Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Fans of Dorothy St. James will be thrilled with "Flowerbed of State", the first book in her new 'White House Gardener Series'. New readers will definitely want to come back for more. In this series we meet Cassandra (Casey) Calhoun, an assistant gardener at the White House. She was hired by the First Lady in an effort to make the White House gardens more organic. While she is preparing the grounds for the annual Easter Egg Hunt she is attacked and strangled from behind. She pepper sprays the Special Agent Jake Turner, a member of the Secret Service, thinking he was her attacker. Casey quickly realizes her mistake and on the way to the White House for debriefing she notices several broken limbs on a tree with blood on the foliage. The trail leads Casey and Jake to the discovery of the body of Pauline Bonde, a Treasury Department accountant, stuffed in a trash can. Casey begins her own investigation of the murder leading to danger. It is a good thing that Jake Turner is always around to rescue her.

I love this new series. Readers will love the lead character, Casey. The setting for the plot is unique and piqued my interest. Jake and Casey play their roles well. The characters exhibit snarky acerbity, and the kind of tension that leads to passionate romance in the future. Dorothy St. James is a talented author. I found this book entertaining, suspenseful and humorous. There is great potential for a successful series. I hope the author will provide a few gardening tips in the future.