While bad things come in threes, good things come in spades. So it is with the "In the Garden" trilogy by Nora Roberts. "Red Lily" wraps up the tale of the Harper House ghost and addresses the story of the third woman featured in the series.

Hayley Phillips was down on her luck when she joined the Harper household in "Blue Dahlia," with little more than an unreliable car and a six-month pregnant belly. Two years later, she's a proud mother, a valuable team member at the garden center, and quite thoroughly smitten by Harper Ashby.

As Hayley and Harper bond, the ghostly Amelia grows more aggressive. Wronged in life, she has kept watch over the Harper children for a century. Now she has their attention, and things heat up.

As in the preceding novels of this trilogy, the characters are strong and the setting rich. The plot in "Red Lily" didn't hold as much depth as the others, but it stands on its own. A small handful of apparent proofreading errors may be confusing, but the overall work is wonderfully done. Hayley's character tended to swing between headstrong and whiny throughout the story, but otherwise, she was a worthy lead.

I'm awarding four books to Roberts for "Red Lily." If you liked the first two installments of the "In the Garden" trilogy, you will enjoy seeing how the ending plays out.

-C.W.

Also by Nora Roberts:

Blue Dahlia
Black Rose

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