Wednesday, September 07, 2022

Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King

 
First Line: The man in the dripping Army poncho paused to shove back his hood and stand, head cocked, trying to make out the half-heard sound.
 
California's Gardener Estate has had an interesting and varied life. Home to an important family, the house was built to be magnificent and the gardens vast and breathtaking. In the 1970s, it became a commune, home to people intent on finding a better way to live. Now, fifty years later, the Gardener Trust is working to move the estate into its new future, but when restoration work on a statue uncovers human remains, Inspector Raquel Laing is sent to investigate.

Fifty years ago when young Rob Gardener turned his inheritance into a haven of peace, love, and equality, it was also a time when serial killers stalked the area, including The Highwayman. Could the body that was uncovered be one of The Highwayman's victims? That's why Laing is there, but as she interviews people and works her way through mountains of documents in the archives, she learns that several people actually vanished from the Gardener Estate during that time, and Rob Gardener, a Vietnam veteran whose girlfriend is one of the missing, seems to be at the center of it all.

~

After reading Back to the Garden, I was disappointed to see that it was listed as a standalone thriller. Then I read author Laurie R. King's blog and learned that it's the first in a new series featuring Raquel Laing. My initial disappointment turned to happiness. Raquel Laing is just too good a character for one book; readers deserve to see more of this maverick police officer who walks with a cane and is a whiz at reading people's facial expressions. Laing is the type of police officer who believes in responsibility over compliance: if something is the right thing to do, she's going to do it rather than obey some pencil pusher's request to cater to the rich and shameless-- even though she knows she may lose her job. Now... that's my kind of character.
 
Just as much as I enjoyed Laing's character, I also loved the setting. Back to the Garden switches back and forth between the present day and the 1970s when Rob Gardener turned the estate into a commune. Even if you're not old enough to remember the 1970s, the setting will come to life as Laing interviews people and reads the documents that Mrs. Dalhousie finds for her. This book is an excellent "whose body?" and "whodunit?" that kept me wondering and guessing from beginning to end. 
 
Many writers of long-running series need a break from those characters, and I am so glad that Laurie R. King has decided to introduce us to Raquel Laing. If you've read and enjoyed Michael Connelly's Renée Ballard mysteries, you really need to meet Raquel Laing. Bring on Raquel's next investigation!

Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King
eISBN: 9780593496572
Bantam Books © 2022
eBook, 336 pages
 
Police Procedural, #1 Raquel Laing mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Net Galley

12 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one as much as you did, Cathy. That setting does sound fantastic, and its history sounds believable, too. There are a lot of old houses like that, that were once the homes of the wealthy, and then got turned into communes and other such places. It rings true, if that makes sense. It's nice to know King's got a new series; it can be great when authors branch out and try new sorts of characters, etc..

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    1. I can certainly see where burnout would be a problem with a long-running series.

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  2. Can't wait to read this book. Saw Laurie King on PP talking about this book (and assorted topics), and I was committeed right away. Yes, I remember those days, knew people who'd been in communes.

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    1. I still need to watch that event. Thanks for the reminder.

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  3. That's great that she's going to write more books about this character! I've read some books in her other series and really enjoy her writing.

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  4. I have loved King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series so I'll definitely be checking this one out.

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  5. I'm looking forward to reading this one and am glad you talked about it here. When I first saw the info about the book a while back, the '70's were what grabbed me and then the story with the new investigator. Yes, I do remember that time and yes, I do love Renee Ballard. Think I'll have a good time with it. Now, I need to listen to the PP podcast of Laurie King's event.

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    1. Another reminder that I'm behind on watching PP events!

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  6. I'm already waiting my turn for this from my library; you've heightened my anticipation! And it's good news that this starts a series, too.

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    1. I'm really looking forward to Raquel's next investigation!

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