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Snipped in the Bud
A Flower Shop Mystery #4

by Kate Collins


You have read the first three books in this series, you will know that florist Abby Knight’s time at law school was no bed of roses. When she has to deliver a single black rose (well, dark red) to her old nemesis Professor Z A "Snapdragon" Puffer, she thinks that it will be a time to prove to herself that she no longer fears him. But the encounter is a disaster, especially when her other old nemesis Professor Carson Reed is found dead, stabbed with a pencil she had just been holding. The fact that he recently had her arrested at an animal right’s rally won’t help, any more than the fact that people soon find out that she hated him. Soon, Abby has been told not to leave town and angry people are waving placards outside her shop howling for her blood. But this has never stopped her in the past...

As I am interested in neither floristry nor chicklit a cursory glance at this book might look at if it had both in abundance. But the references to floristry are only fleeting, and if a bit of romance with wineshop owner Marco is a feature so are many other things. This whole series is a hundred per cent whodunit, with a thread running through it about social climbing and society. Short, creative Abby is a trouble magnet with a large mortgage and a new shop to run, while the rest of her family either aspire to society or are already in it. Her perfect foil is selfish, glamorous cousin Jillian, staying in Abby’s apartment and on the run from a disastrous wedding. Telling a story in the first person is not always a good thing, but Abby is a real spokesperson for ordinary women who don’t have it all, and her narrative brings the reader closer to the action. Just like the others in the series, this book admirably manages to juggle a good whodunit plot, plenty of humor, sharp social satire and some larger-than-life and lively characters splendidly. One of the best cozy series around.

Reviews of other titles in this series

Mum's The Word #1
Slay it with Flowers #2
Dearly Depotted #3
Snipped in the Bud #4
Acts of Violets #5
A Rose from the Dead #6
Shoots to Kill #7
Night of the Living Dandelion #11
To Catch a Leaf #12
Nightshade on Elm Street #13
Seed No Evil #14

The Book

Signet / Penguin
May 2006
Paperback
0451218310
Crime - Contemporary, Indiana
More at Amazon.com

The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde
Reviewed 2006
© 2006 MyShelf.com