Product Description

No one could ever accuse Jane Jeffry or her equally green-thumbless best friend Shelly Nowack of being modern reicarnations of Luther Burbank. Their ineptitude in all things vegatative has inspired them to sign up for a botany class at the local community center, even though the gods of gardening seem to be warning Jane to steer clear.

Jane trips on a curb and badly bangs up her foot, but his gamely hobbles to class on crutches and in a cast, only to learn that the glamorous and celebrated microbiologist teacher, Julie Jackson, has been beaten into a coma by a person or persons unknown. But the class must go on, even though the substitute teacher, Dr. Stewart Eastman, is the arrogant creator of his patented plant species and more interested in his personal ambition to achieve botanical fame and fortune than imparting knowledge or a love of gardening. He's propaganding only his ego and his latest floral coup.

When a murder occurs, there's and abundant crop of suspects in the class, Is the perp who plants a body in Dr. Eastman's compost pile the conspiracy nut Ursula Appledorn, who's' convinced that they are being stalked by a cabal involving the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Queen Elizabeth, and the French Dauphin? Or maybe the obsessively tidy computer nerd Charles Jones? Or the milquetoast widoer Arnold Waring? Perhaps it's the terrifying knowledgeable Miss Martha Winstead with her strong opinions on gardening?

Jane's beau, police detective Mel VanDyne, who admits to a secret longing to drive dieselpowered earth-moving equipment, is on the case, but hasn't seen the gardens the classmates have created -- wherein flourishes the floral clue to the grimy crime. Jane's afraid he'll pluck out the wrong suspect.

And Jane, her nuisance injury ignored, is willing to get her gardening gloves, and Shelly's as well, dirty to uneath the gardener who's responsible for one bashing and one buried.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2148139 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12-01
• Released on: 2000-11-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The title of this 12th Jane Jeffry gardening mystery from Macavity and Agatha Award-winner Churchill (Grime and Punishment; A Farewell to Yarns; etc.) says it all, as the crime element is almost an afterthought. When Jane and neighbor Shelley Nowack sign up for a gardening class at their local community center, they end up with a substitute, the pompous Dr. Stewart Eastman, after an unknown intruder sneaks into the home of the regular teacher, Julie Jackson, and knocks her out, leaving her in a coma. Suspects in the attack include everyone taking the gardening class: fastidious computer programmer Charles Jones, persnickety librarian Martha Winstead, lonely widower Arnie Waring and loony aging hippie Ursula Appledorn. But in this leisurely, talky tale, Jane is less concerned with crime solving than with visiting the gardens of her classmates, tending to her injured foot, worrying about her teenage son's unsuitable girlfriend and buying herself a new TV for her bedroom. Only near the end does a murder occurDDr. Eastman is found strangled with green twine in a compost pileDafter which Churchill brings the plot to a tidy conclusion, with the killer's motive turning on Dr. Eastman's patented pink marigolds. While Jane and Shelley make plenty of wry social comments, there's too little sleuthing going on for this cozy to appeal to anyone except gardeners and already established fans. (Dec. 1)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Jane Jeffry is definitely a cozy sort: her best friend, Shelly, lives next door, and her kids are adolescent but adorable. In this latest adventure, Jane's boyfriend, Mel the detective, is mostly offstage. Shelly and Jane sign up for a gardening class, but their lecturer, a plant researcher, is severely beaten before it begins. The class goes forward anyway, with a supercilious replacement and an assortment of broadly drawn but vivid types: a take-no-prisoners elderly librarian, a martinet whose pant creases match his tortuous garden geometry, a befuddled fellow who can't get over the death of his wife, a conspiracy freak, and so on. When the offensive replacement lecturer is found dead in his own garden, Jane and Shelly find digging up the connections among these folks to be irresistible. Jane is only slightly hampered by a broken foot, and this time she even treats herself to a TV in the bedroom. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Jill Churchill creates domestic malice with a deft pen." -- -- Carolyn Hart

Customer Reviews

What happened to the mystery?
I love this series (and book) for it's humour and warmth. Jill Churchill's humourous look at the life of a single mother (Jane Jeffry) with three teenage children, a dog and two cats, is brilliant. And I love her portrayal of the obssesively neat and in control Shelley (Jane's neighbour and best friend), which juxtaposes nicely with Jane's more relaxed take on things. The friendship and chemsitry between these two characters is wonderful. I think I'd be quite accurate in stating that Jill Churchill has probably created one of the best female detective partnerships around. Having enthused about the series, I must say that I was somewhat disappointed in the mystery this time around. What happened to it? I had to read much of the book twice to see if I had missed something the first time around that would make sense of the resolution. The Jill Jeffry mystery series is one of the best "cosy" murder mysery series around. However this latest installment is not one of Jill Churchill's better works. This novel rates well on warmth and humour, but not very well as a mystery. However, I do like this series so I will give the next Jill Jeffry mystery novel a go.

Good on characterization but a bit thin on substance
A flower arrangement meant for Julie Jackson is accidentally delivered to Jane Jeffry. Living in the same neighborhood, Jane and her best friend and neighbor Shelly deliver the flowers to Julie. Upon arrival at her home, they find a crime scene tape barring their way. Jane's police officer friend Mel informs the two women that someone knocked out Julie in her basement office.

Julie was supposed to teach a gardening class, but her injury precludes that from happening. Dr. Eastman conducts the session attended by Jane and Shelly. The students tour each other,s gardens picking up tips along the way. When their teacher is found dead in his garden, Jane and Shelly begin an investigation into what is happening amidst the gardening set.

MULCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is a character-driven tale that is a bit short on plot, but huge on imagery and humor. The individual gardens are described so well that the audience will feel they are along on the tour. The killer is a shocker to those readers smelling the roses and not paying attention to the motives driving the characters. As usual, Jill Churchill provides her fans with a delightfully amusing novel.

Harriet Klausner

Mulch to Love about this book........
Jill Churchill does it again. She is able to put Jane Jeffery and her best friend Shelly in a simple enviroment and once again find murder.Jane and Shelly decide to take a gardening class together over the summer,but who would have thought that someone wanted to have the teacher push up daisies instead.Add a classroom full of less than normal people,Jane's daughter taking a cooking class,her son's new girlfriend and a broken foot and trying to create the perfect garden thatt make this one great cozy mystery.This has to be one of my favorite Churchill book, mainly because she never disappoints but anyone who has suffer with a broken foot or in my case an ankle can relate to Jane adventures with a cast and crutches.Whether you love to garden or not read this book.