Rooting Out The Truth

Rose Pemberton thought coordinating a simple garden tour would be her easiest Garden Club project yet. As a former city council member, she was looking forward to focusing on her thriving nursery business and the spring restoration of Bloomfield Springs' most mysterious property—the long-abandoned Stanfeld Estate.

But when Eleanor Whitfield, the estate's new owner, is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Rose's corporate instincts kick into high gear. Someone has been running an elaborate inheritance fraud scheme, creating false family histories to steal properties from legitimate heirs. The police suspect an accident. Rose suspects murder.

When the investigation reveals a network of forged documents and systematic deception targeting vulnerable families across central Indiana, Rose discovers that Eleanor's death was just the beginning. A professional con artist with multiple identities is eliminating anyone who threatens his lucrative operation—and Rose's questions have made her his next target.

With her Garden Club allies—meticulous researcher Violet, information network Betty, and steady partner Jim—Rose must expose the truth before the killer decides her investigation has grown too dangerous to ignore. But this time, the stakes aren't just individual lives—they're fighting to protect an entire community from a predator who views small-town trust as weakness to exploit.

In Bloomfield Springs, even family histories can be deadly lies.

Rooting Out the Truth is the fourth book in The Garden Club Mysteries series—where heritage runs deep, but deception runs deeper.