A Sprinkling of Murder 

Daryl Wood Gerber

A Fairy Garden Mystery, Book 1 

Fairy garden store owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into your life. But when uninvited trouble enters her shop, she’ll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder . . .

Since childhood, Courtney has loved fairies. After her mother died when Courtney was ten, she lost touch with that feeling of magic. A year ago, at age twenty-nine, she rediscovered it when she left her father’s landscaping business to spread her wings and start a fairy garden business and teashop in beautiful Carmel, California. At Open Your Imagination, she teaches garden design and sells everything from fairy figurines to tinkling wind chimes. Now she’s starting a book club tea.

But the light of the magical world she’s created inside her shop is darkened one night when she discovers neighboring dog-grooming business owner Mick Watkins dead beside her patio fountain. To make matters worse, the police suspect Courtney of the crime. To clear her name and find the real killer, Courtney will have to wing it. But she’s about to get a little help from an unexpected source . . .

4 Stars

A Sprinkling of Murder is an enchanting beginning to the magical new Fairy Garden Mystery. 

Open Your Imagination is Courtney Kelly’s wonderfully popular fairy garden shop. A place that allows one to believe. Courtney is a charming woman who is creative and a bit nosy. With an ex cop for a father, a fairy on probation on her shoulder and a ragdoll cat in tow, Courtney will make you a believer in fairies without even trying. When a neighboring business owner is found dead In Courtney’s shop, she finds herself at the top of the suspect list and a non stop determination to find out who the real killer is. Maybe a little fairy magic is just what she needs. 

A Sprinkling of Murder is a fun and whimsical cozy that will keep you thinking. The plot is a puzzle that seems like the pieces change as they are trying to fit in place.  Courtney is a very likable character and I love that she carries her cat, Pixie, with her as if she were a dog. I love the way her mind thinks up scenarios and she tries to figure out if they are feasible or not.  Courtney’s persistence never falters even though she’s a prime suspect.  The mystery is just one of the great elements of the story.  The setting is cozy and has plenty of charm. The love that we learn about the fairies as Courtney does. I love that there’s just enough paranormal to make you think but not so overwhelming that you can’t believe it.   

Daryl Wood Gerber has a unique and entertaining beginning to her Fairy Garden Mystery series with A Sprinkling of Murder. I can’t want for the next magical mystery.