A Hoe Lot of Trouble: A Nina Quinn Mystery

New York: Avon Books. Fine. 2004. 1st Avon Books Paperback Edition. Mass Market Paperback. No spine crease. Full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. . 246 pages. A Nina Quinn Mystery, No. 1. There's a serpent loose in Nina's garden ...Nina Colette Ceceri Quinn's business, Taken by Surprise -- a landscaping firm specializing in surprise garden makeovers -- is the only thing in her life that seems to be thriving. Her marriage to adulterous police detective Kevin Quinn has wilted. Her antisocial stepson Riley is spreading trouble around like pungent manure. Even her gardening tools are disappearing, including a rather valuable set of hoes.Worst of all, the delightful old man who first introduced her to the joys of horticulture is dead -- and not by natural causes. Something evil has taken root in Nina's Ohio small town, and the local police -- including dearly unbeloved Kev -- are baffled. But it's amazing what a resourceful gardener can dig up when she puts her mind to it -- though, by sticking her hands too deeply into this fetid, fertile soil, Nina might well end up planted beneath her own petunias. .