Bea Rivers’ euphoria over her new job at Shandley Gardens is shattered by the death of the Gardens’ founder, Liz Shandley. When the police determine that she was murdered, Bea is drawn into the investigation, while trying to maintain the life of a committed single parent dating a struggling writer. Every member of the staff and board are murder suspects. Through the sizzling and beautiful days of a Sonoran Desert summer, someone keeps dropping odd botanical clues. As Bea’s family’s safety is threatened, she discovers how tangled the relationships at the Gardens really are.

Marty Eberhardt directed botanical gardens in Tucson and San Diego and spent many years as a nonprofit staff member, board member and consultant. She now delights in using the right side of her brain to write fiction and poetry.

Marty has published several poems and prose pieces, in The Wilderness House Literary Review, The Dragon Poet Review, The San Diego Writers INK 2017 Anthology, The Twisted Vine Literary Review, four volumes of The Guilded Pen, and The Silver City Quarterly Review. She lives with her husband, Phil Hastings, and a dog, and spends as much time as possible with her children and grandchildren.

Death in a Desert Garden is available for pre-order online. To learn more about Marty Eberhardt and her work, visit martyeberhardt.com.