Shoots to Kill (Flower Shop Mysteries, No. 7)

What do you do when not just your ID, but your whole life, is stolen? What do you do if your friends won't believe who the culprit is? You'll have a blast following the twists and turns of this fast-paced plot, but I promise you won't guess the ending.

Elizabeth Blume has returned to town. When she was eleven, Abby Knight babysat her. Now Elizabeth is imitating everything in Abby's life and no one else seems to see it. She's changed her name to Libby, buys a similar car, and opens a shop that looks identical. She's even put a wedge between Abby and Marco. Abby is accused of murder. Then Libby is accused of murder. Could Libby been imitating Abby just to cover up the murder. Or is someone else framing both of them? Abby sets out to figure things out before she ends up in jail for a murder she didn't commit. I love this series. Abby is such a fun character. The sparks always fly when she and Marco are together. The two women who help Abby in the flower shop are fabulous, too. Abby's mom is irritating, but then she's supposed to be. I always devour these books in a couple of days. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

I have all the flower shop mysteries and I can safely declare this the best one yet. Kate Collins has a loveable hero in Abby Knight and a great antagonist in her nemsis, Libby Blume. She writes Libby's character to be so obnoxious you want to reach through the pages and attack her yourself by the third chapter. For a brief summary, Libby is Abby's former pain in the neck baby-sitting client who wrecked her life as a teenager and appears to be back for the sequel. She copies Abby's life to a T and when Libby's mother turns up dead with an APB out for a 5'2" redhead suspect, Abby is arrested fasely due to Libby's doppelganger status. Libby is taking over all aspects of Abby's life and Abby is determined to get to the bottom of things before her life falls out from under her. I was a bit disappointed by the last flower shop mystery because everything seemed to rushed and the book didn't seem to have much depth to it. This one is so much better. I couldn't put it down. Keep them coming please!

Book 7 of the Flowershop mysteries - I loved it and it is my new favorite of the set (so far.) Abby's old babysitting client comes back to town, opens a shop across from Abby's flowershop on the square, cuts and dies her hair to match Abby's, even gets a Corvette like Abby's. Is it 'imitation' as flattery, or something more sinister. Cute cozy. Looking forward to book 8 in Feb 2009! This installment is slightly longer than the previous books, which really shows in the development of the plot.

Very few people are as happy as Abby Knight is. She gets on great with her family; her developing relationship with private investigator Marco Salvatore is strong and intense; and she loves working in her florist shop Bloomers. Elizabeth "Libby" Blume returns to town to Abby's horror as she knows how treacherous the woman is since she babysat her as a child and tried to steal her identity. Libby asks for a job at Abby's store, but Abby says no. Instead Libby opens up an art store up the block from Bloomers that is almost identical in looks; she also manages to make herself look like Abby's twin. She interferes with Abby's relationship with Marco; causing a breakup. When Libby's mom turns up dead, everyone assumes the daughter killed her mostly due to Abby's behavior towards Libby, but evidence is lacking. Abby investigates seeking the proof although two other suspects with strong motives surface including the victim's mentally disturbed son meds he does not always take.. Kate Collins keeps getting better with each new book she writes, which is saying a lot as her backlist is top rate (see A ROSE FROM THE DEAD). The amateur sleuth investigation is fun to follow as the key characters are fully developed especially the "twins" and Marco; yet there is plenty of action filled with plausible twists. Often amusing, the fun in the tale is Abby's deep desire to prove Libby committed the homicide, but every clue leads away from the manipulative minx to other people. The Abby-Marco romantic subplot with its Libby-induced troubles adds to the heroine's need to find the proof as SHOOTS TO KILL is an entreating whodunit. Harriet Klausner