POISONED PETALS: A Tails and Trails Mystery (The Tails and Trails Mysteries Book 5)
By Hailey Hartley
Park Ranger Brooke Palmer thought the most dangerous thing in Silverleaf State Park was the occasional aggressive elk during mating season. That was before visiting botanist Dr. Helena Vance turned up dead among her research samples, apparently having peacefully passed away in a remote clearing. But Brooke’s instincts—and her observant Springer Spaniel Fern—know something’s wrong. The scattered equipment, the empty coffee thermos, and Dr. Vance’s field journal opened to a page marked “URGENT” all point to something far more sinister than natural causes. When the medical examiner confirms poisoning by a rare plant toxin that only grows deep in Silverleaf’s restricted areas, Brooke realizes someone with serious botanical expertise has committed murder.
Dr. Vance had spent two weeks in Cedar Springs cataloging rare plant species for a major journal publication, and she’d made quite an impression on the small mountain community. A pompous university professor felt threatened by her research corrections. The park’s vegetation specialist was desperate to hide falsified federal data. A botanical garden owner’s entire business was built on specimens Dr. Vance planned to expose as common frauds. A pharmaceutical researcher stood to lose millions if she published first. With Sheriff Linda Higgins investigating and Brooke’s best friend Maya digging through library records, they discover that Dr. Vance’s comprehensive report was going to destroy careers, expose fraud, and invalidate decades of research. Nearly everyone she met had a powerful motive to silence her before publication.
Between maintaining trails, conducting wildlife surveys, and keeping Fern from collecting every interesting plant specimen they find, Brooke races to identify the killer before they can cover their tracks. The poisoning was sophisticated—someone extracted pure alkaloid, calculated a precise fatal dose, and executed their plan with cold precision. As the investigation uncovers academic theft, corporate greed, and bitter rivalries that span decades, Brooke must navigate a tangled web of lies to find the truth. Because in the mountains of Silverleaf State Park, some secrets are buried deeper than others, and the deadliest gardens aren’t always the ones that grow in the ground.
Park Ranger Brooke Palmer thought the most dangerous thing in Silverleaf State Park was the occasional aggressive elk during mating season. That was before visiting botanist Dr. Helena Vance turned up dead among her research samples, apparently having peacefully passed away in a remote clearing. But Brooke’s instincts—and her observant Springer Spaniel Fern—know something’s wrong. The scattered equipment, the empty coffee thermos, and Dr. Vance’s field journal opened to a page marked “URGENT” all point to something far more sinister than natural causes. When the medical examiner confirms poisoning by a rare plant toxin that only grows deep in Silverleaf’s restricted areas, Brooke realizes someone with serious botanical expertise has committed murder.
Dr. Vance had spent two weeks in Cedar Springs cataloging rare plant species for a major journal publication, and she’d made quite an impression on the small mountain community. A pompous university professor felt threatened by her research corrections. The park’s vegetation specialist was desperate to hide falsified federal data. A botanical garden owner’s entire business was built on specimens Dr. Vance planned to expose as common frauds. A pharmaceutical researcher stood to lose millions if she published first. With Sheriff Linda Higgins investigating and Brooke’s best friend Maya digging through library records, they discover that Dr. Vance’s comprehensive report was going to destroy careers, expose fraud, and invalidate decades of research. Nearly everyone she met had a powerful motive to silence her before publication.
Between maintaining trails, conducting wildlife surveys, and keeping Fern from collecting every interesting plant specimen they find, Brooke races to identify the killer before they can cover their tracks. The poisoning was sophisticated—someone extracted pure alkaloid, calculated a precise fatal dose, and executed their plan with cold precision. As the investigation uncovers academic theft, corporate greed, and bitter rivalries that span decades, Brooke must navigate a tangled web of lies to find the truth. Because in the mountains of Silverleaf State Park, some secrets are buried deeper than others, and the deadliest gardens aren’t always the ones that grow in the ground.