The White Garden

The White Garden, A Novel of Virginia Woolf, by Stephanie Barron is a reimagining of Virginia Woolf's last days. There is a three week period between the time Woolf supposedly committed suicide by drowning herself in the river, and her body was found. During this time, Barron's mystery unfolds, in which Woolf is very much alive, yet possibly in grave danger.

The novel centers around American gardener Jo Bellamy, who has come to Sissinghurst Castle in England to view the famous White Garden, and to try to understand her grandfather's recent death. She finds out her grandfather knew Virginia Woolf when she discovers a diary written by Woolf, after the date she supposedly died.

The story unfolds a bit like The Da Vinci Code. There is a chase through grand old buildings in Europe, searching for clues in the form of ancient books and documents, there is a secret society, and one clue leads to the next as Jo tries to unravel the mystery she has stumbled upon.

I enjoyed reading this novel. It is an interesting, fun, historical mystery set in the beautiful English countryside with even a bit of romance thrown in for good measure.

Stephanie Barron aka Francine Mathews, a former intelligence analyst for the CIA, also writes The Jane Austin Mystery Series which might be worth checking out if you like this sort of thing.