Mum's the Word

I originally got this book for the February theme read in the Cozy Mysteries Book Club. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. I say that because I had read other reviews not so flattering. Admittedly, Abby does go a little overboard w...moreI originally got this book for the February theme read in the Cozy Mysteries Book Club. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. I say that because I had read other reviews not so flattering. Admittedly, Abby does go a little overboard with her snooping but that wasn't my problem with the beginning of the book. I guess I'm too old to appreciate that a handsome man she really didn't know basically told her to butt out of a situation, but told her she had a "pert little nose" and show more she was actually flattered. There were several "set women's lib back 75 years" moments, but I kept reading anyway. I'm still not too impressed with her ability to command respect from men, but she does have a lot of good points, too. Would I recommend this book? Yes, to cozy readers. I'm sure I'll read more in the series. show less

I wanted really bad to like this. My mom LOVED this whole series - but I just felt that this cozy mystery was over the top. It's repetitive, far fetched, and there was far too many moving parts. Abby Knight dropped out of law school and bought a flower shop and a yellow Corvette. Business isn't exactly "blooming" so she passes the time by sticking her nose into everyone else's business. Abby is short, skinny, VERY busty, and has the brightest red hair for miles - so she's not exactly inconspicuous. When someone backs into her convertible and speeds away, Abby is convinced that person was a murderer after she learns that someone was murdered right around the same time and area. Abby then finds a new bar owner (who is an ex-cop and very show more studly) to partner up with. Filled with bad flower puns, flat characters, and an exasperating storyline. I'm really hoping the Hallmark series is a lot better. I will give the second one an attempt... someday. show less

Abby, new flower shop owner, is trying to build her business into a more profitable one. She doesn’t need the hassle of bogus parking tickets, having her car sabotaged, or being rammed while driving. Yet all that and more happens to her in this first book of the Flower Shop Mystery series. It’s pretty intense for a cozy. The plot is intricate and well structured, and the characters are well developed. The shop’s employees are likable, and the friendship between Abby and her roommate is well done, complete with an adorable cat. There is a love interest in the wings to add some romance, and an ex-fiancée to balance it all. Throw in a quirky mother who thinks she is an sculpting artist, and who has country club aspirations for her show more daughter, though the daughter doesn’t concur, and you a pretty entertaining tale. show less

Abby Knight, law school flunk out and now owner of Bloomers Flower Shop, has just gotten out of her 1960 yellow Corvette when it is struck by a black SUV which leaves the scene. After getting a partial plate number, she calls the cops. They are a little slow to arrive due to a murder on the next block. Abby thinks her hit and run driver may have been involved. And so begins this tale which is the first of a series. Abby believes in justice and will not stop ‘meddling’ until it has been served. In the process, she meets ex-cop bar owner Marco Salvare, is threatened, discovers police corruption and gets involved in a domestic violence case. This was a decent cozy and I would probably read another if I happened across it.

Abby Knight is a florist who moonlights as what in a saner universe would be termed as dead meat. The book took a while to get going and I wasn't immediately sold on the style of the story but gradually I warmed up to the main character. For such a good book, it's surprising that the other characters weren't fleshed out. But such is the predicament of the heroine that her troubles make for an empathy ridden read.

As cozy mysteries go, this one was pretty dark. At least in my book it is. In many other books of the genre, the immediate threat to the main character is sufficient enough. By that I mean the author usually is satisfied in making an attempt on the main girl's life. This book earned its four stars by almost forcing me to care show more for a happy go lucky woman with a short stature, a big cleavage and a bigger heart.

I liked the interaction between Abby and her college crush, but just as riveting was the dialog between Abby and the dark seducer Marco. I think it's great that never once in the telling of this tale that one of the guys (good or not) was irritating. Finally I'd like to point out that here, the villain with the most onscreen time is the very same who is the culprit. It wasn't some minor character who got to be the killer. I can't emphasize enough how aching I was for Abby. I didn't care that she was fictional. Never before have I been touched by the daily ordinary but then not so ordinary struggles of our diminutive heroine. Draft me up for the second book in the series ASAP. I'm curious to know how Abby will justify breaking her promise not to meddle. show less

Unsure of what to do with her life after dropping out of law school, Abby Knight opened up a flower shop. She loves her work, but business is slow and money is tight, so she's not thrilled when she sees someone hit her vintage Corvette and then takes off. When a murdered body is discovered not far away, Abby thinks the person that hit her car was the murderer. She's working with a hunky ex-cop to solve the murder, as well as helping a friend escape her abusive husband and soon someone is trying to kill Abby too.

I have mixed feelings about "Mum's the Word". Abby, the heroine, was annoying, meddling to the point where readers could understand why someone would try to kill her. And she comes across as stupid at times, mistaking drugs for show more fertilizer, as a flower shop owner she should know what fertilizer looks like. No wonder she has very few customers! Marco, the leather wearing, hunk of an ex-cop is a cliché. The secondary characters, like Nikki, Abby's roommate, and Lotti and Grace, her co-workers, are far more interesting. Abby's father, an ex-cop crippled after being shot while on duty, was an interesting character and I'd like to read more about him. Finally, the flower shop set up is fun to read about.

This was an okay book, with enough promise that I've already bought the next book in the series, hoping it will be a better read. show less

This is the opening chapter in a new series (new to me, anyway).
Collins is one of the few authors I've read who have managed to write a
heroine kooky enough to stand alongside Stephanie Plum. Abby's family
is unique, and just goofy enough. This isn't an Evanovich clone, but
this opening volley promises a pretty entertaining series.