Product Description

Gold Dagger nominee In 1925 beautiful, bohemian Diana Pollexfen was celebrating her 30th birthday. The celebrations soured when her husband died, poisoned by a cocktail that had been liberally laced with some of Diana’s photographic chemicals. Sixty years later, Diana’s grand-niece, Helena, is also turning 30, but with rather less fanfare. An overworked attorney in London, Helena’s primary social outlet is an obsessive love affair. By way of distraction, Helena starts looking through her great-aunt’s papers and soon develops another obsession: Determining just who did kill George Pollexfen in that lovely, sunlit garden between the wars. “Elizabeth Ironside” is the pseudonym of Lady Catherine Manning, wife of the British Ambassador to the U.S. Her first novel won Britain’s John Creasey Award for Best First Mystery of 1985, and Death in the Garden was nominated for Britain’s CWA Gold Dagger for Best Mystery of 1995.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #104926 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-15
• Released on: 2005-10-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781933397177
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A superb mystery [in which] Ironside's storyline matches the delicate intricacy of her language" -- Washington Post, January 8, 2006

"A wondrously textured, multilayered detective novel in the grand tradition, with a strikingly unusual plot" -- Denver Post

"One of those few mystery writers you unreservedly look forward to reading" -- The Spectator [UK]

"One of those few mystery writers you unreservedly look forward to reading" --The Spectator [UK]

"Superbly handled . . . a masterly example of classic crime fiction." -- Birmingham Post (UK)

"Superbly handled ... a masterly example of classic crime fiction" -- Birmingham Post [UK]

“Superbly handled ... a masterly example of classic crime fiction" --Birmingham Post [UK]

From the Publisher
Originally published in Britain in 1995, Death in the Garden was first published in the United States, by Felony & Mayhem Press, in 2005. It was named one of the Best 12 Books of 2005 by National Public Radio.

About the Author
"Elizabeth Ironside" is the nom de plume of Lady Catherine Manning, wife of the British Ambassador to the U.S. Her first novel won Britain’s John Creasey Award for Best First Mystery of 1985, and Death in the Garden, her second offering, was nominated for Britain’s CWA Gold Dagger for Best Mystery of 1995.

Customer Reviews

I loved this book
I enjoy British psychological fiction. Have for years. But I'd never heard of Eliz Ironside before this title. After reading Death in the Garden, I'm a huge fan of Ironside's.

This book takes place in the present and during the early adulthood of the main character's great aunt. The aunt travels among the beautiful people. At the same time she's an independent woman - something her husband and most of society at the time doesn't care for. She surrounds herself with artists and contemporary literati.

Our focal character is contemporary, hard working, interesting and unhappy.

Great combination. The current great niece explores the independent and fascinating great aunt's past, a past that includes - among the parties - murder.

I can't say much more because I want you to enjoy it as much as I did.

Read this book. I promise you'll have fun and feel like you've spent your hours among the most fascinating characters.

superb
I read about three mysteries each week, and this is one of the very, very best. It has history (the'20s, when the murder occurred) but also a contemporary perspective on that history (the main character (Helena) trying to reconstruct the murder). Portions of the book are written from each perspective. Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the book is the way the lives of the characters from the '20s and the lives of Helena and the other contemporary characters illuminate each other -- not so much factually as emotionally. I could not put it down, and I wished that it were at least twice as long.

An Interesting Blend of Mystery and Character Study
Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironside is an unusual blending of historical mystery and modern-day novel. It begins with a brief Part I, in which Diana Pollexfen writes of her feelings on being found not guilty of the murder of her husband, George. Part II describes the 1925 weekend the culminates in Diana's husband's death, from the shifting perspective of various house party attendees. Part III moves forward sixty years to the perspective of Helena, Diana's thirty-year-old grand-niece and heir, upon Diana's death.

As she goes through her beloved aunt's possessions, Helena finds Diana's diaries, and learns for the first time about the murder of George Pollexfen. Before she can accept her inheritance, Helena feels compelled to learn the truth about whether or not Diana murdered George. The remainder of the book details Helena's investigation, and includes various extracts from letters and diaries and people's memories, as well as events in Helena's modern-day life. The book culminates with resolution of the mystery, and of some issues in Helena's own life.

I found this book to be a cross between a post WWI British country estate novel (like the work of D. E. Stevenson) and a spare, modern-day examination of people's ordinary lives (like the work of Anita Brookner), with the tiniest hint of the supernatural thrown in. The mystery was almost incidental, paling in comparison to the examination of individual characters and motives. Both the historical and modern portions of the book have a strong and authentic British flavor.

Elizabeth Ironside is the pseudonym of Lady Catherine Manning, wife of the British Ambassador to the U.S. Death in the Garden was shortlisted for Britain's CWA Silver Dagger for Best Mystery of 1995. The U.S. edition was published in 2005.

If you enjoyed Jacqueline Winspeare's Maisie Dobbs books you are likely to also enjoy Death in the Garden. I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy historical novels, especially to those interested in the post-World-War I era in England. I also recommend it to those who prefer their mysteries to be focused on character and human nature, rather than on fast-paced action.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on April 19th, 2006.