English cozies are thin on the ground, but this is one of them. Gardening, wine appreciation and the Times crossword are some of the ingredients, and this gentle tale of old sins casting long shadows is just the armchair read for anybody jaded from too many serial killers and police procedurals. The Blue Rose was that bit different, a promising beginning to a new series and the sort of tale that married classic era adventure with modern science in a neat way. This book is different again, and again manages to combine the popular interest in gardening and famous gardens with a teasing tale of wartime crime and locked rooms. I always applaud anybody who can resurrect a defunct style of fiction, blow the dust off and turn it into something new and contemporary and Anthony Elgin has pulled it off again.