Rose Pemberton thought her days of investigating small-town corruption were behind her. As Bloomfield Springs' newest city council member, she was looking forward to focusing on her thriving nursery business and the Garden Club's upcoming heritage seed swap?the biggest gardening event of the year.

But when mysterious thefts begin targeting the town's most precious heirloom seed collections, Rose's corporate instincts kick into high gear. Someone is systematically stealing irreplaceable heritage varieties that represent generations of careful cultivation by local families. The police dismiss it as simple burglary. Rose suspects something far more sinister.

When seed acquisition specialist Carl Hoffman turns up dead in his hotel room?apparently from an allergic reaction?Rose discovers a conspiracy that makes her previous corruption cases look simple. A network of medical fraud, elder abuse, and botanical murder is threatening the very heart of her community's agricultural heritage.

With her Garden Club allies?meticulous researcher Violet, information network Betty, and steady partner Jim?Rose must uncover the truth before the killers decide her questions have grown too dangerous to ignore. But this time, the stakes aren't just municipal corruption?they're fighting to protect irreplaceable genetic treasures that took centuries to develop.

In Bloomfield Springs, even trusted medical professionals can cultivate deadly schemes.

Seeds of Deception is the third book in The Garden Club Mysteries series?where heritage runs deep, but greed runs deeper.