A Sprig of Blossomed Thorn

Notorious for failed relationships. Ellen Rosings knows that's true of cops. Detective Tony Aragon has even said it about himself, or something like it. Despite her misgivings, she is drawn to him, but can he reach past a cop's cynicism to trust her? As summer surrounds her Wisteria Tearoom in the beauty of a lush rose garden, death overshadows the tearoom a second time. Maria Garcia—a venerable member of the Santa Fe Rose Guild—breathes her last in the tearoom's front parlor, throwing Ellen into a morass of doubt and conjecture. Was it murder, or merely misfortune? Or—as Tony suggests—was it a crime of racial hatred? The more Ellen learns about the inner politics of the Rose Guild, the more she suspects foul play.