Orchids And Lies

This book was written for me!
That was one of the earliest thoughts I had about it after the first few pages.
The general synopsis is simple: A gardener gets killed at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland in Dublin. A stenographer, Beatrice Barrington, is among the first who find the dead man. Was it an accident or murder? She soon has second thoughts when the police quickly rule it as a tragic accident. She gets dragged into the case more or less involuntarily and tries to solve it with the help of her old „friend“ Gabriel (those two do clearly have a history there).
The writing style flows effortlessly and creates a story – along with several subplots and small riddles - full of atmosphere. Such a good, fluent, Irish book. What show more I loved especially was that it captures Irish everyday life, the atmosphere of Dublin and the National Botanic Gardens perfectly.
Yes, I know, „atmospheric“ is one of my favourite words when describing and rating a book – I just love when books have atmosphere, when they manage to convey you right into the story, make you feel it. It's about the highest praise I can give a book.
And this one did it - 'Orchids and Lies' transported me to one of my fave places in the world, to Dublin and the National Botanic Gardens.
You need to know I love Ireland – the narrative also takes place partly in Donegal and the Burren which I love, too -, but I have a history with Dublin, especially the northern parts of town with Glasnevin Cemetery and – The National Botanic Gardens. Those are places I consider as my second home and miss terribly right now that we're not allowed to travel and Ireland is experiencing its second Lockdown of history... I miss Dublin, I miss the „Bots“ - so when I read 'Orchids and Lies' took place there, I applied for an ARC immediately... I didn't have very high hopes then – most books I've read that take place in Dublin could as well be set in any other place in the British Isles, they don't have that atmosphere (atmosphere again :)) that I connect with my life in Dublin.
Let me put it this way: I was expecing to get underwhelmed and got completely overwhelmed instead. :) I didn't expect that in the least. It has that seemingly easy, effortless style that I look for in a book and which is so hard to achieve.
Of course I don't know and don't really expect whether it will work as well for others as it did for me. I don't know what you'll think of it when you don't have that special connection to „the Bots“ and Dublin North as I have. That's why it immediately felt like that book was written especially for me. But I think one way or the other, it's worth the read.

One point of critique – if I have to find one – is that, in my view, it's not marketed correctly. It's marketed as a thriller, which it isn't, really. It's a mystery, nearly a cozy.
Don't read it if you expect a thriller! It's a classic whodunnit, an investigator solving the case. I, myself, don't even like mysteries and cozies, at least not most of them. They are mostly way too boring for me to continue on. I prefer the suspense of thrillers, and: I see the (hobby) detectives as devices for solving the case, nothing else – whereas most of the highly acclaimed detective series today all have the detectives questioning their jobs and lives, suffering from internal struggles or world weariness and the book featuring endless social commentary and social criticism... I hate that...
And I normally hate series, too - this book seems to be the third installment of a series... :) -Yet this one is fantastic! 'Orchids and Lies' is a good - nearly old-fashioned, but yet fresh (does that make sense? :p) - Whodunnit. It doesn't want to be 'more than it is' and is done exceedingly well as it is. It has more twists than you'd think at first, more than your average mystery. The plot and subplots are engaging and the MCs refreshingly unpretentious and more or less content with their lives. They even made me want to hear more about them.
As I said before, I got sucked right into the story, got propelled to Dublin and wish I could have stayed there. If a book gets me to blabber on as long as this – oops, this is way too long! – it must be special. :) Fiona Gartland is a very talented storyteller.
Fiona, I'll try to get my hands on your other books!

Thank you so much, LT, for this ARC (with my old account Yuki_Onna) in exchange for an honest review. show less

Orchids and Lies is a charming mystery (definitely not a thriller) that takes place in Dublin, primarily at a Botanic Garden. I really enjoyed the main character who seems to be a little older than the average sleuth but doesn't fall into the "Miss Marple" category either. She has a complicated relationship with her friend, a retired detective, that was interesting and most of the characters were pretty quirky.
I didn't guess the killer too early on, although it was apparent quite a bit prior to the reveal.
The Irish patterns of speech and colloquialisms enhanced the setting, and the writing overall flowed well. One small annoyance was the author's attention to very specific directions for the setting on multiple occasions--does it really show more matter that she made a right and two lefts on her walk if she isn't being followed or doesn't have to retrace her steps? I don't think there were any times when that helped to establish or describe a setting.
Small issues aside, I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading others in the series. show less

This was a very good mystery, but I wouldn't categorize it as a thriller. The characters were strong and believable and the setting of the botanic gardens in Dublin was very interesting. The story revolves around main character, Bea, and her friend, Gabriel, trying to solve the death of one of the gardeners at the gardens. Bea was at the gardens and was one of the first people on the scene when the body was found in one of the plant houses. Things just don't add up to his death being accidental or a suicide as many are saying, so Bea decides to try to find out what really happened. She enlists the help of her friend and former police detective, Gabriel, and the pair search for answers. There are a lot of likely suspects, plenty of show more interesting subplots, a few twists and turns, and a cast of interesting characters who I would imagine might turn up in future stories in this series. I feel I should go back and read the first two books of the series to find out the relationship between Bea and Gabriel more clearly. All in all a very nice read and interesting mystery.

