Rachel O'Connor's company, Rain Country Landscaping, may be struggling, but she has a dream job at Oregon's famed Columbia River Inn--until owner Henry Bassinger plunges to a suspicious death in the Columbia Gorge. If Rachel doesn't solve the murder soon, she will lose not only her livelihood but her life.

Devil's Trumpet is Mary Freeman's triumphant mystery debut. Labeled "A Gardening Mystery," the novel successfully walks a razor's edge: detailed enough to satisfy gardening fans, but not so detailed that it alienates nongardeners. And for readers who can't wait for Freeman's next book, there is good news: under the name Mary Rosenblum, she has published three science fiction novels (The Drylands, Chimera, and The Stone Garden) and one collection (Synthesis & Other Virtual Realities) that are every bit as entertaining, ingenious, and populated with fascinating, sympathetic characters. --Cynthia Ward