Bloom and Doom (A Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery)
The first in a new series featuring Audrey Bloom and her flower shop, the Rose in Bloom, which specializes in wedding bouquets, provides readers with a fresh twist on the amateur-sleuth story. Audrey and one of her beautiful bouquets are featured in the local news, attracting new clients. Her former friend Jenny is one of them, and she wants the same bouquet. Then the bouquet is found shredded next to Jenny’s fiancé’s murdered body, and a knife from the store is missing. Jenny is the prime suspect, but Audrey believes she didn’t do it. Despite how Jenny treated her in the past, Audrey helps support her in jail and tries to find another suspect. Allen offers realistic and appealing portraits of Audrey and her cousin and co-owner, Olivia, as they struggle to build their business and talk to people from the small town who may have known the victim. A romantic subplot involving Audrey and local baker Nick adds texture to this promising new cozy series. --Amy Alessio