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Devil's Breath
(2023)(The Woman in the Garden)
(The first book in the Professor Eustacia Rose Mystery series)A novel by Jill Johnson
2024 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel (nominee)
2024 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel (nominee)
"A fascinating novel."— First Clue
Eustacia has always been better with plants than people...
Eustacia Rose is a Professor of Botanical Toxicology with only her extensive collection of poisonous plants for company. Her life is quiet, her schedule is unchanging, and her closest friends are the specimens she tends to. But she does have one other hobby: watching her neighbors through her telescope, taking extensive notes on their lives for "research."
When Eustacia hears a scream one evening, the temptation to investigate proves irresistible. Through her telescope she catches a glimpse of her extraordinarily beautiful new neighbor, Simone, and soon becomes obsessed with her and her life. But who are these four men that orbit Simone? And why does Eustacia get the feeling she needs to protect her from them?
One day, Eustacia comes home to find her precious garden destroyed, and learns that someone close to Simone has been murdered with a rare poisonous plant. As she is drawn deep into the crime, Eustacia's closed-off life begins to crumble, forcing her to break free from the walls of her secret garden and take matters into her own hands. Soon, she's forced to realize that the world is filled with people who are just as toxic as her plants…
Fans of The Maid will revel in this perfectly tended tale of obsession. The Woman in the Garden explores the delicate balance between beauty and danger—infatuation and obsession—tightly woven together in a tense and unsettling mystery.
Genre: Mystery
Eustacia has always been better with plants than people...
Eustacia Rose is a Professor of Botanical Toxicology with only her extensive collection of poisonous plants for company. Her life is quiet, her schedule is unchanging, and her closest friends are the specimens she tends to. But she does have one other hobby: watching her neighbors through her telescope, taking extensive notes on their lives for "research."
When Eustacia hears a scream one evening, the temptation to investigate proves irresistible. Through her telescope she catches a glimpse of her extraordinarily beautiful new neighbor, Simone, and soon becomes obsessed with her and her life. But who are these four men that orbit Simone? And why does Eustacia get the feeling she needs to protect her from them?
One day, Eustacia comes home to find her precious garden destroyed, and learns that someone close to Simone has been murdered with a rare poisonous plant. As she is drawn deep into the crime, Eustacia's closed-off life begins to crumble, forcing her to break free from the walls of her secret garden and take matters into her own hands. Soon, she's forced to realize that the world is filled with people who are just as toxic as her plants…
Fans of The Maid will revel in this perfectly tended tale of obsession. The Woman in the Garden explores the delicate balance between beauty and danger—infatuation and obsession—tightly woven together in a tense and unsettling mystery.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"A thrilling story . . . Jill Johnson writes masterfully." - JJ Bola
"Professor Eustacia Rose, genius botanical toxicologist, eccentric loner, instinctive detective and all-round mystery - a splendid creation." - M J Carter
"Fascinating and eerily compelling." - Jessica Fellowes
"A creeper vine of intrigue and suspense, with a most unlikely and engaging star detective at its heart." - Esther Freud
"An intoxicating tale, Devil's Breath might take your breath away." - Salena Godden
"Professor Eustacia Rose, genius botanical toxicologist, eccentric loner, instinctive detective and all-round mystery - a splendid creation." - M J Carter
"Fascinating and eerily compelling." - Jessica Fellowes
"A creeper vine of intrigue and suspense, with a most unlikely and engaging star detective at its heart." - Esther Freud
"An intoxicating tale, Devil's Breath might take your breath away." - Salena Godden
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