It takes a little time to get into Albert's Darling Dahlias series, mainly because of the large number of characters, but the author includes a list at the beginning of the novel, which helps. I enjoyed this book for several reasons beyond the entertaining mystery:
(1) Set in 1930, the ambiance is refreshingly different from that of the many contemporary and Victorian mysteries popular today.
(2) The characters are nicely developed and seem true to their era in temperment and interests.
(3) There is a librarian in the book (although she is not particularly appealing)!
The Darling Dahlias are a garden club based in Darling, Alabama at the beginning of the great depression. They have recently inherited a clubhouse from the estate of founding member Mrs. Dahlia Blackstone and plan to restore the beautiful gardens around the house. The Cucumber Tree of the title is a type of magnolia and graces the Blackstone garden. It also figures in a Civil War era mystery connected with the Blackstone family and more recent activities related to the family legacy.
When beautiful, blonde Bunny Scott, who sells cosmetics at the local drugstore, is found dead in the wreck of a stolen car, the townspeople assume that she was the accomplice of a car thief, possibly a recently escaped convict from the local prison farm. Club members Verna Tidwell (widow and secretary to the county probate clerk) and Lizzy Lacy (secretary to Mr. Moseley, a lawyer), who regularly lunched with Bunny, don't believe that she could have been involved in a car theft and launch their own investigation into their friend's death with the help of Myra Mosswell (owner of the local diner and telephone operator), eventually bringing to light the true details of Bunny's death. This is one garden club that digs up more than dirt! Check out this series as soon as you can. You will love the ladies of the Darling Dahlias.
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