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If you like cosies set in small town America, with a hint of romance, a dash of wit and a good plot with a few juicy suspects, then DEARLY DEPOTTED by Kate Collins will be right up your street. DEARLY DEPOTTED is the third Flower Shop mystery to feature 20-something Abby Knight, whose failure at law school took her back to her home town of New Chapel, Idaho, where she bought a flower shop called Bloomers, with a cafe attached. The previous owner, Lottie, and a retired librarian, Grace, help Abby in the store. Still new to the business and keen to publicise it, Abby jumps at the chance to do the flowers for her cousin's wedding despite the fact that Jillian is marrying Clayton Osborne. This is unfortunate because it brings Abby into contact with his brother Pryce, her former fiance who dumped her because she didn't meet his parents' snobby standards. Abby does have one ardent ally in the Osborne clan though, Pryce's grandmother, and she thus finds herself asked to keep an eye on the 90-year-old during the wedding, as she has a tendency to wander off. It's a hard day for Abby, juggling the duties of being a bridesmaid with arranging the flowers and so it's not surprising she loses track of grandma from time to time. On one such occasion Abby and her escort Marco, a hunky bar owner with whom the course of true lust never runs smoothly, track grandma down to the outdoor gazebo where the wedding took place. Bur grandma isn't alone; there is a dead body behind the pulpit and it looks like murder. Within a day or two it transpires that one of the chief suspects is Grace's gentleman friend Richard and she is so distraught that Abby is persuaded to investigate to try to clear his name. Marco, a former Army Ranger who had a short stint as a cop before buying his bar, agrees to help out when he can, and does his best to keep relations between Abby and the cops cordial. Abby manages to fit a lot of interviews into a short time by slotting them in between flower deliveries, and having a wedding video of which the cops are unaware doesn't hurt. Even so, the identity of the murderer comes as a surprise to both Abby and the reader alike. DEARLY DEPOTTED is a very enjoyable light read, a modern cozy with a likeable young protagonist, a good plot, some funny moments and a little thwarted passion, which I'm happy to recommend.
Reviewed by Bridget Bolton, October 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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