Customer Reviews

Dirty Rotten Tendrils: A Flower Shop Mystery

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Local boy Cody Verse won America's Next Hit Single with his song Code Blue, but his childhood pal Andrew Chapper is suing him, claiming that he actually wrote the lyrics. The whole town is in an uproar because Cody has returned to New Chapel for the trial, and Abby Knight, owner of Bloomers flower shop, hopes things will be back to normal soon. Andrew's lawyer is Dave Hammond, whom Abby once clerked for, while Cody has retained local piranha Ken "The Lip" Lipinski.

Her hopes are dashed when Dave Hammond's primary piece of evidence diappears, and Lipinski is accused of having stolen it. When The Lip is found dead in his office the next day, Dave is the number one suspect, and Abby and her guy Marco scramble to clear his name.

Dirty Rotten Tendrils, the tenth book in the Flower Shop Mystery series,has remained fresh, probably because the characters grow and change.

For those who may not have read earlier books in this delightful series, Abby dropped out of law school after one year, and purchased a flower shop in her home town of New Chapel, Indiana. Her significant other, Marco Salvares, owns a bar & grill called Down the Hatch not far away, and moonlights as a private investigator, often aided in his avocation by Abby.

Kate Collins has recently suffered a personal tragedy and will be unable to do promotions for this book (released today) for a while. I encourage her fans to purchase a copy of Dirty Rotten Tendrils for your local library.

Abby does not like injustice and when her favorite attorney, Dave, become the prime suspect, Abby vows to clear his name. Working with Marco and with help from her friends, Abby searches for others who have stronger motives to want the Lip dead. This was a good read with several twists and turns and I had an "aha" moment when I finally clicked on who was the killer. Like fine wine, The Flower Shop series, gets more better with time. This is an entertaining series that I never want to see end.

New Chapel, Indiana is the home to Bloomers Flower Shop owned by amateur sleuth Abby Knight. Her two assistants, Grace, who has an overwhelming memory for quotes and can spew one for any occasion, and Lottie, mother of quadruplets, who will keep you in stitches laughing throughout the entire story. We can't forget Abby's boyfriend, Marco Salvare, owner of the tavern, Down The Hatch, former Army Ranger, who also moonlights as a private investigator. Or Abby's mom, a kindergarten teacher, and multi-talented artist in a various mediums, and using the word talented in very tongue in cheek. Plus Abby's cousin Jillian who continues to shake up Abby's life under the guise of being a personal shopper. Just for good measure we will throw in Marco's mom, and his brother who seem to rake havoc wherever they go.

Those are the key players to this series, but in Dirty Rotten Tendrils, New Chapel welcomes home their own hometown boy who has won first place in a national reality show, America's Next Hit Single. His return has set the whole town upside down as they makeover and beautify their stores. Shops are even changing their names to garner the attention of all the national television and newspaper reporters.

The problem is Cody Verse is not in town for only a concert, he is in New Chapel to fend off a lawsuit filed by his former song writing partner, Andrew Chapper, who claims he is the one who wrote the song that won Cody first prize. The trial barely gets started and Cody's lawyer, Ken "the lip" Lipinski is found dead from a very suspicious overdose. The police are calling it murder and pointing finger at Andrew's attorney.

Abby believes the police have struck a wrong chord with their suspect and starts to conduct an investigation of her own with her duet partner Marco. They make some beautiful music together bringing an end to things with just the right note.


This series really keeps you hopping and with all the music in the background of this story I will say it has a great beat and is wonderful to dance to.

Okay, seriously this story had me thinking I had the murderer figured out so many times I lost count, and was completely surprised at the end. The story also has a cliff hanger ending worthy of any of today's television dramas. I even sent a note to Kate Collins letting her know I was mad at her for the ending, a good mad though because I can't wait to read the next installment to this series. She wrote me back telling me I would only have to wait until next April. APRIL!!! that's 7 months away!!!

If you are a fan of the Flower Shop Mysteries, get this one pre-ordered today!!! If you are not a fan, why not? I like to read books in the order written but trust me you can read this one first and I bet you will be rushing to find the rest of the series quite quickly. This story has the intrigue to keep you thinking whodunit, but the humor and family dynamics will keep you turning page and page after page, and at the end you will be begging for more. I pick up each book knowing it will be a great mystery, with a little romance and humor, but also to see what Abby's mom has created this time. You will love this story too, from the opening note to the finale, I promise.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Obsidian, a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

As usually this book is as great as all the books in the Set of Flower Shop Mysteries. I am kept guessing the entire book as to who the killer is. I have trouble putting the book down after starting it.

This book is a must-read for both the avid-reader and the occasional pick-me-up, casual reader. In fact, the entire series is upbeat and a definite plus to anyone's repertoire of reading material...is very light reading and is a page-turner. Definitely hard to put down once you start the first page. Don't miss this one for sure!

