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Laura Thyme, a former woman and garden-loving housewife, has just lost her husband to a much younger woman when she meets Rosemary Boxer, a biologist who has just lost her university teaching post. A suspicious death brings them together, and they combine their gardening skills and natural curiosity to dig deeper. Despite the success of their first "case," Laura and Rosemary hope their blossoming friendship will lead to gardening commissions, not detective work. But mysteries have a habit of following them around in this appealing series that combines two British specialties: gardening and mystery. on location in stunning countryside settings, Rosemary & Thyme stars the dynamic acting duo Felicity Kendal (Good Neighbors, The Camomile Lawn) and Pam Ferris (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Matilda). DVD special features include an interview with Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris, production notes, photo gallery, and more. .com ---- American detectives are usually played by tough guys and busty babes, but the British have more esoteric tastes: The sleuths of Rosemary & Thyme are a pair of middle-aged ladies with a horticulture business. Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal, star of the classic Britcom Good Neighbors), a former academic, teamed up with new divorcee (and former woman) Laura Thyme (Pam Ferris, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) over a murder case involving poisonous weeds and oozing red sap--s and murder have been intertwined ever since. A dying lawn leads to a pretty Polish blonde pushed from a roof; while Rosemary tosses off tidbits about Victorian gardening techniques and the Latin name for the early spider orchid, the s of a buried racehorse reveal other secrets. In one clever episode, flowers are the murder weapon themselves (though to say how would spoil the fun). Some mystery aficionados may find Rosemary & Thyme a bit abrupt; the hour-long format doesn't allow for the elegant unfolding and deft misdirection of an Agatha Christie adaptation. But the interplay between rambunctious Rosemary and pragmatic Laura is addictive, and the suggestion--spoken aloud in one episode, but underlying the entire series--that English flora respond to the evil deeds of humankind lends an almost metaphysical air to the pair's dual pursuits. Gardening fans will also appreciate the many lovely gardens, which the series lovingly displays. --Bret Fetzer