Book Review: Slay it with Flowers

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Slay it with Flowers     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Kate Collins
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth   Woman Main Character
Series: Flower Shop Mystery # 2
March 2005, Signet, $6.50, 304 pp.

Abby Knight, the owner of Bloomers Florists in New Chapel Idaho, needs all the business she can get if she doesn’t want to lose the store. After flunking out of law school her fiancée broke off with her and she doesn’t want to fail a second time which is why she is reluctantly doing the floral arrangements for the wedding of her rich and spoiled cousin Jillian.

Abby is also the bridesmaid in the wedding so her time is stretched pretty thin with no free moments for other activities like solving a homicide involving a member of the wedding party. However, if she wants the wedding to proceed as scheduled so she can collect the money for the floral arrangements, Abby needs to find the killer so she starts questioning the various members of the wedding party from the woman he jilted to the gay groomsman he outed. While she is following up leads, she finds herself trying to prove a prostitution ring is operating in her town and wants to get the evidence that will nab the culprits. These two investigations are linked but by the time Abby figures that out, she is in mortal danger.

In spite of the precarious, hair raising and frightening situations Abby finds herself in, SLAY IT WITH FLOWERS is an upbeat jocular amateur sleuth novel. The protagonist despite what she says likes getting involved in an investigation mainly because she has sexy PI Marco Salvare to rescue her when she finds herself in dangerous situations. Kate Collins has written an uplifting, amusing and feel good amateur sleuth tale.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner