The Gardener

Extreme page turner - one heck of a mystery with complex characters! So many mysteries and detective novels out there, but every once in a while one stands out - and here it is. Complex plot that flows along with enough red herrings to keep you guessing, excellent character development and I really like the addition of the "auras", gives it a touch of realistic "supernatural" while still staying on the ground. Like the character interaction and a nice touch of a little romance to keep things fun. Will definitely follow this series ...

Detective Riley Finn is a special detective with the Chicago Police Department. A serial killer, who is as dangerous as he is meticulous, has taken a special interest in her. With each violent crime he commits, he calls Finn, taunts her, and hints at secrets about her past. The Gardner is always two steps ahead of Finn and knows more about her, past or present, than anyone else. But Riley Finn isn't an ordinary detective: she has a unique gift. Her secret ability to see auras allows her to weed out Good from Evil. Finn will stop at nothing to discover what secrets the Gardner holds and put an end to his killing streak.

I really enjoyed this story. Finn was an interesting character and her gift adds to the already enticing thrill of catching a highly intelligent psychopath. The surrounding characters were fun, I enjoyed the humor and dialogue exchanged between them. It helped lighten the mood after reading about brutal violence. My favorite character, aside from Finn, would have to be Jason. He is adorable, loyal, funny, and an alpha male with a soft side. Who doesn't love that? The plot itself was well written and interesting. It was fast-paced at the beginning and slowed down about halfway through, but sped up again towards the end. I was racking my brain trying to figure out who the killer was throughout the story and Ferretti's hints helped guide the way. I don't think the identity of the killer was predictable, but its a good hunch!

Overall, this was a great story and an easy, quick read. I rate this a 4.5/5. If you like the show "Criminal Minds," you'll love this story. I would recommend this to young adult and adult readers who enjoy crime solving, thrillers, and a little bit of romance. I myself typically don't enjoy romance novels, but found the small bits of it in this story to be perfect. I do hope this will be a series because there was a good amount of questions left unanswered. There was a good amount of detail provided for everything, but some places things could be unclear without rereading the last sentence (for me at least).

Trigger warnings: violence, murder, child trafficking, sexual abuse, child abuse.

This was an intense book...a bit gruesome, intriguing, and a real page turner. I loved the characters and the story line and hope to read more of them soon!

Absolutely loved it from start to finish couldnt put it down dodnt want it to end such good writing! Cant wait for more books. Highly recommended

I loved this book. The writing was excellent. It kept me interested from start to finish. Characters were well written and I found myself loving them.

I really enjoyed this book. The author writes a well paced page turner that kept me interested from page one. The killer in the book is interesting and kept me curious about motives and next moves. I did find some of the tech a little unbelievable as even remotely accessible to a standard city police department, and I felt that some of the details were overshared repeatedly, but that information about the auras the main character can see was not shared in enough detail and were not repeated. Especially considering there is a lot of information to take in in the book.

My only criticism is that the ending felt a little anti-climatic after the hight pace and intensity of the rest of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes fast paced thrillers.

I received an advance review copy of this book for free, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy of The Gardener in exchange for my honest review.

An extreme page-turner and one heck of a mystery! The intricate plot flows along at a steady pace from beginning to end and keeps you guessing the entire time. I love how Riley’s determination in doing the right thing and not giving up even at her own personal cost. Keeping her secret – she is able to see other people’s auras and can determine whether they are good or bad. It is not easy when those close to her constantly question her “intuition” and think of her as strange. Her abilities force her to keep a distance from others but as the book progresses we get to see Riley letting her guard down some and allowing herself to test the waters with a new love interest. The romance aspect was just enough – not over done but instead weaved through the book in bits. I truly like her love interest in Jason. He’s tough, funny, endearing and is willing to let the connection with Riley progress at her speed and terms.

The press has dubbed the killer as The Gardener after the first murder scene is found – a garden with heads on stakes. He is creepy and relentless and seems to have a fixation with Riley. Calling Riley after each murder he uses the nursery rhyme “Mary Mary Quite Contrary” in relation to his crime scenes. I loved how the author utilizes the items from this rhyme in relation to the kill scenes making them even creepier. The intrigue grows as the killer hints he has some connection to Riley’s past.

Fantastic first in this new series! I so enjoyed this book and would give it ten stars if possible. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series and would highly recommend this series to anyone who loves serial killer themed books. One great read!!!

I received a complimentary copy of The Gardener from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Cliff hanger! I cannot wait for the second installment. This was a very original novel—interesting and plausible. Riley, a Chicago police detective, has an unusual gift that helps her sniff out the bad guys, but it isn’t as helpful with the Gardner, who is a twisted, mind-game playing serial killer with a keen interest in her personal life. Kept me on the edge of my seat!

Anne Ferretti did such a wonderful job writing this unnerving and twisted story. The Gardener is a fast-paced and well written book and I'm happy that I was given the opportunity to read the ARC!

