Floral Depravity
A Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery #3
By Beverly Allen
ISBN13: 9780425264997
www.beverlyallenmysteries.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
As the co-owner of the Rose in Bloom Flower Shop, Audrey knows how to put together unique wedding bouquets, but this one takes the cake. The daughter of a local historian is getting married in a medieval-themed, hand-fasting ceremony, and Audrey is responsible for providing period-accurate blooms.
But making sure she gets her roses right turns out to be the least of Audrey’s problems. Shortly after the vows are exchanged, the father of the groom suddenly drops dead. When Audrey discovers the man’s death stems from monkshood poisoning, it’s a clear-cut case of murder. Now, faced with a suspect list that rivals the guest list, Audrey needs to root out the toxic killer…. (Goodreads)
Review:
Floral Depravity, the strong third installment in the Bridal Bouquet Mystery series, is blossoming with fun.
Audrey Bloom and her cousin Liz are the local florists in Ramble, Virginia, and Audrey has established quite a reputation as a bridal bouquet designer. She is proud to say that no wedding where the bride carried her flowers down the aisle has ended in divorce. She attributes her success to knowing the language of flowers and thus painstakingly chooses just the right meanings for each wedding. Her latest bride Andra has planned an authentic medieval wedding at the area’s rustic encampment with everyone required to wear period clothing and maintain customs of the time. Despite some inconveniences getting everything to the location on time and finding an appropriate costume, the wedding goes off without a hitch. That is, until the father of the groom, Barry Brooks, collapses and dies just as the ceremony concludes. With her extensive knowledge of plants, and some nursing training, Audrey quickly decides that Barry was poisoned. The sheriff is occupied with wildfires in the area so he deputizes the police chief and Audrey to work on the case.
In addition to her new investigative responsibilities, Audrey has a lot of other things on her plate. Liz is very pregnant, and several of their part-time employees are staying at the encampment to earn school credit. She has just purchased what was once her grandmother’s cottage, but the roof is falling down around her. And, she is trying to figure out which suitor is the one for her. And, the wedding “friar” turns out to be her estranged father. Nope, she is not stressed at all.
Beverly Allen writes from Audrey’s perspective and has formed a relatable, likable protagonist. She is smart and practical with a fun wit. Like everyone, she does carry some emotional baggage, but she continues to work through it with each passing book. I particularly like her dealings with her father and hope he makes more appearances in the future. And, thank you, Ms. Allen, for tidying up the love triangle. I am excited to see what the future holds for Audrey and her love.
The mystery itself is solid and kept me guessing throughout. I did suspect the killer’s identity about midway through but then second-guessed myself until the end. Each suspect Audrey investigated had a better motive than the one before, and I thought the interweaving of their stories was clever. The medieval aspects provided some of the more humorous moments, and I learned quite of bit of trivia about the period that I do not think were covered in history class. Also, I found the information about the meaning of flowers to be fascinating. I wonder why we do not utilize this Victorian custom much in the twenty-first century.
I really enjoyed my time with Audrey and the gang and look forward to more visits to Ramble, VA, and more dead bodies. I recommend Floral Depravity to any cozy mystery fan.
