A Sprinkling of Murder

A Glimmer of a Clue 

Fairy Garden Mysteries Books 1 and 2

Daryl Wood Gerber

Kensington Pub

June 30^th 2020 and 2021

A Sprinkling of Murder and A Glimmer of a Clue by Daryl Wood Gerber are the first installments in the new Fairy Garden Mystery series.  Even with a death and a mystery these stories will put a smile on readers’ faces.  Anyone who remembers the Peter Pan line, “Do you believe in fairies,” will enjoy this enchanting book that has charm and wit, friends and foes, murder and mayhem with fascinating characters. 

The heroine of the series, Courtney Kelly, owns a delightful fairy garden and tea shop, called “Open Your Imagination,” in Carmel Valley. It teaches customers how to make their own fairy gardens. Although most people can’t see the real fairies, Courtney and a few others around her can, because they believe. In both books readers get more than just a mystery.  There are tips in making fairy gardens, great quotes before each chapter that relate to fairies, and playful animals.

“I came up with four different types of fairies.  A righteous fairy; an intuitive fairy; a guardian fairy; and a nurturer fairy.  There is no bad fairy, and they enjoy sweets, poetry, and gardens.  They like calming people and helping them solve problems.”  

A Sprinkling of Murder has Courtney suspected of homicide after discovering neighboring dog-grooming business owner Mick Watkins dead beside her patio fountain. To clear her name and find the real killer, Courtney gets a little help from an unexpected source, real-life fairy Fiona. She is a fairy in training because she has not earned all of her wings due to mischievous behavior, and now has to help a human by doing good deeds.  She is having fun with helping Courtney, while trying to get into the good graces of the fairy Queen. Fiona and Courtney find clues that reveal the real killer to clear Courtney’s name. 

“Fiona is a righteous one. Now a teenager, she was kicked out of the fairy world because she had too much fun.  To get her adult wings she has to help humans solve problems.  I consider her a sleuth fairy. Courtney believed in fairies because of her mother.  After her mom died when Courtney was ten, she was not as much as a believer.  But now, deciding to open her shop she saw Fiona and once again has fairies in her life.  She got the idea for a shop after going to a Renaissance Fair. This is a case of art imitating life since that is where I got the idea for this series.”.

A Glimmer of a Clue starts out with Courtney having to break up a fight between a nasty local art critic, Lana Lamar, and Courtney’s friend Wanda who she considers a mother-type. After the fight has been stopped, Lana once again escalates by threatening a lawsuit. At an elegant fundraiser Lana is found stabbed on the floor with Wanda standing over the body in an obvious daze, holding the letter opener used to kill Lana. She is not a victim readers will be sympathetic to since she is very nasty, a hypocritical art critic, and gets into very public fights with multiple people in the community.  Courtney and Fiona are determined to find the real culprit and eliminate Wanda as a person of interest.

“I wrote the friends, fairies, family, and pets are an extended family.  I like to have strong women protagonists who are problem solvers and caring.  I want my books to have an entertaining mystery with people who care about other people. I made sure each fairy has their own personality, looks, and abilities.  With each new book the fairy world will grow.”

With each book Fiona is gaining her wings, while Courtney is getting her sleuth hat. Memorable characters, humans, pets, and fairies alike, will find readers immersed in the detailed magic of the story. 

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