The second Potting Shed Mystery sets American landscape gardener Pru Parke the challenge of restoring the formal gardens of a large English country house. Staffing is minimal and she's digging in midwinter with a summer grand opening planned by the excited new owners. But murder is afoot.

THE RED BOOK OF PRIMROSE HOUSE refers to a garden book left by the original famous designer, Humphrey Repton, which Pru is using as her guideline. This means that the decorative buddelias have to be pulled out, though the aged staff gardener protests that they are good for the butterflies. Sombre yew, box and other hedges are original, and there is a walled garden for flowers and fruit. During a previous escapade Pru met Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, a divorced man with grown children, and their blossoming relationship convinced her not to go back to Texas. Excitement mounts as a local newspaper starts following the restoration in a weekly blog. But this attracts malicious attention, and vandalism starts appearing in the extensive grounds. That's not the worst of it. Who could be angry enough to murder an elderly gardener?

I was enjoying the garden restoration so much that the crimes really did seem an outrage. Pru, no superwoman, deals with matters as sensibly as she can and tries to protect a harmless young worker. I like her attitudes and strong work ethic. She doesn't ask anyone to shovel manure without pitching in herself. The slightly scatty owners of Primrose House, the Templetons, are mostly absent and communicate through excited mails every time they think of new extravagant features - which Pru is sure would not be suitable. Local people are more down to earth and family tensions come to the surface as the investigation continues. Pru, investigating her own English family tree, is also in for a shock.

I hadn't read the first one but had no difficulty in picking up the story, THE RED BOOK OF PRIMROSE HOUSE. Any keen gardener will enjoy the amateur sleuth tale and you may be inspired to get planting for spring, however small your garden.