The Ladies of Garrison Gardens » (Reprint)

Actress-turned-writer Louise Shaffer has appeared on Broadway, in TV movies, and in daytime dramas, even earning an Emmy for her work on Ryan's Hope. Her novels The Three Miss Margarets and The Ladies of Garrison Gardens have earned her praise from the critics and fellow authors alike, including Adriana Trigiani, who called her "a magnificent storyteller."

Charles Valley s legendary dowagers, the three Miss Margarets, have lost one of their own: Peggy Garrison, who married into a huge fortune but was constantly overshadowed by the legacy her husband s first wife, the great Myrtis Garrison. When Peggy s will is read, the news of who will take over the Garrison fortune shakes the town to its core. To everyone s shock, Peggy has left all of the Garrison holdings -- the world-famous botanical gardens, the massive resort, and the lovely Garrison "Cottage," where FDR once visited -- to the town s down-and-out wild child, Laurel Selene McCready.

Laurel was like a daughter to Miss Peggy, but the last thing she wants to do is step into Miss Peggy s shoes as the wealthiest, most powerful person in town, especially since the Garrison fortune never bought Peggy any happiness. On top of that, when Laurel reluctantly explores her hew home, the storied Garrison Cottage, she discovers that mysteries abound when it comes to the great Miss Myrtis. What clues are hidden in an old suitcase containing a child s dress and sheet music dating back to the Southern Vaudeville circuit? Who is the elderly woman outside Atlanta who has been keeping track of the Garrison estate s every development via the Charles Valley Gazette? And how will Laurel avoid the fate of her two predecessors whose secrets have far greater implications than Laurel could ever have imagined? Culminating in an unforgettable sleight of hand, proving that behind every great fortune there is a great crime, The Ladies of Garrison Gardens is as page-turning and irresistible as its predecessor.

Publishers Weekly

Shaffer gathers all the elements of engaging suspense: violent death, switched identities, blackmail and contrasting worlds of magnolia gentility and vaudeville seediness. And fans of the Three Miss Margarets will be delighted that Shaffer has returned us to the scene of the crime-Charles Valley, Ga.-and this time gives us more of her delightful, scrappy, self-doubting heroine, Laurel Selene McCready. Shaffer's strength is her feeling for Southern white women with intellect and conscience and her disinclination to be simple when the truth is complicated. But her very depth is a liability in this saga of events following the (nonviolent) death of one of the Margarets, Peggy Garrison. The pace is slowed by an overload of backstory, awkwardly spliced, and by the time the action really heats up, there are no surprises. Still, there's emotional satisfaction to be found in the becoming of Laurel, who has inherited the magnificent Garrison Gardens from Peggy and is now officially, reluctantly, a lady, even if she swears, drinks beer and drives fast. Agent, Eric Simonoff. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.