Bloody Roses. Willow King Mysteries

When the Past Blooms Anew

In Bloody Roses, the first installment of the Willow King Mysteries, Natasha Cooper invites readers into the hushed corridors of Mayfair’s elite horticultural society—where beauty conceals malevolence and every prized bloom may hide a deadly secret. Botanist-turned-amateur-sleuth Willow King is drawn into a sinister web when the revered owner of Kingsbury Nurseries is found dead among her award-winning hybrid roses. What appears to be a tragic accident soon reveals disturbing anomalies: footprints in the greenhouse soil, a cryptic note pressed into the petals, and whispers of a clandestine feud among the nursery’s inner circle.

A Garden of Deceit

As Willow delves deeper into the victim’s carefully tended world, she uncovers a tangle of resentment and ambition. There’s the resentful apprentice whose obscurity fuels bitter envy, the aristocratic patron desperate to control the nursery’s valuable patents, and the reclusive heir who harbors secrets as dark as the loam beneath the rosebeds. Each suspect cultivates their own narrative, sowing confusion and deflecting suspicion. Willow’s keen eye for botanical detail and her knowledge of plant toxins become vital tools in piecing together a timeline of betrayal—and in revealing that in the pursuit of perfection, even the sweetest rose can turn lethal.

Thorns of Truth

Armed with her grandmother’s antique pruning shears and a fearless determination, Willow navigates hidden conservatories, midnight stakeouts, and dusty archives of botanical lore. As danger closes in, the line between friend and foe twists like a climbing vine. In a breath-stopping finale beneath the moonlit arches of the rose garden, Willow must confront a killer who understands that the most exquisite beauty often bears the deadliest thorns.

.Natasha Cooper is the bestselling author of the Willow King Mysteries, celebrated for her atmospheric settings, intricate plotting, and heroines who blend scholarly wit with unflinching courage.