Death in the Orchid Garden — Ann Ripley

Louise Eldridge is taking her public television garden show on the road--to Hawaii! But the tropical paradise isn't so idyllic once murder makes an unexpected appearance...
Lush with hibiscus, ficus, plumeria, and monkey-pod trees, the island of Kauai is the perfect place for Louise to film a few episodes of Gardening with Nature--especially since an elite botanical conference is taking place at her luxury hotel.

Sipping mai tais...floating in the lagoon...ah, the good life. Until prima donnna botanists Bruce Bouting, Matthew Flynn, and Charles Reuter come crashing into her paradise found. Their competing egos may make for a good episode of Louise's show, but their constant bickering is enough to wilt a palm tree.

After their shoot at the National Tropical Botanical Garden, home to some of Hawaii's most beautiful native orchid species, Louise unwinds with a sunset walk on the beach. But at the base of a cliff, she makes a grisly discovery: the battered body of Matthew Flynn. Her attempts to save his life are fruitless, and--after seeing his injuries firsthand--Louise is convinced that his death was no accident.

As a dark cloud of suspicion settles over the island, everyone at the hotel becomes a suspect. The jungle cowboy had recently trumped his rivals with an important plant discovery--is a professional jealously at the root of his murder? It'll take some serious digging for Louise to unearth more clues, but she'll have to be very careful, because this is one killer who is ready to plant her in the ground.