Up and Down — Mat Coward

Devious Plotting.

When Arthur "Beans" Jones is found pitchforked to death in his garden, Constable Frank Mitchell find himself -- amidst the sniggers and smirks of his colleagues -- paired with the legendary Inspector Don Packham. Though from day to day Mitchell is never sure whether he'll be working with the upbeat, jovial Packham or his manic-depressive alter ego, the task at hand is clear.

Why would anyone murder an old man who did little but tend to his beans? The answer, Packham is certain, lies with the other gardeners in the allotment where Mr. Jones toiled daily. Digging into the lives of the other "plotters" -- the American woman "Dill," growing herbs for beauty creams; the punker "Weed," growing something . . . er, illegal; the cheerful "Mother Hubbard" and her brood -- Mitchell and Packham uncover the real dirt surrounding a garden-variety killer.