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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Cozy Mystery, June 1, 2006
Flower Shop owner Abby Knight is asked to deliver a black rose to Professor Puffer, who terrorized her during her brief time as a law school student. Abby is hoping to drop off the rose and run, but much to her dismay she runs into not only Puffer but another law professor, Carson Reed, who not too long ago had Abby arrested at an animal rights protest. Both men bully Abby into fleeing the building, but she decides to stand up for herself and goes back inside only to find that Professor Reed has been murdered. Plenty of people heard Abby's fight with Reed and she is a chief suspect in his murder and there's a real chance she'll be arrested. While Abby fights to clear her name, she stumbles upon a series of pet nappings and is convinced the two are related. But can she and hunky ex-cop Marco find the real murderer and pet nappers before she is arrested for murder?
This was a nicely plotted cozy mystery. Although I've read many mysteries where the heroine is considered a suspect, this is the first one I've read where the situation wasn't contrived and there was a legitimate reason for the police to suspect Abby. Abby is an engaging heroine, although there were times in this book when her meddling was a bit too much and once or twice I rolled my eyes while reading the book. The book has lots of humor and Abby's various disguises as she hides from the Media and various townspeople who think she is the murderer are quite humorous. The mystery is well written and I didn't guess who the real murderer was until the very end.
Very enjoyable.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best one of the series, June 11, 2006
I recently started reading this mystery series, and I have read all three of the predecessors. I love this book, I couldn't put it down. I loved the other three also, but I clearly think this one is the best. Abby is a great amateur sleuth with a sharp wit and a nose for murder. Collins creates wonderful, believable characters that will keep you coming back for more. I loved Abby's disguises in this book, they were hilarious. I also am quite fond of the cat Simon, who Collins seems to work into every story, which I appreciate. I love her descriptions of the flowers and Abby's banana colored convertable. This is a great new series and so far I haven't been disappointed. I hope Kate Collins continues to produce these books because I can't get enough!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This series is still fresh as a daisy!, September 30, 2006
In the 4th book in the Flower Shop Mystery series, Abby Knight, owner of the Bloomers flower shop, receives a funeral order and decides to deliver it herself. None of this initially sounds odd for a florist, but the order that Abby received was for one perfect "black" funeral rose. When she sees that it is to be delivered to one of her most hated prior educators in law school, Professor "Snapdragon" Puffer, she is determined to bury her bad memories and make the delivery herself. Nothing goes well in the delivery...first Abby almost runs over Puffer with her car. Then, she tries to sneak into his office to deliver the flower and gets caught riffling through his desk. Puffer is famous for breaking pencils and throwing them at students, and doing a poor imitation of him, Abby gets caught by a furious Professor Puffer. Fleeing from the office, Abby then runs into another nemesis professor, Carson Reed. Professor Reed is involved with Dermacol Labs, a company that performs lab tests on animals. Abby was recently involved in a protest in front of the lab and was arrested. When she sees Professor Reed in the hallway and is taunted by him, she yells some very harsh words in his direction and stomps off.
Feeling smug for having the last word, Abby decides that she has finally buried the demons that have haunted her after flunking out of law school. But when Abby righteously decides to get back the flower she delivered to Puffer, she finds out that the nightmare is just beginning. She stumbles over the dead body of Professor Reed, and once her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon, the town starts to insist that she be arrested. While dodging the relentless press, staying away from angry law students, and cracking a pet-stealing ring, Abby works diligently to clear her name.
This is a fresh, funny series! Even though I figured out early on how several of the details tied together, I was still intrigued to see how Abby would solve the case. She stumbles around a bit in her investigating, and gets herself involved in quite a bit of mischief, which is always amusing. I found her choice of disguises to be hilarious, and her budding relationship with Marco was sizzling. Great addition to the cozy genre!
The first book in the series is called "Mum's the Word". Enjoy!
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