RHYS BOWEN: Today I'm excited to be celebrating the publication of the 17th Royal Spyness mystery, THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING. It's a bitter-sweet moment as I was supposed to be doing some in person events, the first time I've traveled since the beginning of Covid.
But I've come to learn in the last few years that life is completely unpredictable. A few weeks ago my knee started hurting me and my doctor sent me for physical therapy. In the midst of this my other knee started hurting and suddenly one morning, walking across my living room, I couldn't walk, bend or straighten it. An MRI reveals that I have bad arthritis and multiple tears in my meniscus. The result is that I need a knee replacement. Not what I wanted to hear. As someone who has played tennis, hiked and swam all my life this is a huge shock and I have to think when I can schedule it. Complicated by the fact that John needs various medical tests and may need some kind of therapy.
So at least I'm doing a couple of Zooms, one was yesterday at the Poinsoned Pen and one is for an interview on Thursday. I'll put up a link when I have it.
But I'd like to tell you a bit about this book. Lady Georgie is awaiting two arrivals, one is her baby but the other is her new chef from Paris whom she hired when she was over there (see Peril in Paris). The chef turns out to be brilliant. The neighbors are impressed and he is invited to cook for a big charity dinner, held at a spooky manor house that has a poison garden. What could go wrong? When you read the book you'll find that a very famous person makes a surprise visit!
So what gave me the idea for using a poison garden? When I'm in London my dear friend Louise Penny and I love to visit the Chelsea Physic Garden. This garden was started by monks, I believe in the 1400s and contains plants for the healing of all kinds of ailments: one area for the heart, one for the lungs etc. There is also one area that is the poison garden. All of these plants can kill you. Louise and I lingered by it, discussing, as one does with a fellow mystery author, which plant might work best in certain circumstances, and thus getting strange worried looks from people who passed us.
The interesting thing, during my research, is how many of these plants look innocuous and are all around us, easy to access. In England foxglove, miseltoe, deadly nightshade, hemlock and yew grow everywhere wild beside the roads. Lily of the Valley is a favorite in gardens and the bulbs look just like small onions. You don't even need something exotic like castor beans or angels trumpet. Which plant might have been used in this story? You'll have to read it to find out!
Can’t wait to read Georgie’s latest adventure! I left my angels trumpet in Houston. It grew like a triffid. Another popular poisonous tree is the oleander, found all over the South. Pat D
ReplyDeleteI have so many oleanders in my garden now!
DeleteRHYS: Happy Book Birthday!
ReplyDeleteLook forward to reading Georgie's latest adventure. I look forward to receiving the book in the mail and reading it. I'm curious to find out who the very famous person is. Hilarious that other people heard you and Louise talking in the Gardens. Were they less than six feet from you? LOL
Just watched A Pocketful of Rye on Britbox again last night. There is a Yew Tree in the story.
Diana
People had to pass very close on the narrow path, Diana
DeleteWishing you all the best with those knees, Rhys, and happy release day!
ReplyDeleteI would love to wander through a poison garden, and doing it with another mystery writer would be perfect.
The Mutter Museum, which is part of the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, has a poison garden. And a lot of equally creepy things inside. The time I was there, there was an exhibit about Lincoln's assassination, featuring the bullet from John Wilkes Booth's leg. Also, there is a plaster cast of Chang and Eng, the conjoined twins. And the gift shop! I have a cookie cutter that is conjoined gingerbread men. - Melanie
DeleteI'm thrilled to have a new Royal Spyness mystery to dive into! Oh, but I'm so sorry to hear about your needed knee replacement, Rhys. Those are NOT fun at all. As for poisons, I always sit in awe during Luci "The Poison Lady" Zahray's presentations and always walk away slightly terrified!
ReplyDeleteLuci could be quite dangerous if she wanted!
DeleteRHYS: Happy book birthday! So sorry to hear about your wonky knees. As an avid walker, hiker & cyclist, I can't imagine not being able to move using my own leg power.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching your Zoom event at the Poisoned Pen last night. I agree with DIANA about how nearby people would react to you and Louise Penny talking about using murderous plants in the poison garden!
I'm looking forward to reading about the new Parisian chef & how deadly plant poison got into the food that was served.
Rhys, I am so excited about this book! I love all of the Georgie stories and can't wait to read all about her new chef and her new baby, too! Your visit to the poison garden with Louise Penny must have been mystery writer heaven!
ReplyDeleteI am very sorry to hear about you needing knee replacement. I sympathize with your pain, disappointment and worry. After a lifetime of being active in many of the same sports that you enjoy, Irwin has spent most of the last few months unable to walk more than a few steps at a time because of a problem with his foot. Even more devastating, we don't know if there is a way to fix it.
I wish you a successful and complete recovery when you do schedule your surgery and good health for John, too.
Congratulations on the book and condolences on the knee, Rhys. My partner has had both knees and both hips replaced -- life changing surgeries (for the good). Best wishes to you and John on all fronts.
