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Marta McDowell
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Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers Kindle Edition

by Marta McDowell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 68 ratings
See all formats and editions

This fun, engrossing book takes a look at the surprising influence that gardens and gardening have had on mystery novels and their authors.

With their deadly plants, razor-sharp shears, shady corners, and ready-made burial sites, gardens make an ideal scene for the perfect murder. But the outsize influence that gardens and gardening have had on the mystery genre has been underappreciated. Now, Marta McDowell, a writer and gardener with a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, illuminates the many ways in which our greatest mystery writers, from Edgar Allen Poe to authors on today’s bestseller lists, have found inspiration in the sinister side of gardens.

From the cozy to the hardboiled, the literary to the pulp, and the classic to the contemporary, Gardening Can Be Murder is the first book to explore the mystery genre’s many surprising horticultural connections. Meet plant-obsessed detectives and spooky groundskeeper suspects, witness toxic teas served in foul play, and tour the gardens—both real and imagined—that have been the settings for fiction’s ghastliest misdeeds. A New York Times bestselling author herself, McDowell also introduces us to some of today’s top writers who consider gardening integral to their craft, assuring that horticultural themes will remain a staple of the genre for countless twisting plots to come.  

“This book is dangerous. A veritable cornucopia of crime fiction and gardening lore, it faces the reader with multiple temptations—books to seek out, plants to obtain, garden tours to book.” —Vicki Lane, author of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries

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  1. Print length
    215 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Timber Press
  5. Publication date
    September 5, 2023
  6. File size
    21936 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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From the Publisher

Quote image: A look at the surprising influence that gardening has had on mystery novels

Image of chapter heading from Gardening Can Be Murder by Marta McDowell

Image of chapter heading from Gardening Can Be Murder by Marta McDowell

Image of chapter heading from Gardening Can Be Murder by Marta McDowell

“What could be more intriguing than a murder in the garden? From deadly seeds, to menacing pruning shears, to suspicious groundskeepers, the garden has always provided both the motive and means to commit the perfect crime. Gardening Can Be Murder belongs on the shelf of every Agatha Christie fan—and every gardener who enjoys a little mischief and mayhem.” —Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants

“This book is dangerous. A veritable cornucopia of crime fiction and gardening lore, it faces the reader with multiple temptations—books to seek out, plants to obtain, garden tours to book.” —Vicki Lane, author of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries

"McDowell’s delightful Gardening Can Be Murder covers other plant-obsessed detectives, from Agatha Christie’s flower enthusiast, Miss Marple, and Rex Stout’s orchid authority, Nero Wolfe, to Susan Wittig Albert’s herbalist, China Bayles. Potential weapons abound: lethal pesticides, razor-sharp pruning tools and spades that can deliver a fatal blow. The plants can be used for deadly purposes, too." —Wall Street Journal

Book cover image of Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell Book cover image of The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Marta McDowell Book cover image of All the Presidents' Gardens by Marta McDowell Book cover image of Unearthing the Secret Garden by Marta McDowell Book cover image to Emily Dickenson's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell
Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder All the Presidents' Gardens Unearthing The Secret Garden Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life
Customer Reviews
4.8 out of 5 stars
764
4.6 out of 5 stars
364
4.4 out of 5 stars
110
4.8 out of 5 stars
116
4.8 out of 5 stars
364
Price $18.39 $16.39 $13.60 $15.69 $15.76
More from Marta McDowell The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books How the White House Grounds Have Grown with America The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet

Editorial Reviews

Review

“What could be more intriguing than a murder in the garden? In her newest book, Marta McDowell takes us on a delightfully diabolical romp through the role of horticulture in crime fiction. From deadly seeds, to menacing pruning shears, to suspicious groundskeepers, the garden has always provided both the motive and means to commit the perfect crime. Gardening Can Be Murder belongs on the shelf of every Agatha Christie fan—and every gardener who enjoys a little mischief and mayhem.”―Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants

“I qualify my endorsement because I lost an entire morning of gardening to this most fascinating book with its interweaving of plant information with mystery books in which gardening figures. I am now torn – do I rush out to the garden to prune the hop vine, or shall I retrieve one of my Brother Cadfael mysteries from the upstairs bookcase? Interesting, well organized, original, captivating reading for gardeners and mystery fans.”―Cynthia Riggs, author of the Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries

“This book is dangerous. A veritable cornucopia of crime fiction and gardening lore, it faces the reader with multiple temptations—books to seek out, plants to obtain, garden tours to book. It’s a delightful wander through the mystery genre from Poe to Penny and its surprisingly numerous ties to gardening. Presented in McDowell’s elegant and accessible prose, it’s completely captivating.”―Vicki Lane, author of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries

