Undergrowth

Undergrowth will forever change how you look at mushrooms.

Winner of a 2019 IPPY Award for best regional fiction. Ellen King Rice delivers an unconventional thriller - a story of suspense, mushrooms, alternative economies and dark forest dwellers.

Retired botanist Dr. Oh rejoices when he finds an enormous specimen of a rare shelf fungus, a species nicknamed the “Fuzzy Sandozi.” Dr. Oh’s joy fades as his granddaughter, Jasmine, insists on reporting the dead man lying on the forest floor next to the magnificent polypore. Dr. Oh knows revealing the location of the rare fungus may lead to its destruction.

Just a few miles away, twenty-year-old Elspeth Dwerryhouse has mushrooming problems of her own when her job selling emergency prep supplies brings her to the attention of a backwoods family, the Fickhams. The Fickham men are cunning and dangerous. None more so than seventy-year-old Russell, who is a master of rape, intimidation and body disposal. Russell is keen to have Elspeth “tenderized” in his shed of glowing fungi.

How can young women make smart choices when the rules of the world and the gig economy aren’t working in their favor?
Fungi in this story include polypores, liberty caps, waxy caps, truffles and more.

Adult content including scenes of sex and violence.

Undergrowth includes illustrations of local fungi by Olympia artist Duncan Sheffels.

Buy Undergrowth today!

Readers praise this book:

”As compelling and hard to set aside as a box of the best chocolates.”

"Nothing says Pacific Northwest better than mushrooms, lush forests and gray, rainy days . . . Rice's multi-generational story combines a murder, mushroom research and disturbing backwoods encounters.”

“The tapestry of the plot, characters and setting is rich and pleasing.”

Other works by Ellen King Rice and Duncan Sheffels:

The Slime Mold Murder: Kirkus Reviews says, “Characterization is Rice’s strength; she’s packed this volume with memorable characters, including a sexy sculptress, an elusive nature photographer, and a prickly visiting professor.

As with her earlier works set in the Pacific Northwest, she effectively shines a spotlight on nature, in this case, slime molds. Helping to bring these little-known organisms to life are the striking illustrations by Sheffels. . . A whimsical whodunit both educational and entertaining.”

The EvoAngel: "'Compelling characters and a plot with a little fungi thrown in. A Finalist, and highly recommended." The Wishing Shelf Book Awards.

Lichenwald: “It's not often you find an author who can so cleverly balance her knowledge of a subject such as lichen and also offer the reader a tantalizing story. Without boring the reader, Rice presents them with an absorbing setting that, simply, jumps off the page.”

The Forest of Mayhem: “The story unfolds with just the right pacing, like that of a beautiful walk on a trail in the PNW. The region is depicted perfectly -- complete with mossy trees and fungi in densely wooded areas and speaks to the author's vast knowledge of the western Washington biological features, woods, and trails.”

Also, don’t miss Ellen’s Menippean satire about the gig economy in challenging times. Larry’s Post-Rapture Pet-Sitting Service is a howling good time!