ReplyDeleteRhys, happy book birthday! Cannot wait to read this and you know we're all rooting for you and John. As Hallie would say, you are our role model in many, many ways. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about your knee woes, Rhys. Wishing you well with the replacement, and sending big congratulations on THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING.
ReplyDeleteThe Poison Garden - great reason to go back to London!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your knee. Silver lining-- zooms we can all attend?
Love your Royal Spyness series!
Happy Book Day.
ReplyDeleteI drooled with envy at the thought of you and Louise Penny chittering on about poisons. Oh, to have been a bee in a flower! It is always interesting in the Agatha Christie books to have Miss Marple strolling about the gardens, remarking on the *insert plant here*, and knowing it will be the murder weapon – and that the Inspector will never guess, as usually he is not a horticulturalist.
We have been talking about knees here for some reason, lately. I read in a discussion that someone had their knee done just under a local. Shades of the Civil War and WW1 passed through my mind, of blood and guts and saws and spare limbs everywhere. No thank you, knock me out – chicken I am.
Best of luck with your health issues. If you do have it done without anaesthetic, you can always use the experience in a book!
They do use an epidural these days but I’m not sure I’d want it. If he got out a saw I’d faint !
DeleteCongratulations, Rhys! Sorry to hear about your knees.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see that poison garden.
Rhys, #17?? Wow, I eat these up as they come out, each more fun than the last! Can't wait for Georgie's baby to arrive! As for the poison garden, well, I'm with Margo--drooling with envy. I think I first heard of it from one of Louise's newsletters--and thought it would be a must if ever I made it to London.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a speedy resolution of your knee problem--two close friends have had this done--both swear the key to recovery is diligent attention to physical therapy after. In fact, one of them just spent three weeks walking all around Portugal and Spain! Best wishes for John's health too, hope all goes well.
I’ve heard such conflicting things. For some a horror story for others a piece of cake!
DeleteKnee replacement is never easy, but the better your general health will predict your experience recovering.. if you do all the PT as prescribed and take the strong psin mediation necessary so you can move your knee even though it is vety painful,. Movement is necessary to avoid adhesions, you should be fairly functional in three months.
DeleteI think that if any of your eavesdroppers were mystery fans, they would have deduced that you and Louise are mystery writers!
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry about your knee problems. Been there. The good thing is that something can be done about it!
I need to get that new Georgie book!
DebRo
Sorry to hear that you have problems with your knees. It’s a good thing that those problems can be solved even if it takes time and efforts. I wish that all will go well for you Rhys and John.
ReplyDeleteToday is a sad and rainy day but I have The Proof of the Pudding on my IPad. It’s always a good day when I can enjoy Georgie stories.
Danielle
Congrats on the new book! As a veteran of knee replacement, I would advise you to just book the surgery with the very best technician you can find. Most of these have no bedside manner, but if you're lucky they'll have a PA who does. I waited 8 months for my surgery because I was too stubborn to admit it was needed, and I suffered every day from the debilitating pain and did not sleep at night. Don't be me. What saved me was doing an exercise program before surgery--I made myself go to the pool and work on toning because I realized once I had the surgery date that the pain had made me do less and less over time. I needed both knees done, but they would only do one at a time. I went to the pool and gym every day post surgery once I was allowed to drive, had the 2nd knee done 6 months later, and had a far better result with #2. I am convinced it was because I was stronger. Bon courage.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the advice. I haven’t been walking because of pain. But I have been in the pool
DeleteCongrats on your newest book!!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry Rhys to hear about your knees - good luck on your surgery.
I saw a show recently about the poison garden in Alwick Castle on an Antiques Roadshow - it must have been the same one?
I just read a recent news story on NPR about a woman in Australia who invited her in laws, bro and sister in laws and ex husband over for Beef Wellington (with mushrooms) for dinner. The ex husband bowed out at the last minute. Of the others all were hospitalized and three died. The woman mysteriously was fine. She said the supermarket and Asian markets must have been the culprits. Right. She is in custody.
Didn't Dorothy Sayers use poison as a "weapon" in a few of her books?
Oh sorry Rhys, you mention it is the Chelsea Physic Garden in London. Not the same. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a gardener, it's hard to avoid having poisonous plants in with the other stuff. In addition to lilies of the valley, my own yard includes daffodils, which are poisonous, along with several species of wildflowers that could fell a grown man if used to do so. My goal was to have a native and/or edible landscape, and when I was doing the research I found there are some surprising plants that can be fatal. Also, we hear a lot about houseplants and cut flowers that can kill pets, but not about ones that can harm humans.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a good day when there's a new Lady Georgie in the world! Happy book birthday, Rhys.
So sorry about the knees! I know from my daughter's struggles this year after her ski accident in January that meniscus tears are the worst, and require the longest recovery. (She tore her ACL, her MCL, and her meniscus this time, and has torn hamstrings.) You and John have your share of woes right now. Sending gentle hugs to you both, and wishes for a speedy recovery on all fronts.
