Spring has finally come to Starlinghaven — and so has murder.

Penny Coolidge just wants this year's Spring Bloom Competition to go smoothly. She's planned every detail, including the fabulous weekend getaway waiting for whoever takes home the grand prize. Residents are buzzing — and apparently, willing to do just about anything to win.

Then a local man turns up dead, and suddenly the only thing blooming in Starlinghaven is suspicion.

The police have a one-track mind. The town gossip mill is spinning out of control. And a nosy reporter seems determined to make everything spectacularly worse. But Penny has a gut feeling the real killer is out there among the growing list of shady competitors, calmly watering their garden and waiting for this all to blow over.

As the final day of the competition approaches, Penny uses her Town Hall insider knowledge, her friend with a funeral home full of secrets, a chatty cockatoo and her own one-eyed husky to dig deeper into a tangle of petty sabotage and long-held grudges. She's running out of time to prove who is behind this mess — before the truth gets buried for good.

Cozy, charming, and blooming with intrigue — perfect for fans of Eryn Scott, Tonya Kappes and the television show Parks and Recreation.