The Botanist is a cozy crime novel written by Author Anne Wedgewood that introduces us to the character of retired doctor Lilian Templeton. Following work on Lilian’s garden a dead body is discovered and DI Ronnie Twist and her colleague Sergeant Luke Carter are sent into investigate the murder. Surely a doctor whose life was dedicated to saving lies is not the culprit and therefore she is innocent of any such crimes? What follows is a fascinating game of cat and mouse.
This is a really interesting plot that moves along at a good pace, as DI Ronnie is determined to prove Lilian is guilty and Lilian is determined to prove she is innocent, although we all know she’s not. Is she clever enough to get away with it? And why did she kill in the first place?
Lilian is a great character, and if she is a character that the Author decides to take further in her subsequent books, then I really look forward to seeing how she develops further, and digging deeper into her psyche. It is interesting to see how she rationalises with herself, her actions and behaviour. There is some level of sympathy evoked for her but it remains to be seen, if she commits further murders in the future believing this to be a reasonable response, whether readers will continue to feel empathy for her.
I enjoyed reading and I award a solid 4 stars.
