Death in the Garden — Caroline Clemmons

Revised and updated, Death In The Garden is the first of the Heather Cameron mysteries. Garden center manager Heather Cameron must solve the Death In The Garden to prove her old family friend, mentor, and employee, Walter Sims, is innocent of murdering the meanest man in town. Heather can't trust the police to find the real killer when all clues point to poor Walter. The dead man was beaten to death with Walter's shovel several hours after they were overheard arguing, and the two men had a long history of enmity. Walter definitely looks guilty, but Heather is sure -- well, almost positive -- okay, she certainly hopes her friend and mentor is innocent. Heather is compelled to scour the fictional North Central Texas town of Gamble Grove to exonerate her old friend. She's encouraged when the new police detective in town, Kurt Steele, shows interest in helping her look for clues. The deeper Heather digs into the dead man's life, the more she justifies his ruthless reputation. Walter is indicted, but police begin to suspect the victim's stepson as murderer. Heather is convinced the stepson couldn't have murdered anyone either -- although it's clear no love was lost between the two men. The attempted murder of the victim's real son creates a new twist. Can Heather solve the murder without becoming the killer's next victim?