Customer Reviews

Dearly Depotted (Flower Shop Mysteries, No. 3)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A wedding, love in the air and a dead body in the gazebo. What else could go wrong?

Abby Knight, owner of "Bloomers" hadn't thought things could get worse. Not only was she the florist at the wedding, but a bridesmaid (In a hideous clown gown) and grandma sitter, for the 90 year old grandmother of the groom.

Plus she had to convince her cousin Jillian (a many times engaged but never made it to the altar, bride) that she really, really, really did want to marry Claymore Osborne.

Then the groomsman she was paired with is injured and can't make the wedding and Jillian expects her to find a substitute.

Fortunately, her "boyfriend" Marco Salvare, owner of "Down The Hatch Bar And Grill" agrees to escort her down the aisle.

Then she loses grandma at the reception, only to find her outside at the gazebo having found a dead body, which turns out to be Jack Snyder, who had recently got out of jail.

Who would want this former jailbird dead?

What about Jillian's cousin Melanie who Jack had gotten pregnant and then dumped her, never seeing or supporting their daughter.

Or Melanie's father, Josiah (Just because he got into a fight and beat Jack up in the middle of the wedding shouldn't put him at the top of the list should it?)

But the police seem to be more interested in Richard Davis, who was dating Abby's friend and employee Grace. It's Grace who asks Abby to help find the real killer before Richard is tried and convicted of a murder she's sure he didn't commit.

Highlights:

This is a wonderful series. This is the third book and it just keeps getting better. Abby is a very believable character.

Her boyfriend Marco fits perfectly with her. He doesn't constantly tell her to stop investigating, but instead, (as a former cop) helps her all he can.

Abby's family. Everyone except her father is crazy, but you just love them.

Nikki, her best friend and roommate, employee's Grace and Lottie, clients like Trudee DeWitt and her wonderful cat, Simon have all become more involved in the storyline. In the first book, Abby was pretty much a lone wolf, doing everything herself and didn't have a lot of interaction with other characters, but that has improved over each book.

Pryce Osborne - Abby's former fiancee, and brother of the groom, who dumped her when she dropped out of law school. He is such a jerk that you just love the zingers Abby sends his way.

Lowlights:

I did figure out the killer a little before Abby, but that doesn't interfere with the story at all.

Abby could use a little more backbone when dealing with her family.

Overall a very good entry in this series.

Dearly Depotted takes up where the previous Slay It with Flowers left off, with Abby busy with her cousin Jillian's wedding and Trudee DeWitt's 4th of July extravaganza--all on the same day.

And of course things go wrong. There are pink instead of red carnations, a groomsman with a sprained ankle, and a wandering grandmother. To top it off, she has to wear The World's Ugliest Bridesmaid Dress™ in front of the hunky Marco.

But all that tends to pale next to finding another dead body when Abby goes looking for the groom's missing grandmother. Abby had promised her friend Grace to stop meddling in murder, but when Grace's new boyfriend turns out to be the prime suspect, Grace reluctantly asks for Abby's help.

This series is a fun blend of clever mysteries and an engaging and quirky cast of characters that just get more interesting with each book. I'm looking forward to the next, and hoping this will be a good long series.

Abby Knight is thrilled that her cousin Jillian is getting married. Sure, she's not thrilled that her bridesmaid's dress makes her look like a clown, but Jillian has hired her to do the flowers for the wedding and Abby, owners of the Bloomers Flower Shop, can use the money. Abby's even willing to look after Jillian's grandmother-in-law during the wedding. Life is never dull with Abby around as a fistfight breaks out during the wedding. But the real trouble starts when Grandma wanders off and Abby finds her near a dead body. Abby's not one to shy away from investigating a murder and is especially anxious to solve this case, as one of the suspects is the boyfriend of Grace, her shop assistant.

"Dearly Depotted" is a delightful entry in this charming cozy mystery series. Abby is a plucky heroine, not afraid to get involved in a mystery; outspoken, often without thinking ahead of the consequences; bright, yet confused about her relationship with hunky ex-cop Marco. The book is also filled with Abby's delightful sidekicks: shop assistant's Little and Grace (I chuckled when Kate Collins described Grace meeting Elvis when he was in the army); Abby's roommate Nikki and her playful cat Simon; her client Trudee DeWitt; and her incredibly selfish cousin Jillian. Besides the mystery, there are several subplots going on that help make the characters seem real. The mystery itself was well written and plotted and I had no idea who the murderer was until the very end.

Well done.

After flunking out of law school, Abby Knight buys Bloomers, a New Chapel, Indiana flower shop from the original owner Lottie who sold the store when her husband's medical bills nearly forced them into bankruptcy. For the Fourth of July weekend, one of Abby's clients ordered begonias in red, white, & blue but the supplier sent pink carnations forcing Abby to spray paint them red.

She is also the bridesmaid at her cousin Jillian's wedding, the same relative who stood up four husbands-to-be. Abby makes sure that her cousin goes through with their wedding but after the nuptials, she finds a dead body in the gazebo. The dead man is the father of Melanie's child (jillian's cousin) who had a fight with Melanie's father. Instead the police arrest the boyfriend of Abby's assistant because he threatened the victim after he discovered he was embezzling from his company and has a record that says he murdered someone in Texas. Abby sets out to prove he is innocent even though it puts her life in danger.