“Gardeners and mystery lovers alike will delight in Marta McDowell’s charming bouquet of gardening mysteries—a botanical encyclopedia of horticultural crime. Both a handy, informative guide to a fast-growing genre and just-plain-fun reading, Gardening Can Be Murder belongs on your bookshelf. And what a lovely gift for your favorite gardener!”―Susan Wittig Albert, author of Hemlock

“Wonderful mash-ups of literature and gardening lore.”―Vicki Lane Mysteries --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author


  --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BRJ6NMF5
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Timber Press (September 5, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 5, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 21936 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 215 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

About the author

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Marta McDowell

Marta McDowell

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Marta McDowell teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. Her latest book is Unearthing The Secret Garden, about the inspiration for the children's classic. Timber Press also published Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder, All the Presidents' Gardens, and Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life, now in its eighth printing. She is working on a new book about plant and gardening themes in crime fiction, due out in 2023.

Marta is the 2019 recipient of the Garden Club of America's Sarah Chapman Francis Medal for outstanding literary achievement. She likes to read, knit, and garden. Her husband, Kirke Bent, summarizes her biography as "I am therefore I dig."

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
68 global ratings
Interesting Premise
4 Stars
Interesting Premise
I love the idea of this book. It was also a quick and easy read. I didn't realize how many murder mysteries bring up gardening.
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Top reviews from the United States

Judy Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars Why buy?
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
Great read. Recommend to mystery lovers and plant people.
One person found this helpful
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Queen Rabbit
4.0 out of 5 stars a valuable research for what to read
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
A comprehensive review, though not without some errors, to find a wide variety of interesting boos to read. If you plan to write a mystery yourself, and you love gardens, this book is great reference and will, when you read the recommended books, inform how you will write!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for the lovers of Mysteries or Garening
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2024
Verified Purchase
My sister gave this to me for Christmas. Lots of information and a fun read as rolemof plants in Murder Mysteries.
2 people found this helpful
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P. Minor
5.0 out of 5 stars All Things Gardening Mysteries
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating survey of gardening mysteries, all you ever wanted to know and more. You will find all the books you’ve read and many you’ve missed. The organization of the book is interesting, exploring means, motive, gardeners and gardens, history, specific writers and their series. A fun read!
3 people found this helpful
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Knottyneedle
4.0 out of 5 stars Leads me to more books to read
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
Being a gardener, as well as a reader, this book fit the bill. I now have several more authors I need to delve into. While the book is small, it took me a bit to get through it, I was taking so many notes.
One person found this helpful
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Phyllis Ann Karr
5.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2023
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
I am no gardener and at best an occasional mystery reader; but this is a dandy book. Plenty of pointers to interesting-sounding mysteries classic and modern, with great care never to drop a "spoiler." Excellently illustrated, too, both with delightful thematic silhouettes by Yolanda V. Fundora and well-chosen photos or period clips selected scrapbook-like from here and there. It is a real pleasure to find a physical volume so lovingly presented in this electronic era. (Only take note that the dust jacket, while very pleasant to feel, picks up fingerprints at the lightest touch.) I especially enjoyed the last section, with gardening-relevant biographies of authors beginning with Hawthorne and Christie, concluding with Naomi Hirahara. I was a little startled to find THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD among the Book List at the end, until I remembered Mr. Tartar's flowers and beans grown on lines above a courtyard in Staples Inn. This is a book I highly recommend to everyone who collects mystery fiction, especially those who also garden; casual fans should try getting it from or through their public libraries. Very short quotations being permissible in reviews, let me close with a sentence from p. 180: "Writing murder mysteries is a bit like working in the garden: they start with tangled clues and end, at least for a moment, in an ordered universe."
4 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Good old mystery story
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
I did not like the book. Not what I had presumed it would be such as noted authors writing stories that included plant and gardening issues within the stories.
One person found this helpful
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Tjitske
5.0 out of 5 stars interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2024
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
This is a very interesting read for anyone who loves gardening or mystery books, or best of all both! There are a lot of interesting details about various mystery writers and their gardens, and also the gardens in their books. Plants and other garden-related paraphernalia are used in a wide variety of methods to advance the plots and they're all fun to read about.

The physical book itself is quite nice. The cover paper has a sort of soft feeling to it that is pleasant to the touch, and the book is a good size - not too heavy to hold for a long time, but more substantial than a paperback. I also enjoyed the illustrations and occasional quotes.
2 people found this helpful
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