She adds an creep factor to the book by including the nursery rhyme "Mary Mary Quite Contrary” to each murder scene. The MC tries to maintain a distance from people because she can read their auras, which is her own secret, to tell whether someone is bad or not. There's also a bit of romance, however the amount wasn't the main focal point and was just enough to keep me interested in the story.

If you enjoy Rizzoli & Isles, Temperance Brennan and other police procedural books then I highly highly recommend this one! If I could give this book more than 5 stars I definitely would and I look forward to the rest of the series!


TW:
Violence, murder, child trafficking, sexual abuse, child abuse.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Gardener in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Chicago PD Detective Riley Finn has a unique gift ... due to a childhood trauma, she sees auras .. and can determine good or evil. Very few people kow of her gift, but it's this very gift that gives her the opportunity to find the bad guys and clean up the streets.


There's a new serial killer loose on the streets. He's a particularly vile killer and extremely violent. He taunts Riley with each crime he commits, he calls her, he hints at secrets about her past. He has killed multiple children and beheaded them. Riley finds the heads .. planted in a garden, much like heads of lettuce. Thus they're calling him The Gardener.

Who is this killer? How does he know Riley? Partnering with a rookie, she will stop at nothing to stop this killing streak.

Trigger warnings: murder, child abuse, child trafficking, graphic violence

Crime fiction, with a touch of paranormal moves at a fast pace while maintaining the suspense from start to finish. Characters are deftly drawn .. especially enjoyed Riley's gift. Although second in the series, this is easily read as a stand-alone. However, I do recommend reading in order.

Many thanks to the author / BooksGoSocial / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Let me start off by saying I think I’m in love with this author, she is one hell of a story writer!

Rarely do you find a book that can blend crime with the paranormal and have it not sound absolutely ridiculous. She sprinkled in just a tidbit of romance alongside murder and mayhem and created a beautifully depraved concoction I want to drink in over and over again!

This book is not something you bring to book club with the PTO moms.

Immaculate!!

Riley lost her parents in a car accident when she was just 10. Her father saved her but died trying to save her mother. Her mother’s body was never found. The experience gave her supernatural powers. She can see coloured auras around people that help her know their emotions. She has also come to know of people called Voids, pure evil, who have a white aura.

In the present day, Riley is a detective, using her unnatural abilities for good. Her new partner, Liam Silverman, is brash and young, and she is just figuring him out when they come to know of a five-year-old girl, Sarah, bloodied and missing a fingertip, but otherwise unhurt wandering the street. Her observations of her days in captivity lead the police to the horror of finding the body parts of seven young children in an abandoned dockyard, with the seven severed heads in the garden of an unused house.

The body count keeps piling up, and Riley comes to know of a serial killer, whose kills seem to be inspired by the nursery rhyme, Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow? The serial killer, named the Gardener by the media, keeps committing more heinous killings, using medieval torture devices, matching his kills with each line of the rhyme.

The leads converge around Robert Pearson, a hedge fund tycoon with a strange relationship with his adoptive mother. Why is the Gardener killing people who have an association with Pearson?



The description of the accident was heartrending. The powerful writing made me feel the child’s pain.

The book has been written in the 3rd person past tense limited point of view of Riley and Robert. The descriptions of the killings didn’t make me feel squeamish in the least, and I appreciated not losing my dinner.

I liked all the characters, especially Riley. Her ability set her apart from other detectives of this genre. It was nice to see the slowly growing bond between Riley and Liam. Even Mary didn’t come across as evil, but as someone with a compelling backstory that we would learn about in time.



Another change was the cooperative working relationship between the Chicago Police Department and the FBI. In most books and films, the two are constantly sniping at each other.

I also liked the fact that Riley didn’t have a boyfriend. It’s very annoying when the love interest takes up too much room in a police procedural, especially one involving a serial killer and numerous bodies. Even later when Riley did get into a relationship, the focus remained on the job.

Another good thing was the manner in which Riley and Jason, the FBI agent, revealed bits of their past to each other. Slow and steady, while they are driving to a location, not interrupting the action. The banter between Riley, Liam and Jason, and even Paul, the captain, was good.



This was a ARC, so I hope the few errors get corrected. In one chapter, the bodies are found in various stages of ‘composition.’ That should be changed to decomposition.

The last few chapters of the book, soon after the police figure out the identity of the Gardener, seemed to be rushed. Despite the rushed pace and the frenzied action, there are no answers. Much of how he did what he did was not explained, and the book ended on a cliffhanger so closure will only come in the next book in the series.

Towards the end of the book, it’s all Riley. Liam, Jason and Paul don’t figure at all. And it is odd that the guards should be so lax in a high security facility, despite being warned about the deviousness of the convict.

I’d like to read the next in the series.

Okay, so I haven't read the other books in the Riley Finn series yet; believe me, if you haven't either it won't make a difference once you start reading this book! This is one of the more violent and twisted fictional serial killers I've read before, and it was a gruesome treat. Perfect for Halloween, and in particular fans of Silence of the Lambs, the Unsub series, and the like, The Gardener will keep you guessing until the last perfectly-paced page.

This book is definitely a page turner and I found myself glued to it. The book is really well written and complex and gritty. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.