Dearly Depotted is an exciting who-done-it because there are so many suspects who had reasons to kill the victim that readers will become absorbed in the story and will finish in one sitting. The heroine is loyal to her friends and is determined to find a suspect other than Richard while she is trying to figure out if her friend Marco who she is attracted to is ever going to take her out. Kate Collins' amateur sleuth tale is original and charming with so many unexpected twists that readers will have a hard time trying to figure out who the murderer really is

Harriet Klausner

In the 3rd book in the Flower Shop mystery series, the wedding of the century has finally arrived for Abigail Knight (aka Abby), owner of flower boutique, Bloomers. The nuptials of her cousin Jillian and fiancé, Claymore Osborne, are to take place on the Fourth of July, and Abby is kept hopping providing the flowers for both the wedding and a party of wealthy client, Trudee DeWitt. Abby has been working overtime convincing her flighty cousin that she is meant to marry Claymore, and Abby breathes a huge sigh of relief when Jillian is propelled down the aisle. During the ceremony, Abby acts as a bridesmaid (wearing a "clown dress"), and is given the dubious honor of babysitting the groom's 90-year-old grandmother during the reception. When the elderly lady disappears, Abby begins a frantic search for her, culminating in the discovery of grandma bending over the dead body of a wedding guest. The police quickly begin to suspect that the murderer was none other than Richard Davis, the current boyfriend of Abby's assistant, Grace. Begging Abby to dig around in the case, Grace convinces her to use her natural curiosity and ability to stumble over clues to help locate the real killer before Richard goes to jail for life.

This is a fun, lighthearted cozy series, and I have become hooked on Abby and all of the other quirky characters in each of these delightful books. All of the books are set in rapid succession, so the reader does not miss any of the action, and in this installment, Jillian finally is married to Claymore. Abby's budding romance with nearby business owner, Marco, is moving along at a snail's pace and left me wondering what would happen between the two in future installments. I love this great series, and look forward to reading more about Abby and Bloomers for years to come.

The first book in the series is called "Mum's the Word". Enjoy!

I enjoyed this light hearted mystery. If you love Sue Grafton you will enjoy this. The characters are not as richly developed, but it is a clean fun romp with just enough mystery to keep you wanting to turn the page for more.

I am often attracted to a book via its cover, and I liked this one. Its pretty spring pastels made me reach for it over others. Dearly Depotted the first book in this series I've read, but it won't be the last. The story is told in first person and takes place in northwestern Indiana (Collins's home) with easy access to Chicago. One of the things I enjoy about many of the books I read, especially in this genre, is that they are usually set in and around each author's own stomping ground. It's a good opportunity to learn about different parts of the country, if one reads a variety of novels by different authors.

Petite Abby Knight is the owner of Bloomers flower shop and she has her hands full with preparations for obnoxious cousin Jillian's wedding (I have to say by the end of the book I found myself wanting the author to write Jillian out of the series. She is way too annoying). Abby is also trying to rein in her hormone-raging teenage helper, Karl Dombrowksi (one of employee Lottie Dombrowski's triplets), who appears to have the hots for one of Abby's very sexy, married-mother-of-a-teenage-daughter customers. When bad boy Jack Snyder is murdered at Jillian's wedding (yes, she actually goes through with it), Abby, of course, jumps right into the melee. She and brawny Marco Salvare, owner of the Down the Hatch bar and grill, plan their strategy to catch the killer. There's plenty of chemistry between these two (Italian men do seem to have the upper hand when it comes to hunky leading men in novels). After several false starts, close calls, and uncertain moments, like when dear Grace's boyfriend, Richard Davis, is arrested and charged with Snyder's murder, the killer is finally apprehended. Kate Collins has written an amusing, romantic, chaotic, and just a little bit scary mystery here; and, even though I figured out the killer before the end, it didn't spoil the story.

Dearly Depotted is a great beach and porch sittin' book for summer! I've already added Snipped in the Bud, Collins's most recent effort, and Slay it with Flowers (March '05) to my summer reading list. That must mean I'm hooked.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

In book #3 of the Flower Shop Mysteries, Abby gets the job of doing the flowers for her cousin Jillian's wedding. Unforunately at the wedding, Abby stumbles across the body. Was it a guest at the wedding who is the murderer? Abby will find out, if only to get Jillian out of her town on a honeymoon!

I just finished Dearly Depotted by Kate Collins, my first time reading this author. I found the book to be a great read and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys mysteries with humor and a bit of "spice".

I look forward to finding out more about the protagonist's main interest, besides flowers, Marco and the rest of her crazy family.

Ms. Collins does a good job keeping things together and giving the reader a surprise ending.

I have ordered more of her books and I recommend you do the same.

One recommendation; lose all the carnations - too cheap and most people prefer more exotic flowers(just a suggestion)from one florists to another.

This was a good "Flower Shop Mystery". The mystery/plot was good. However, this book didn't quite grab me the way I like a book to; that's why I didn't give it 5 stars. To me, the setting wasn't quite cozy enough. The flower shop/coffee shop was interesting, but not talked about in such a way to make it seem really cozy. And I would have liked more floral descriptions. Abby and the shop employees were interesting and likable. But I didn't care for some of the other characters in the book; namely Jillian.