Book 26, 2025

[chez_jae]

Fatal Flowers: A Flower House Mystery by Jess Dylan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I had very little left to read of the book I’d taken to work, so I brought it home and finished it this evening. It was Fatal Flowers, which is the third installment in author Jess Dylan’s “Flower House” mystery series. The main character is Sierra Ravenswood, owner of the local floral shop, Flower House.

Sierra is excited when she's asked to do the wedding flowers for the mayor’s daughter. It will provide a nice boost to her bottom line, as well as generating exposure for Flower House. It doesn’t take long for Sierra to discover why the initial florist quit—the wedding planner is an egotistical terror to work with. None of the other vendors like Taz either, but they all seem willing to go with the flow if it means business. During a pre-wedding meeting at the mayor’s mansion, Sierra finds Taz in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. He whispers a garbled message before dying. Not long after, the bride pulls a runner, and her mother begs Sierra to look into both the murder and Marissa’s mysterious disappearance. Sierra reluctantly agrees, but the questions she’s been asking are making someone nervous, much to the chagrin of her family, friends, and her kinda-sorta boyfriend, Calvin. Sierra, however, is determined to see it through.

This is the first I’ve read in the series, but I didn’t feel lost at all, and the author didn’t spoil previous books. Characterizations were done well, and the plot had good pacing. I wish we’d seen more of Sierra doing things other than investigating, however. The bulk of the narrative focused on her sleuthing; we seldom saw her at work or spending time at home or socializing.

Favorite lines:
♦ It was just life being life—unpredictable, messy, and inconvenient at times—in between all the magic and beauty.
♦ “If you poke a hornet’s nest, what do you think’s going to fly out? Butterflies?”

Good read, four stars


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? Yes, she works in a flower shop
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) No, hooray!
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? Yes, her Gus
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? Yes
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes, she’s disapproving
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? NA
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes