The local garden club in Bloomsfield is very important to
Amber Weathersby. She runs a garden ornament business and
the club's members are her best customers. Her membership
hangs on by a thread with her own inability to grow a
garden. But she owns Gnorman the Gnome who appears in the
Spring Fling winner's garden every year holding the
coveted, historical trophy. As this year's winner is
revealed, they discover Gnorman has been GnomeGnapped, and
the trophy with him. A ransom note made from cut out
newspaper letters is left where Gnorman was standing.
However, it isn't a real ransom note; it's just a rhyme
giving a clue to where Gnorman may appear next. Amber has
been told in the note not to move Gnorman or she will not
get the trophy back.
Amber's best friend and childhood buddy, local mechanic
Stan Wilson, helps Amber try to find Gnorman. About every
four days the GnomeGnapper moves him to a new location and
leaves another note with clues. Then a second note appears
at Amber's store. Gnorman is always dressed in a different
costume as he arrives at his latest location. Stan and
Amber crisscross Bloomsfield a number of times picking up
the ransom notes and trying to determine who stole Gnorman.
When their video surveillance plan backfires on them, it
seems they have run out of options. Will they ever find
Gnorman, and more importantly to Amber, the garden club's
prized trophy?
TAKE THE TROPHY AND RUN is a delightfully inspirational
story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The story line
becomes a bit predicable with Amber and Stan traipsing
across town and back after Gnorman, but then a new twist is
added that keeps your interest and builds the suspense.
Amber has more at stake here than just losing her
membership to the garden club. Do the members of the club
have another agenda as well? This one's a keeper.
Like Mitford and Lake Wobegon before that, Bloomfield is a
place we could all call home. Here, the residents enjoy a
splash fountain in the town square, dine at the "Fancy
Schmantsy" on tree-lined Main Street, and dream of reaching
the 10,000 population mark -- only 22 more folks to go!
The Bloomfield Garden Club, an all-ages group of lovable
oddballs that will stop at nothing to make everything
beautiful, maintains this piece of heaven on earth. But
even such idyllic places as this have their share of
dramatic characters and stories to be told.
Take, for instance, craft store owner Amber Weathersby. She
wants to be a member of the garden club but has never
received the blessing of a green thumb. Her friend, Stan
the mechanic, has helped as much as he can -- even adding a
timed sprinkler system to Amber's garden -- but the results
never live up to the club's expectations.
Her only claim to fame with that gang is her semi-famous
garden gnome, Gnorman, who gets to hold the prized trophy
each year in the Bloomfield Spring Fling contest's winning
garden.
But this year, instead of being the life of the party, her
little star is gnomegnapped, and worse, the club's
irreplaceable trophy has gone missing with him. While Amber
is chasing the gnome around town trying to win the trophy,
Stan is chasing Amber, trying to win her heart.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy