"They've all got the capacity for evil. Give them free range over a piece of territory, like that out there, and you've got Lord of the Flies. You cannot afford to take your eye off the ball for a second. Not for even a second. You know, you think you're keeping your girls all pure and unsullied in this gilded cage of yours. But what you don't seem to realize is that you can protect children from the world, but you can't protect children from themselves." 
 The Girls in the Garden was a compelling story. It had mystery and intrigue. The author keeps us guessing as to who is to blame when a thirteen-year-old girl is found hurt and bloody in the community's rose garden after a neighborhood party. 
 The book begins with Clare and her two daughters: Pip and Grace. They have moved after losing their home to a fire. 
 Grace is your typical girl, she is upset to the world until she meets a beautiful boy. Then, she starts wearing make-up and disappearing with him on multiple occasions. 
 Clare is still trying to piece her life back together. She is not sure what to do and how to handle the big changes they have experienced after the fire took away their house. 
 Pip is the youngest daughter. Still a homebody. She misses her father tremendously and she is not sure if the gang of children even like her. She doesn't trust the adults either. She is torn between telling her mother the things that are happening around them and keeping her sister's secrets. Pip does worry about her family after she learns of the death of a young teenager girl, Phoebe Rednough, in the rose garden years ago. Her death was never solved but drugs were involved. Pip starts asking questions and the answers point to too many possibilities. 
 I like following the clues Lisa gives us. I was desperate to know what really happened and if I was right about my suspicions. I also liked learning more about the father and his own personal situation. 
 One thing I was not crazy about was that I felt like the person/people responsible for Grace's attack didn't get punished the way it deserved. Maybe, it is just me who felt this way. 
 Cliffhanger: No 
 4/5 Fangs 
 A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 
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