Slay it with Flowers: A Flower Shop Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

In this second installment of the increasingly delightful Flower Shop Mysteries, Abby Knight, owner of a struggling flower shop, is not only a bridesmaid in her cousin Jill's upcoming wedding, she is in charge of the flower arrangements, which will bring much needed money into her shop. As if Abby didn't have enough to do, when one of the men in the wedding party disappears and another is murdered, Jill insists that Abby solve the murder. Abby has no choice but to agree (she really needs the money from the wedding) and as she investigates she finds herself surrounded by suspects. Abby also is convinced that there's a prostitution ring in town, so she starts to investigate that as well, thinking the two might be connected. Not everyone is happy with her meddling and Abby needs to solve the case soon before she becomes the next victim.

I liked this book much better than the first one in the series "Mum's The Word". Abby is much more likable and, unlike the first book, her involvement in the murder investigation is understandable. Unfortunately, her "meddling" in the prostitution ring, although a necessary plot point, is not as well explained. And Abby still does some stupid things that strain a reader's patience, like photographing in broad daylight license plates of men that she thinks are visiting the alleged prostitutes. The other characters are well drawn: Marco, the hunky ex-cop is not as much a cliché as in the first book; Grace and Lottie, Abby's coworkers, are delightful; Jill, Abby's cousin, is shallow and stupid, as are much of the wedding party outside of Bertie, whom I'd like to have seen more of. I'd also like to see more of Abby`s roommate, Nikki, perhaps she'll get more involved in solving cases in future books.

There are some minor flaws in this mystery, but there are some nicely humorous scenes (it's worth reading just to see what Abby's mother's latest sculpture is) and I can't wait to read the next one!

I have all four of these books. I picked up "Mum's the Word" because I was looking for a new mystery series, but I have since stopped looking because I found it. Kate Collins' flower shop mysteries are delightful. Many previous reviewers of "Mum's the Word" found it annoying, but the only thing I've found annoying is Abby's cousin Jillian. I think Collins' characters are delightful. I love that Abby's assitant Grace has a quote for everything, and her mother creates horrid anatomically correct sculptures. I love the descriptions of the flowers and the witty banter of the characters. Overall the best thing about this series is that while we have an abundance of amateur sleuth mysteries, Collins' doesn't use the same old tired, recycled plot lines I have found in many books. I agree that the first one was a little slow going, but the books get better and better as you go. I highly recommend this series.

Light and fun with appealing characters and some genuine wit. Abby is the owner of a flower shop and is doing the floral decorations for her rich and senseless cousin, Jillian's, wedding. When one of the groomsmen turns up dead and another is missing, Jillian begs Abby to find the culprit so that her wedding can go on as planned. Because Abby will be out of a large sum of money if the wedding does not proceed (a truckload of flowers and a hideous bridesmaid dress) she aggrees. As she snoops for clues, she discovers some other unseemly activity in her small town and becomes a target for some unknown bad guys.

This is a quick, feel-good read, with good pacing and character development. Fans of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum will notice some resemblances, but all for the good.