Blooming Murder

I'm very sorry she stopped writing this series- I really loved them! read them if you have a chance!

This was one of the first mystery series I ever read. I really think it is a great cozy series. The characters are vivid but not overly unnecessarrily descriptive. Also the storylines are captivating and interesting. I would definately recommend this book and Hager's other Iris House B & B books. They are an entertaining, fun read!!!

In the 1st book in the Iris House Mystery series, we are introduced to Tess Darcy, new owner of an upscale Bed & Breakfast in Victoria Springs, Missouri. Tess has inherited the beautiful old house from her Aunt Iris, and has used every bit of her monetary inheritance and life savings to transform the old mansion into a lovely garden inn. During opening day, one of the quests at the B & B is found murdered...with Tess' family cake knife protruding from her chest. It seems that the member of the Victoria Springs Garden Club was not well-liked, and many houseguests appear to have a very strong motive for murdering the beauty. Tess is terrified that the murder will ruin her new business, and drive off potential guests. She starts to investigate the eclectic guests at her inn, and quickly discovers that blackmail may have been a strong motive for murder. I picked up this book while browsing at my local library, and was pleased to find such an interesting mystery. About half way through the book, I began to suspect that the killer was obvious, and felt a bit let down and disappointed. However, I was quickly surprised to learn the true identity of the killer...and that I had been completely wrong! As I read many books in the genre, I really enjoy having a mystery unfold as this one did, and to discover a series that keeps me guessing until the end. This is a fun, interesting cozy series, and I look forward to visiting the Iris House again very soon! The next book in this series is "Dead and Buried". Enjoy!

One of the first cozy series I have read from the beginning, I found this to be great reading. The setting of Victoria Springs, Missouri was familiar enough to be comfortable, and different enough to be interesting. The characters introduced have grown and changed through the series and have become old friends. The factual information used regarding gardening and running a Bed-and-Breakfast added to my storehouse of experience gained from reading good mysteries. The plot kept me involved throughout and made the book hard to put down. All in all, I could hardly wait for the next in the series to come out, and still enjoy each.