Your description of how the Chelsea Physic Garden is arranged reminded me of the magnificent gardens at the Lavender Labyrinth at Cherry Point, Michigan. The maze surrounds a massive circular herb garden, with spectacular geometric divisions. Each is labeled as to the purpose of the herbs planted there, with sections for all sorts of ailments. (I did not notice one that mentioned poison, however.) We were there several years ago and I took photos of many of the labeled sections, noting that some herbs are planted in more than one area.
DeleteIt's really something to see, if anyone is in the vicinity, and there's a gift shop largely focused on lavender/apples/cherries, farmstand, and in the summer a place to buy prepared food and sit to eat it, both inside and out.
Karen your Lavender garden in Michigan sounds so cool. What a great idea to highlight lavender. I remember driving through the Provence region of France years ago and being overwhelmed with the strong smell of lavender. As we rounded a curved road there on the landscape were thousands of lavender plants - it was an amazing sight and smell!
DeleteThere are at least two wonderful lavender gardens in Michigan. The one in Cherry Point is in the western part of the state, near the lake, and the other that I know about is closer to Boyne, well inland in the northern part of the lower peninsula. That one has its own charms, but doesn't have the fabulous maze and herb garden!
DeleteI’d love to visit the lavender labyrinth Karen
DeleteGood photos here: http://www.cherrypointmarket.net/lavender-labyrinth.html
DeleteKaren, the lavender labyrinth sounds wonderful. As one who uses labyrinths as spiritual practice, I need to clarify: a labyrinth is not a maze. A labyrinth is a single path that while it turns has no dead ends or false trails. The continuous labyrinth will lead you round and about but will always lead you out, never leave you caught. (Getting off my soap box, now.) Elisabeth
DeleteI just received an email this morning telling me my preorder of The Proof is in the Pudding is ready for download! I never miss a Lady Georgie book. Thank you for this always-entertaining series.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your Poisoned Pen virtual event last night. You and Barbara chatting away about old friends in the books; very pleasant. I hope you are not in much pain and can get your knees fixed up pronto.
ReplyDeleteSending prayers for you and your husband.
The poison plants garden reminded me of the Peggy Lee Garden Mysteries by Joyce and Jim Lavene.
Congrats on the book, Rhys! I love the Royal Spyness mysteries. The idea of a poison garden sounds like... it seems wrong to say fun, but, well...
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your knees. Recovery might = more time to read?
Congrats on your book release! Good luck on the knee replacement surgery. It is a long road to recovery.
ReplyDeleteSending hugs along with the congrats, Rhys. You know I'm going to have to have a knee done, too, so if you go first you can give me tips:-) But I have much sympathy for your pain and discomfort.
ReplyDeleteNow for the fun stuff--a new Georgie!! I adore the Georgie books and gobble every new one as soon as it comes out. And I love the story about you and Louise in the Physic Garden. Isn't that the most fabulous place? Visiting it was one of the highlights of my trip last fall. It was an absolutely perfect autumn day. I toured the garden, then had a long, late (and delicious) lunch on the patio, just soaking up the atmosphere. The only thing missing was you and Louise!
Best of luck on your knee operation too Debs.
DeleteWe actually go back for the lunch. The food is amazing and the chef once catered a party we arranged !
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to have a new adventure with Georgie, Rhys - and I'm glad you're staying at home and taking care of yourself and John. Let's have more 'being sensible' and less 'grinding it out' these days!
ReplyDeleteWe have a lovely native plant growing here and there in our area - a shrub-sized bush with boring leaves but the most beautiful berries - bright green that turn to rich plum - on pink stalks. The berries hang in long rows like wisteria flowers. I was enchanted the first time I saw one while walking the dogs and looked it up - it's Pokeweed! I like the other names, dragonberry or inkberry better. It's not just poisonous; EVERY part of it is poisonous.
Not going to lie, the next time I walked by it, I thought, hmmm....
Just read that this native plant is an invasive pest in Japan, and I'm definitely seeing it as a form of payback for the dratted Japanese Knotweed I'm constantly battling on my land.
DeleteSorry - this has NOTHING to do with PROOF OF THE PUDDING except to tell me I ought to get away from Wikipedia and pick up a book instead!
Oh, Rhys, I hope you and John have speedy and uneventful recoveries!
ReplyDeleteI love the poison garden. I discovered it doing research for one of my Florida mysteries. Many Florida plants are both beautiful and deadly. Kind of like the state itself! Can't wait to catch up with Georgie on this one!
So sorry to hear your body and psyche are out of synch.
ReplyDeleteI had a mensicus tear some years back. I visited an accupuncturist for several sessions and got great relief. An idea while you wait.
Happy Book Birthday, Rhys.
ReplyDeleteHope you are well soon . . . .
Happy release day! I enjoyed it as usual.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you have to have knee replacement surgery. All best wishes for a quick healing up. Congratulations on the release of The Proof of the Pudding. On another note, I had never heard of a poison garden. What an eye opener about benign looking plants
ReplyDeleteYou're so clever, Rhys! I can't wait to read which was the deadly ingredient! Also, so very sorry about your knee. As an active person myself, I can appreciate the frustration.
ReplyDeleteBrava! I'm so looking forward to PROOF!
ReplyDelete-- Storyteller Mary