Garden Plot by Kristen McKendry – Countdown to Christmas 2011

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Nov 292011
 

 

26 days until Christmas

 

Kristen Garner McKendry grew up in Provo, Utah. She began writing in her teens and her work has been published in Canada and the U.S. She received a Bachelors Degree in Linguistics from Brigham Young University and has always been a voracious reader. Kristen has a strong interest in urban agriculture, sustainable living, and environmental issues. She enjoys playing the bagpipes, learning obscure languages, growing wheat in the backyard, and making cheese. She now resides with her husband and children in Ontario, Canada.

Connect with Kristen: WEBSITE | Facebook

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 LDSWBR: What Christmas-related activity would you like to do this year that you have never done before?

KRISTEN: I want to participate in the sing-along Messiah in Toronto, which I’ve heard is an amazing experience. Also, something I want to do that is winter-related but not necessarily Christmas-related: I want to ride the Polar Bear Express, a train that goes to the far north of Canada, and see the northern lights.

LDSWBR: If you could find one book under the tree this year, what would it be?

KRISTEN: One I’ve been wanting is The Self Sufficient Life by John Seymour.

LDSWBR: What is your favorite childhood Christmas memory?

KRISTEN: Every Christmas seems special as I think back. It’s difficult to narrow it down. We had some great traditions – visiting my grandparents’ farm, Mom’s wonderful homemade hot chocolate, caroling to our neighbours (why don’t people carol anymore? That was great fun.) Playing secret Santa to a needy family in the neighbourhood. And every year my mother sewed all of us kids matching flannel pajamas. But I think one of my favourite memories is when my brother was on his mission in Germany and we lit real candles on the Christmas tree at home, to honour the German tradition, and sang Stille Nacht (while Mom hovered with a bucket of water in case the whole thing went up in flames).

LDSWBR: Riding the Polar Bear Express to see the Northern Lights would be an amazing experience. Thank you, Kristen!

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Buy Garden Plot by Kristen McKendry

LDS BOOKS CANADA | DESERET BOOK | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

 Read Shanda’s review of Garden Plot.

Have you ever seen the Northern (or Southern) Lights? When and from where?

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To enter the Countdown to Christmas 2011 contest, complete the following and then tell us what you did:

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  • Bonus entry (+1) – Tweet or post on Facebook the following message: Great book give-away! Visit www.ldswbr.com & enter to win $50 at Amazon, books & swag in @LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas. Send an email to ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com telling us what you did.
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  • By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Christmas 2011, you agree to the contest information found here.

 

***So far the Countdown to Christmas 2011 authors have donated 16 books and some swag! The prize list is continuing to grow and will be updated often. If you haven’t read the contest rules and info, read them here.***

 

Book prizes donated by their authors (list will be updated as more prizes are added):
  • Rearview Mirror by Stephanie Black
  • The Next Door Boys by Jolene B. Perry
  • Winner’s choice of one of the books in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series by Josi S. Kilpack (including Banana Split which will be released in February 2012)
  • Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden
  • Obsession by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little
  • Indelible by Lani Woodland and a swag bag!
  • Identity by Betsy Love
  • The Hainan Incident by D.M. Coffman (autographed copy)
  • Count Down to Love by Julie N. Ford
  • Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett
  • The Breakup Artist by Shannen Crane Camp
  • Seers by Heather Frost
  • Pride & Popularity by Jenni James
Don’t forget to comment! Merry Christmas and happy reading!

Garden Plot by Kristen McKendry

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Oct 172011
 

Garden Plot

Author: Kristen McKendry

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Published Date: August 2011

Softcover; 222 pages

Genre: Mystery-Suspense

ISBN# 978-1-60861-236-9

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free review copy in exchange for an honest review

First Line:

It couldn’t be good for business to have a guest drop dead in the vegetable garden.

With a first line like that, I knew I was in for an entertaining read with Garden Plot.

Erin, the owner and director of a halfway house for recovering addicts as well as mother to a 13 year-old daughter, is our narrator in this story told in first person. The book begins with Erin finding a body of a guest/patient in her garden that has unfortunately been shot in the head. As she tries to deal with notifying the authorities and keeping other guests/patients from coming upon the gruesome scene, we are introduced to several colorful characters.

The author did a great job writing these numerous secondary characters, especially considering we only get to know them through Erin’s eyes. Of course, as director of the home, she knows more about them than anyone in the house. She doesn’t know them well enough, however, to know who might have committed murder.

Running the Whole-Life Wellness Center in Mississagua, ON, Canada, is more than a full-time job for Erin. It’s how she is healing from the sudden death of her husband three years earlier. She feels an obligation toward the guest who lost his life at her center and she doesn’t feel like she can rest until she understands how and why he was killed and placed in her garden.

After visiting the deceased’s wife, Erin learns that the guest who checked into her center may not be the person everyone thought he was. After information from another guest connects some dots, Erin decides to do a little more investigating on her own much to the frustration of Detective Liam Harris, who ultimately concedes that she has a way of getting information from people but doesn’t want her putting herself in danger for reasons that are personal as much as professional.

I laughed out at least a dozen times throughout the book, especially in the last few chapters. There were a few places that I felt that Erin and Detective Harris’ questioning-motive sessions went in circles a little much, but it didn’t change how I felt about the book. I enjoyed the author’s voice in the book — it was a bit different than other mysteries I’ve read.

I give Garden Plot 4 stars out of 5 because it was an entertaining read that kept me turning pages (I couldn’t put it down) and it made me laugh out loud. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with LDS characters (references to the religion but not preachy at all).