MARKHAM, Ontario - s4story -- Independent author Susan Cork has released A Deadly Garden Party, the first book in the Magnolia Grove Cozy Mystery series, written under the pen name Elspeth Marlowe. Published August 12, 2026, by Ginzburg Press, the book is available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon.

The story follows Delia Norris, a 54-year-old retired biology teacher who has moved to the small Southern town of Magnolia Grove to start over after her divorce. Three months after joining the local garden club, she watches its formidable president, Lorraine Ketchum, collapse in the middle of the club's annual garden tour. When poison is suspected, Delia's teacher's eye for detail and her botanical know-how put her on the trail of a killer in a town where everyone smiles and everyone keeps secrets. Her African Gray parrot, Captain, offers commentary that isn't always welcome, and Detective Reed Stratton is only slightly amused.

"Garden parties are where the best gossip lives, and gossip is the raw material of a cozy mystery," said Cork. "I wanted a heroine who notices what everyone else is too polite to mention, and who is brave enough to build a new life in the middle of it."

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Early reviews have highlighted the book's mix of mystery, garden-club intrigue, and botanical clues. One Amazon reviewer wrote, "Secrets, rivalries, and a splash of digitalis make for a lethal afternoon." A Goodreads reviewer called it "A satisfying, breezy start to the Magnolia Grove Cozy Mystery series." The second Magnolia Grove mystery, Poisoned Ground, is in development.

Book Details

A Deadly Garden Party
Magnolia Grove Cozy Mystery, Book 1
By Elspeth Marlowe

Ginzburg Press, August 12, 2026
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9940941-4-8
Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9940941-5-5

Available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HDSHZRQK

About the Author

Susan Cork is an independent author based in Canada. Under her own name, she has published the biography The Soul of a Shoemaker, along with satire and nonfiction. As Elspeth Marlowe, she writes the Magnolia Grove cozy mystery series.

Connect with Elspeth Marlowe

Website: https://elspethmarlowe.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/elspethmarlowe.author
TikTok: tiktok.com/@elspethmarlowe

Review copies available on request.