Synopsis

A BLOOMING GOOD MYSTERY!

Holly Donnelly, an adjunct English professor, and her younger sister, Ivy Donnelly, a recently widowed, retired nurse, are reluctantly drawn into the investigation of an elderly neighbor’s murder when Juan Alvarez, Holly’s trusted gardener, is accused of the crime. Holly fears police detective Nick Manelli assumes Juan is guilty and won’t conduct a proper investigation, while Ivy feels the “hunky” Manelli is not only a good cop but also a possible romantic match for her sister. Can the clues the sisters unearth from neighborhood gossip about the victim’s family, a politically connected neighbor, and a powerful real estate developer help save an innocent man, or will the gardening duo dig up more than they bargain for?

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Praise

“Fans of Hallmark Channel romance series will find much to enjoy in the Holly and Ivy series…would make a great addition to that TV line-up.” – Daisy Pettles, author of the Shady Hoosier Detective Agency Series.”

a clever, original mystery that kept me guessing right up to the final pages. Hope Holly and Ivy get up to more mischief. They make a great pair of detectives! Loved the book – couldn’t put it down.” Cathleen O’Connor, author of High Heels on the Hamster Wheel and Embracing Your Authentic Self

“…a good old-fashioned who-done-it, with a few fresh quirky twists..” Goodreads Reviewer, Marti Healy, author of The Secret Child.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

A Change in Plans

Holly Donnelly drove as fast as she could up the ramp to the parking deck connected to Newark Airport’s Terminal C. She pulled into the first empty spot she found, jumped out of the car, and ran down the escalator, out of breath by the time she reached the flight arrivals board. Scanning the flight information, she exhaled, stretched her neck, rolled her shoulders and smiled. Her younger sister Ivy’s flight had just arrived at the gate. In spite of having lingered too long in the garden that morning, weeding and deadheading, trying to get everything perfect for Ivy’s visit, she wasn’t late. All she had to do now was wait at the baggage claim for her sister, grab her luggage and head home for the start of a delicious, carefree two-week visit of gardening, grilling and sight-seeing.

Holly glanced up at the board again. The number five began flashing in the baggage carousel column. She headed over to the baggage area and stopped, facing the escalator nearest carousel five. As she focused her eyes on the top of the escalator, she felt an ache in her stomach remembering how forlorn Ivy looked when they said good-bye at the airport in South Carolina just three months ago after Dave’s funeral. Holly had wanted Ivy to come back with her to New Jersey then, but Ivy said she needed some time to sort through things and deal with the will, life insurance and other business matters related to Dave’s passing. Holly so wanted to stay and help, but with only a few weeks left until the end of the semester, she had to return to New Jersey to deal with exams and final grades.

Before long, Holly spotted Ivy on the escalator. She smiled, shaking her head as two men, probably in their thirties, did a double-take. Wearing black skinny jeans and a fitted red denim jacket, the petite, blue-eyed, blonde Ivy still turned heads at 52.

When Ivy caught sight of Holly, she gave a wave and a big smile. At the bottom of the escalator, the two sisters embraced and tears welled up in Holly’s eyes as she hugged Ivy tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said.

“Me, too,” said Ivy, equally teary-eyed. “Were you waiting long?”

“No, actually I was afraid you were the one who was going to be stuck waiting. I lost track of time in the garden, and when I checked the flight status and saw your flight was due fifteen minutes early, I nearly panicked. Fortunately, traffic was light. Hey, is that your bag with the blue ribbon on the handle?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Together the sisters grabbed the suitcase and pulled it off the carousel. A woman standing beside them touched Ivy on the arm and said, “I would have known that was your sister, even if you hadn’t told me she was meeting you. You two look like twins.”

“We get that a lot,” Ivy replied laughing. The woman, she told Holly, had sat next to her on the plane.

“I never get tired of hearing that we look like twins,” Holly chimed in. “I’m the older one.”

“Let’s go,” said Ivy, rolling her eyes and giving Holly a good-natured shove. Holly smiled as she pulled on the luggage handle, leading the way to the parking garage. She was always flattered when people said she looked like Ivy’s twin, and not just because she was older. She’d envied Ivy’s beauty since they were children. Ivy’s weight hadn’t varied more than five pounds since she was a teenager. Holly, on the other hand, had always struggled with extra pounds. However, since closing her marketing consulting business and becoming an adjunct professor at Pineland Park Community College, she had changed her diet, was swimming twice a week and had slimmed down considerably. At 55, she decided to grow and color her hair, increasing her resemblance to her sister.

About the Author

An avid reader, Sally Handley has been a mystery lover since she read her first Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and Cherry Ames books as a young girl. Sally is author of the Holly & Ivy classic cozy mystery series and the stand-alone suspense novel, Stop the Threat. A member of Sisters in Crime and Past President of the Upstate SC Chapter, Sally hosts a monthly on-line Mystery Book Club and a Meet the Authors Series on her YouTube Channel.

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