Just about everyone in New Chapel, Indiana is thrilled about the return of Cody Verse, a local boy who won the reality TV show "America's Next Hit Single". Crowds gather to see him, however not everyone is happy to see him, particularly ex-friend Andrew Chapper who claims he wrote Cody's hit song and is entitled to a share of the prize money. Cody hires notorious attorney Ken "The Lip" Lipinski to represent him in court. The court case has barely started when someone murders Lipinski. There are plenty of suspects including Dave Hammond, the attorney representing Andrew. Dave accepts the help of florist Abby Knight and her boyfriend, bar owner/private investigator, Marco Salvare to clear his name and find the killer.

"Dirty Rotten Tendrils" is the nicely done tenth book in Kate Collins' Flower Shop cozy mystery series. While the last couple of books in the series were okay, this book is one of her best - tightly written and plotted with a great deal of humor (you gotta love the names Chapper and Verse!) yet at times it is poignant and sad. The theme of reality television winners is a very current one and Collins has a lot of fun with it and its fans. Mixed in with this and adding even more humor to the book are the antics of Abby and Marco's families - particularly the ongoing saga of Marcos's brother Rafe and his girlfriend Cinnamon - the book is worth reading just to meet Cinnamon's parents. Abby and Marco's relationship continues to grow with each book and I like the way Abby isn't all starry eyed over Marco - she realizes their relationship takes work, sacrifices, commitment, and changes on both sides. Collins does a nice job of tying in plot lines of other people's relationships with what Marco and Abby might face. The mystery aspects are well done - well written and plotted with plenty of suspects. More than one suspect has a sad storyline and the identity of the killer and the motive for the murder was truly a sad one. Finally, the book ends on an all too realistic cliffhanger that will have readers eagerly waiting for the next book in the series to see what happens.

"Dirty Rotten Tendrils" is another excellent entry in Kate Collins' charming Flower Shop cozy mystery series.

Dirty Rotten Tendrils by Kate Collins made me like this series even more than I had in the past.

Abby just wants her small town to stay the way it is and not all these changes that a singer has brought along with his fame. The town is gaga over his rise to fame and becomes ripe for crime.

Who, What, Where and When will keep you on your toes throughout this book, whether it be, Cody Verse or Abby's personal life.

All I can say after reading this book, is when is "Night of the Living Dandelion" out???

Cody Verse, is a local boy who is now a famous singer after winning on America's Next Hit Single. Another local boy, Cody's good friend and former songwriting partner, Andrew, claims he helped write the song Cody won with. Cody denies it. Cody is in town for the court case. Ken "the Lip" Lipinski is defending Cody.

The Lip is found dead of a suspicious overdose. Dave Hammond, opposing counsel and Abby's friend and former employer, is the main suspect.

Abby and Marco, her hot boyfriend, set out to prove Dave is innocent. The Lip had lots of other enemies. The suspects are plentiful.

I love this series. Abby and Marco are great together. Add in Abby's family and Marco's family and there is always a lot of fun! I like how the author has been building the relationship between Abby and Marco. The two ladies that help out in Abby's floral shop are fabulous, too. The author has done a great job creating a believable town and cast of characters. I always enjoy reading a book in this series, but they don't last long enough. It's a long wait `til the next book! I highly recommend this book and series.

Not everyone is happy that Cody Verse is coming back to his hometown in New Chapel, Indiana. It is not to see friends or family, but to defend himself in court against Andrew Chapper who claims he co-wrote the song that Cody used on the national TV show America's Next Hit Single. The appearance catapulted him to fame. Abby, the owner of the flower shop Bloomers wishes he would leave so the town can return to normal.

Cody hired dirty tricks high profile lawyer Ken "Lip" Lipinski to represent him. Andrew's grandparents hired David Hammond who would have refused the case if he knew his opponent is the great attorney. David is diligent and good, but not flamboyant like his adversary who breaks the rules like stealing evidence. Furious David publicly accuses the Lip of duplicity and illegalities. Soon after their spat, Lip is dead with the circumstantial evidence pointing at David. Abby, who worked for David and her fiancé Marco, a private detective investigate because they believe he is innocent.

The combination private investigator (Marco) and amateur sleuth (Abby) fuse together to create an appealing Flower Shop mystery (see Sleeping with Anemone) that a wide ranger of readers will enjoy. The heroine's sparkle and spirit sweetly lights up her fiancé's heart while adding a warm dimension to the fine whodunit. However the key is Abby's believability as she attended law school, clerked for Dave, and strictly adheres to Marco's instructions. This is a well written investigative tale.

Harriet Klausner

Although this is the 10th book in Kate Collins' Flower Shop Mystery series, her characters and plotlines are as fresh as the very first time she captivated me in Mum's The Word. I am hooked on Abby Knight and her life. I cannot wait, from book to book, to see what sort of trouble Abby's passion for justice has gotten her into now, or to visit again with her friends and family.

I'm still waiting for the day when I finally figure out the murderer before Kate Collins reveals it to me!