Bea Rivers' new job at Shandley Gardens seems to be idyllic; a stimulating career at a desert garden full of botanical wonders. But a slow rot has spread within Shandley Gardens as financial woes add stress to the small board of directors, putting Bea's job at risk. When one of the Gardens' founders, Liz Shandley, is killed in what appears to be a tragic accident, the immediate worry is the survival of the Gardens. But then the police determine that Liz was murdered, and suddenly Bea's job is less than idyllic. The tangled web of relationships is almost as confusing as the enigmatic botanical clues someone keeps dropping. Bea struggles to balance her life as a committed single parent dating a struggling writer while she's drawn further into the investigation of Liz's death. As Bea tries to decipher the strange clues to find the murderer, she uncovers deep secrets and surprises among the staff and board that will forever change the Gardens.

Death in a Desert Garden (Bea Rivers Book 1)

"Marty Eberhardt creates a tale full of endearing characters, alluring landscapes, and local flavor. Just when former teacher, single mom, nature-loving Bea Rivers finds her niche in a job she loves at Shandley Botanical Garden, a murder on the grounds threatens not only her job but the future of the garden. Bea isn't going to let this Tucson gem close, nor let a self-important jerk take over, much less let her co-workers take the fall for the baffling crime. Seeded with native plant lore, Death in a Desert Garden had me guessing right to the end. If you can't get enough of good mysteries with southwest settings, make Death in a Desert Garden the very next book on your reading list."
Vicky Ramakka, Author, The Cactus Plot - Murder in The High Desert

"Take a peaceful desert botanical garden, add a small, dedicated staff, and a quirky board of directors with decades of hidden simmering resentments. When a partially severed tree limb kills the widow of the founder of the garden, everyone is a suspect. The lush descriptions of the plants and the ecological considerations involved in running a desert garden are the canvas on which the investigation unfolds. You'll keep turning the pages until the totally unexpected conclusion."
Carolyn Niethammer, award-winning author of eleven books on the food and people of the Southwest.

"Combining a determined sleuth who skillfully navigates all levels of Tucson society, with such a vivid sense of the Southwest you feel the blistering summer heat from the page and see the unexpected beauty of the desert, with a mystery that will keep you guessing until the final pages - makes Marty Eberhardt's Death in a Desert Garden a first-rate addition to the ranks of debut mystery novels. Brava!"
Kris Neri, NM-AZ Book Award-winning author of Hopscotch Life

"Marty Eberhardt expertly draws the reader into the beauty and danger of the desert, weaving elements of the traditional mystery into the story along the way. The result is a great read!"
Marty Wingate, author of the First Edition Library mysteries and the Potting Shed mysteries
Marty Eberhardt

Marty Eberhardt directed botanical gardens in Tucson and San Diego, and spent many years as a nonprofit staff member, board member and consultant. She now delights in using the right side of her brain to write fiction and poetry. She has published sixteen poems and two prose pieces in The Wilderness House Literary Review, The Dragon Poet Review, The San Diego Writers INK 2017 Anthology, three volumes of The Guilded Pen, The Twisted Vine Literary Review, and The Silver City Quarterly Review. She divides her time between the small mountain town of Silver City, NM, and the sprawling beach city of San Diego, CA, enjoying the flora and fauna of both locations.

Artemesia Publishing

Death in a Desert Garden (Bea Rivers Book 1)

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