Death in Bloom by Jess Dylan
Series Name: Flower House #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: May 25, 2021
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The first in a sweet and colorful cozy mystery series from Jess Dylan, Death in Bloom introduces flower shop owner Sierra Ravenswood.

At the Flower House, every rose has its thorn . . .

Sierra Ravenswood is the new part-time employee of the Flower House, a flower shop in Aerieville, Tennessee. It’s true she didn’t expect to be back in her hometown at twenty-eight-years-old, but after her dream of making it as a singer in Nashville crashed and burned, she’s just grateful to have found a soft place to land.

Because, after all, Sierra firmly believes in being optimistic and positive about life, so she’s sure she won’t have to work at the Flower House forever. But things take a decidedly negative turn when a customer drops dead in the middle of her new bouquet-arranging workshop at the store. When it’s discovered he was poisoned by a snack at the event, everyone at the workshop, including Sierra, is on the suspect list. To make matters worse, her boss has gone AWOL and left the store to her for the cost of one dollar, leaving Sierra in charge of both his store and his high-energy Corgi puppy, Gus.

The town is on edge, and Sierra knows that murder is something that an upbeat attitude and a bouquet of sweet-smelling roses can’t fix. She’s determined to figure out whodunit, before anyone else in town meets an untimely reason for needing funeral flowers.

Dru’s Short Musing:
We are introduced to Sierra Ravenswood and the reasons she came back home to Aerieville. All goes to pot when a customer dies at her workplace and her boss goes missing.

What happened next has Sierra wondering where her missing boss is while looking for a murderer hiding in plain sight. I enjoyed all aspects of this debut whodunit from the solid and fresh plot to the likable cast of characters to the engaging dialogue to the setting of a small town that also includes other store owners, her parents and her granny who is a delight to get to know. The mystery was nicely staged to kept me engrossed in all the details that involved a bevy of suspects and planted clues that kept me in the game. When I thought I had a picking of who did what to whom, the author changed direction which enhanced how well this story was being told. I look forward to more adventures with Sierra and her friends in this entertaining new series.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.