*I was given a digital copy of this book by the editor as an Early Reviewer in exchange for my honest opinion and review. show less

A rather charming little cosy mystery set in and around the Botanical Gardens in Dublin. This is technically the third in the series and I might go back and read the others but it stands well by itself. Our detective is on Beatrice Barrington, a court stenographer, who's now finding herself somewhat short of work as technology takes over. She's not that concerned though and enjoys rambling in the Botanical Gardens and chatting to her friend (ex-lover/fling maybe in the previous books) graham. And although she's really not intending to get involved in such things ever again, low and behold as she's entering one of the plant houses she finds a body on the floor, having fallen from a walkway high above. She's trying to put this behind her, show more and let the police (garda in irish, sadly about halfway through this gets corrupted to guards which is wrong) get along with her life. But having worked int he court she knows how inquiries should progress, and there doesn't seem to be any action from the police. It's not being controlled from a station she knows, so she can't pull any strings there, and when she's contacted by the deceased's family, the least she can do is ask a few questions. It could of course be suicide, but just doesn't seem right to her. Beatrice is quite a change as an investigator, she's middle aged, neither a young dynamic hot-head nor yet a cerebal but frail miss marple, but instead a good balance from both, without either extreme.

As with most Cosy's the plot itself is overly complex (although I'd hoped the obvious suspect would turn out to be innocent for once) and meanders along with cafes and pubs (and a remarkable consumption of tea even in the pubs unlike any Ireland I've visited). I'm pleased that the police aren't sharing their details with the public and Beatrice has to figure things out without reference to forensics and like. She of course goes off along a few red herring trails, but it all gets cleared up in the end. There's obviously scope for more in the series.

A little more editing wouldn't have hurt. It's not bad, but the opening style is a little descriptive in places, especially on clothing, some of pronouns are unclear, and as per the garda above, there's a few typographical errors here and there. The style mostly settles down and you get used to it quickly. show less

I always welcome a chance to “visit” the land that my grandmother loved and missed everyday of her life… Ireland. This is a wonderfully told story. It will appeal to those that love the mystery and the chase to find the killer and those that just want to sit and enjoy a really good book. The characters were so very well done and very likeable and believable. I especially liked Beatrice and Gabriel and how they interacted with one another. I’m also a big fan of mystery books that have a court case as a part of the story. Although this one had a court case…I’m not sure that it may have seemed out of place or even unnecessary in this case. At any rate I really enjoyed this book from cover to cover and will be watching for show more future ones by this author. I also have my fingers crossed that there is more of Beatrice and Gabriel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Poolbeg Press in exchange for an honest opinion. The views expressed by this reviewer are entirely my own. show less

Disclosure: An electronic copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Poolbeg Press, via Library Thing, in exchange for review.

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Not many thrills in this leisurely-paced mystery that begins with the death of a gardener at Dublin’s Botanical Gardens. Though preliminary investigations consider the death a suicide, court stenographer and amateur sleuth Beatrice Barrington and her ex (?) boyfriend, a retired detective, both have their doubts.

There’s a lot of wandering around Dublin, meals and drinks in various pubs, descriptions of the weather (wet and cold), discussions of where the car is parked, interviews with the dead man’s family and with other garden employees, and nattering between Beatrice and the head of show more the official investigation.

Things begin to tighten up about three-fourths of the way through the book, as various past events within the suspect pool come to light, but it’s pretty well too late to rescue this tale, which overall is as grey and dreary as Dublin in March. There are some nice red herrings that emerge as the most-probable suspects surface, but the observant reader will spot the real motivation fairly early-on, which knocks most of the likely killers out of the lineup.

There’s a subplot involving Beatrice and Gabriel, with roots extending into previous entries in this series. ‘Orchids and Lies’ stands well enough on its own, however, and nothing in their mutual past is compelling enough for this reviewer to go looking for the backstory. The ending – after the killer is caught – sets up for future adventures with this pair. Whether one is compelled to continue to follow the series will depend on one’s taste for laid-back detective tales show less

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.

Stenographer and amateur detective Beatrice Barrington is relaxing at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, when she sees someone running out of the corner of eye only to be startled by a woman screaming. A gardener, Paddy Hogan, has fallen from a high walkway in the greenhouse. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder? Beatrice is convinced Paddy was murdered though the local gardaí seem to disagree. With the help of her ex and former detective Gabriel Ingram it is up to Beatrice to find the truth before it is too late.

This is the third book in the Beatrice Barrington series, however you do not have to read the first two to enjoy this book. show more Overall I enjoyed this book. I found the main mystery to be interesting and compelling. There was a side plot about a court case Beatrice was working which I did not feel added to the story. I kept thinking it would tie into the main plot but it did not. While it does not end on a cliff hanger per say, it does set up future stories in this world. I look forward to reading more books in this series. show less