IN SHORT: In this mystery, when bones are found beneath a 40-year-old statue at a famous mansion, it could be the work of a serial Killer or a murder no one ever knew about.

REVIEW

The Gardener Estate was a grand mansion built by a wealthy family in the early 20th century. It played host to film stars and politicians alike over a few decades. Then in the ’70s, a grandson inherited the home from his controlling and cruel grandfather.

After a stint serving in the Army in Vietnam, Robert Gardener had been living in a small Commune in Oregon. When he inherited the house, with the stipulation that he had to live there for five years, he ended up bringing the commune with him. The fancy home and gardens, south of San Francisco on the central coast of California, became home to nearly 100 people aiming to live a life of peace, love and equality.

Years later, the commune is long gone and the house has been restored to mostly its earlier splendor. It hosts visitors and tours and serves food grown in the gardens. Now, a large and unusual statue built on the property by a famous feminist artist in the commune years is being restored. When it is moved to start the process, human bones are found hidden beneath it.

Raquel Laing is an inspector with the San Francisco police. She is a bright and detail-oriented investigator, focusing on cold cases. Recently, she’s been involved with the case of a Serial Killer from that era, who is dying in the hospital. The team is racing to get him to reveal information about all his victims before he dies, though he is stonewalling and taunting them.

When the bones are found at the estate, Raquel sets about trying to figure out if they are the work of the serial killer. She undertakes interviews with workers at the Gardener Estate and anyone still living who was there in the commune days, and she researches all she can about the place.

It’s possible the dying killer was responsible for this body, but it could be unrelated. Either way, Raquel is racing against a ticking clock. Bones being unearthed means the possible coming to light of secrets someone doesn’t want revealed. If it’s not this dying killer, it may be another killer who has successfully stayed hidden for 40 years and doesn’t want that to change now.

Back to the Garden is a solid mystery book that goes between time periods, primarily the present and the ’70s. It follows the stories of the Gardener family, primarily Rob, and that of investigator Raquel. Raquel is a quirky character, a very bright and observant detective who seems to have some autistic traits. She’s not only trained herself to observe so she can solve murders, but to better know how to respond appropriately to those she interviews and works with.

The story largely kept me intrigued, though sometimes I wasn’t as interested in some parts as more of what I would call the “core mystery.” The book spends a good amount of time on fleshing out Raquel’s personality and background, all of which isn’t really crucial to the story. So it felt like it was a combination mystery and character study, all of which was fine and well done but which didn’t hold my interest as much. Overall, interesting reading.

RATING

Rated: High. Profanity includes 16 uses of strong language, about 70 instances of moderate profanity, around 30 uses of mild language, and about 20 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes references to people having sex, there being “free love” in a ‘70s commune, and some nudity. Violence includes mild and mostly brief references to a serial killer’s string of murders (but no details about the killings, just how he disposed of bodies and what his type of victim was), some fights including fists, a fairly brief murder scene, and a scene where people are threatened with a gun and someone is hit and injured.

*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The post Back to the Garden appeared first on Rated Reads.