The Gardener's Lie
Her town was built on a beautiful lie. Now she's the one keeping the secret.
For thirty years, Maeve Higgins has been the quiet, competent director of the Oakhaven Heritage Gardens, a treasured Virginia landmark. The Gardens are her life’s work, a testament to the town’s beloved founder, the visionary philanthropist Elspeth Thorne, who established the sanctuary a century ago.
Read moreRead less
But on the day of the centennial celebration, Maeve discovers a packet of faded letters hidden inside an old botany book. Their contents are shattering: the celebrated Elspeth Thorne was an imposter, a con artist who stole an heiress’s identity and fortune. The entire history of the Gardens—and the town of Oakhaven itself—is a fraud.
Now Maeve is the sole keeper of a secret that could destroy her community. With the founder’s descendants pushing to sell off protected land for a luxury development, Maeve must decide whether to protect the beautiful lie that has nurtured her town for a hundred years, or risk everything for a truth that no one, least of all her, wants to face.
All chapters16
- 1The True Elspeth Thorne4 min
- 2Taken Everything6 min
- 3Due Diligence4 min
- 4Old, Unimportant Family Papers5 min
- 5A Shallow Hole5 min
- 6Freshly Turned Earth5 min
- 7Solid Ground4 min
- 8The Building Behind Them4 min
- 9The Woman's Name5 min
- 10Nothing to Bring5 min
- 11Where That Path Ends5 min
- 12A Creek With a Name5 min
- 13What Nothing Costs5 min
- 14In the Checkout Line5 min
- 15Was It Worth This5 min
- 16A Motion to Review5 min
