A Deadly Bouquet: A Gardening Mystery [Large Print] [Paperback]

Janis Harrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2004

Janis Harrison's gardening mysteries combine a popular "cozy" pastime with a delightfully populated small Missouri town and juicy mysteries. In her fourth outing, Bretta Solomon has been hired along with a few other River City business owners to put together the town's wedding of the year. But when the landscaper responsible for the nuptial's setting and the bride's hairdresser both die suspiciously on the same day, Bretta can't help but think there's something more sinister in the air than love and marriage. It's up to her to figure out just exactly what's going on before the guests arrive for the big event, and with Janis Harrison at the controls it's sure to be another fantastic outing in an admirable series.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Harrison's sprightly fourth gardening mystery (after 2001's Lilies That Fester), savvy florist Breta Solomon finds herself looking into the suspicious deaths of a landscaper and a hair stylist shortly before an extravagant wedding in River City, Mo. The persnickety mother of the bride-to-be is planning a lavish spread for hundreds of guests, including all the town dignitaries and notables, with thousands of flowers and candles for the evening ceremony. In her delvings, Bretta discovers that the wedding coordinator, hair stylist, caterer and photographer were close girlhood friends linked by an enigmatic rhyme. Breta is in the process of redesigning her own house and garden when the arrival of her long estranged father, who's intent on making up for past neglect, complicates what has become a murder investigation. A belligerent, half-admiring and half-angry sheriff, a charismatic new love interest and the inner voice of her late husband lend spice to the narrative. Wildflower lore, a past childhood prank, quotes from Aristotle, fire and death-Breta must pull all the threads together as the suspenseful, twist-filled plot accelerates toward a fitting climax.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

These days, much of River City's business seems to revolve around an important upcoming wedding in the park. But florist/ sleuth Bretta Solomon (Lilies That Fester) soon finds plans in disarray after the fatal heart attack of the wedding's landscaper and the subsequent murder of the idiosyncratic, green-haired hairdresser hired for the event. While attempting to gather information about the murder, Bretta must contend with the obnoxious bride's mother, her own intrusive, can-I-make-it-up-to-you dad, an elusive but attractive new neighbor, and various problems at work. Harrison's chatty prose, fanciful plotting, and abundant domestic interruptions will appeal to fans of cozies and gardening mysteries. Recommended.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Imprint unknown; Large type edition edition (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075407207X
• ISBN-13: 978-0754072072
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a very cozy "cozy.", March 25, 2005

By 

Lorraine Talbot (Winsted,, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Deadly Bouquet: A Gardening Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

I read the first book in this series, "Roots of Murder" and enjoyed it. I missed the next two, then happened on this one. I expected to enjoy it as much as the first but was very disappointed by the amount of violence in it. Also, the author increased the level of suspense higher than I prefer. Our heroine was run off the road, seriously injuring her romantic interest (who did that? We're never told). Her car was vandalized, a woman was gruesomely stranged, another was blown up, there was arson -- far too much mayhem for a traditional cozy and as that's the type of book I prefer, this was not for me.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but not superb, March 19, 2004

By 

Temple Swann (Arkansas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Deadly Bouquet: A Gardening Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

While this is yet another Bretta Solomon mystery from the beloved Harrison, I didn't think this was one of her all-time best like "Lilies That Fester", but this was a good, strongly-plotted mystery, and there is a denoument that'll shock even the most seasoned of mystery readers. Don't take my word for it, though. Buy this lovely little gem and see for yourself if you don't fall in love with Bretta!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong Solomon mystery, January 18, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Deadly Bouquet: A Gardening Mystery (Hardcover)

It is going to be a wedding extravagance and the mother of the bride is driving florist Bretta Solomon crazy with all weird endless string of ideas. Other River City, Missouri merchants are also going certifiable trying to satisfy a woman whose plans keep changing and turning more complicated and stranger by the second. Days before the wedding, Evelyn Montgomery calls for a meeting to include Sonya the event coordinator, Dana the caterer, and Claire the hair stylist.

Before Evelyn can ever speak, Oliver dies from a heart attack while staring at the other merchants.. Late that same day, Bretta visits Claire's Hair Salon because the stylist hinted she knows something about Oliver' death. Bretta arrives at the beauty shop too late because Claire is dead, the victim of a murderer. A few days later one of Claire's clients is killed in a gas explosion and Bretta thinks all the deaths are linked. Unable to keep her curiosity in check, Bretta decides to investigate not realizing that somebody will go to any lengths to stop her.

This is the fourth Solomon mystery and it is the best by far. The characters are all likable, even the pesky mother of the bride, so readers won't want any person in A DEADLY BOUQUET to be the villain. The climax is shocking, and nobody will be able to figure out what is really going on until Janis Harrison reveals the perpetrator in her cerebral puzzler that is nothing short of genius.

Harriet Klausner