Shoots to Kill by Kate Collins

This is the 7th or 8th book in the series about Abby, a young law school drop out who runs a flower shop. She is dating a handsome guy who owns a restaurant and is a PI on the side. She has helped solve several murders in town.

Sometimes the Flower Shop books are lame, some are good. This one was in the middle. The plot of this one is how a young woman, Libby, returns home to Abby's town after being away at college. Abby once babysat for Libby, and Libby's a little....off.

Libby comes to town and basically tries to mimic Abby's life, she dyes her hair and copies Abby's haircut. She opens a shop with a very similar name and same decorative scheme across the street from Abby's, and even buys a matching car. Abby is livid and says Libby's up to no good, but of course, nobody, not even Marco the boyfriend, believes Abby's warnings.

Due to the whole "Single White Female" scenario, I found the first 80 pages of this book stressful. I didn't like it that Marco and Abby were fighting and nobody believed Abby about Libby. But once Abby is falsely arrested for the murder of Libby's mother, well, then everybody turned around and then they got down to business finding the mother's real killer and the book vastly improved.

When I read the first couple of these Flower Shop books, I was a little bored but now I enjoy seeing what Abby's up to, I like the two women characters who work in Abby's flower store with her, and there is a funny side plot about how Abby's mother makes odd art and craft projects and enthusiastically tries to get Abby to display and sell them in her shop.

I would like it if Abby and Marco's romance would move forward in some way, though. I don't care if they get engaged, married, move in together, have triplets, or a love triangle starts with a new guy, but it is getting boring with the current status.

Next Up: a book by one of my favorite non-mystery authors! I am insanely busy with VBS at church every night this week, plus staying up late with Mr. Bookworm on his work nights means that my reading time has been vastly reduced lately, but next week I hope to resume a more normal speed.