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Retired florist Theo Bloomer would much rather stay at home than go on a disastrous Jamaican vacation in this charming cozy mystery. Every time Dorrie Caldicott gets into trouble, it falls to Theo Bloomer to bail her out. So when Dorrie and her college buddies rent a villa in Jamaica, Uncle Theo is called on to chaperone. An unassuming retired florist, Theo prefers pottering around his greenhouse to traveling the world, but he has a soft spot for his niece—and it may get him killed. At the show more resort, Theo struggles to make himself at home among Dorrie's preppy gang. As the students whip themselves into a frenzy of debauchery, Theo just looks the other way. But when fun in the sun gives way to kidnapping, extortion, drug smuggling, and murder, Theo will do anything to get home to his flowers. Fans of Kate Collins's bestselling Flower Shop Mysteries will find a kindred spirit in Joan Hess's Theo Bloomer. When this wilting violet is uprooted, the results are nothing short of hilarious. The Deadly Ackee is the 2nd book in the Theo Bloomer Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. Fiction. Mystery. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Botanist Theo Bloomer is browbeaten by his sister into chaperoning his college-age niece and her friends on a posh spring-break vacation in Jamaica. Their personal pool-boy (!)is murdered, but why? Then one of the coeds is kidnapped. How will Uncle Theo cope? The real mystery is why would he want to, when almost all of the college kids are spoiled, self-centered brats.
The writing is fine, but Theo Bloomer was not a strong enough personality to overcome the rest of the annoying characters in this mystery.
The writing is fine, but Theo Bloomer was not a strong enough personality to overcome the rest of the annoying characters in this mystery.
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Author Information
54+ Works 9,449 Members
Joan Hess was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1949. She received a bachelor's degree in art from the University of Arkansas in 1971 and a master's degree in education from Long Island University in 1974. For several years, she taught art in a private preschool. Her first book, Strangled Prose, was published in 1986. She was the author of the show more Claire Malloy Mystery series and the Arly Hanks Mystery series. A Diet to Die For won the American Mystery Award for best traditional novel of 1989. A short story, Too Much to Bare, received the Agatha Award in 1990 and the McCavity Award in 1991. She also wrote the Theo Bloomer series under the pseudonym Joan Hadley. She finished the final Amelia Peabody novel, The Painted Queen, using the notes of Elizabeth Peters and their conversations to finish the book. It was published in 2017. She died on November 23, 2017 at the age of 68. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Deadly Ackee
- Original publication date
- 1988
- People/Characters
- Theo Bloomer; Dorrie Bloomer Caldicott; Mr. Siterman; Mary Margaret Ellison; Sandy Whitcomb; Count Hal D'Orsini (show all 8); Geraldine Greeley; Officer (Eli) Staggley (Eli)
- Important places
- Handy Hollow, Connecticut; Jamaica
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 41
- Popularity
- 717,845
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (2.88)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 1
