A Secret Garden in Paris follows the lives of three women - Emma, who has travelled from Australia to live with her grandmother in Paris and search foA Secret Garden in Paris follows the lives of three women - Emma, who has travelled from Australia to live with her grandmother in Paris and search for her father; Charlotte who is experiencing marital difficulties; and Arielle, a widow, whose in-laws are proposing to take over the care of her children.
As the title suggests, the setting is Paris and that was quite an enjoyable aspect of the book. As was the gardening element. The descriptions of the city and its garden made the book much more readable.
The plot, however, was a little light on. There wasn’t a lot happening and when there was some sort of conflict, it was resolved far too hastily and simply. The romantic subplots were definitely rushed and needed much more tension.
Started well and had potential but just fell short of the mark. 2 ½ out of 5 ...more
The community of the title is a fictional Sunshine Coast hinterland one, a usually quiet and peaceful location until a body is found in a local waterhThe community of the title is a fictional Sunshine Coast hinterland one, a usually quiet and peaceful location until a body is found in a local waterhole. The discovery shines the light on the lives of the locals, and the secrets many of them are trying to conceal.
The book has more than one narrator, including local police sergeant Neil Davis, and a one time successful journalist, Lars Nilsson, whose past rocky relationship with the police affects any type of partnership the pair could establish when investigating the current case.
While I liked both Nilsson and Davis, the real star character of the book is the setting. Even though Gregory has taken some liberties, the natural beauty of the Queensland flora and fauna shines through and won me over when sometimes the plot was not as tense or tightly woven as I would have preferred.
The Community reminded me quite a bit of Force of Nature by Jane Harper and The Whispering by Veronica Lando and would recommend it for fans of those books along with other readers who enjoy the Aussie crime/mystery genre.
* Thank you to Ultimo Publishing and Better Reading Australia for my #brpreview copy....more
Lee at ReadWriteWish
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