The Accidental Florist
by Jill Churchill
Published by William Morrow
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Reviewed by Sharon Broom
Jane and Mel are getting married, but his mother is a 'bulldozer' and has decided to take over the wedding preparations. Since it IS Jane and Mel's wedding, Jane sets boundaries that his mother ignores. Jane's former mother-in-law attempts to cause financial problems for her, but gets her due quickly.
Mel is concerned about Jane and her friend Shelley's safety and encourages them to sign up for a self-defense class. But before the class sessions are over, an important member of the group is killed.
Jill Churchill is a popular author and since I've never read any of her books before, I was excited to read The Accidental Florist. I was sorely disappointed.
The dialogue was stilted and the majority of the novel didn't move the murder plot forward at all. And Jane didn't doing any sleuthing at all. The sleuthing was done by Mel and a new young police officer. The murder itself didn't happen until about a third of the way into the book and the victim hadn't been 'on the scene' enough to really care about her. The motive for the murder seemed contrived as did the entire book.
Armchair Interviews says: Not recommended.