fowler will relish Rosemary Harris's exceptionally engaging new voice." Julia Spencer Fleming, Edgar finalist and author of One Was a Soldier. "A clever mystery...fast-paced and engaging" Seattle Post-Intelligencer "A nifty puzzle" Publishers Weekly "Rosemary Harris gives "dirty business" a good name, with green thumbs and tangled puzzles galore!" Cathy Pickens, author of Southern Fried Mystery series "Quirky, original and captivating" Carolyn Hart, multiple award-winning author of the Death on Demand series