A murdered unpopular business owner. A small town with busybodies and open secrets. Can a new girl in town start a new life before a murder investigation ends it?Tracy Adams had three things going for her in her just-above-average boring life namely: 1. A good job 2. A good job… that she liked3. A good job that she liked… and that paid VERY well When she lost her job and had to move back to …
When she lost her job and had to move back to the small town where she grew up, it seemed like her life had lost all purpose. Helping out at her aunt’s floundering floral shop seemed like the perfect distraction before she decided what to do next.
When her aunt’s competition, a nasty and egotistical know-it-all is found dead, the rumor mill in Fern Grove goes into overdrive. With an important piece of evidence linking Tracy to the scene of the crime, she becomes a person of interest in the murder investigation. This leaves her feeling vulnerable and confused.
Moving back to Fern Grove was meant to be the start of a new life but this murder mystery is fast ending what has hardly begun. Will she retain her wits and piece together the clues that will lead her to the killer?
If you want to enjoy a light-hearted read, with an amateur female sleuth and a gripping murder mystery with a touch of romance, then you’ll love Tracy Adams and all the friendly and not-so-friendly characters in Fern Grove.
No cliffhanger, swearing or graphic scenes!
Buy Carnation and Deadly Fixations to discover how events unfold in this cozy murder mystery.
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This was a nice start to a new series. The character development was handled well and the pacing was good. The ending was a bit fast, but all the loose ends were tied up. I look forward to reading the next book.
Carnations and Deadly Fixations is the first book in A Fern Grove Mystery series. I thought this new cozy mystery to be engaging and easy to read. Abby Reede has a conversational writing style that I enjoyed. I liked Tracy Adams and her aunt, Rose. They are friendly and relatable characters. Then there are those characters that you love to dislike. Becky White and her friend, Emily Maher fit into that category. Becky has an abrasive manner that turns off everyone she meets (no wonder she ended up dead). The mystery had a couple of suspects, misdirection and good clues. The whodunit suited the length of the story. I look forward to reading One Daisy & Two Crazy Funerals when it comes out. Carnations and Deadly Fixations is a delightful cozy mystery with beautiful blooms, a nasty nemesis, a dedicated detective, a cuddly cat, and a florist determined to uproot a killer.
This is a clean, sweet book good for an afternoon’s distraction. The protagonist, Tracy, is hardworking and willing to use her big city talents to help Aunt Rose revitalize her small town florist shop. Suddenly, Tracy becomes a person of interest in a murder.
The plot is reasonable but the story is sadly lacking in details. What were Tracy’s great ideas for sprucing up the shop? Did she report her missing shoe? No lawyer in a sketchy situation?? Even the facts surrounding the solving of the murder and
Tracy’s part in that were rather naive and unbelievable.
Overall this was a cute little read.
The mystery left a lot to be desired, the flow was a bit disjointed in places so it pulled me out of the story. I wasn’t really able to believe the reasoning behind some events.
The dialogue and banter was great though, an array of characters within the town. There’s a lot of great potential for the series. I loved that Tracy didn’t have to have her Aunt die just to get the story going. It was a breath of fresh air for the genre to see her join in and work along side her family member instead of inheriting due to death.
I also enjoyed how well everyone’s plot line was wrapped up at the end, no loose ends that were opened but not addressed. Every character receives a close out.
Leaving the big city and big company to return to
her small home town, Tracy is going to help her Aunt Rose to spruce up In Season Flower shop. She talks her aunt into closing for a bit so they can paint and change things up to be more modern. When her aunt’s competition, a nasty and egotistical know-it-all is found dead, the rumor mill in Fern Grove goes into overdrive. Tracy is the number one suspect due to the competitions friend accusing her. Lots of twists and turns and a very good read. If you enjoy a good mystery this is a must read.
This review is for the audio book.
This is the first book I have listened to by this author but I enjoyed it, so it won’t be my last. I liked the unusual setting of being in a flower shop, very different to the normal cosy mysteries which all seem to be set in coffee shops or bakeries. The author also didn’t bombard you with useless facts about flowers and concentrated on the mystery. The few facts that were included were taste full done. The mystery it’s self was interesting and contained a number of suspects but it was the characters that I liked best. They were well rounded and like able. The story is short and to be honest I tend to like my stories longer but I found I enjoyed this one so much that I didn’t really notice it was short and I never felt like any of the story or explanation was left out. A series to look out for in the future.
When Tracy is downsized from her job she moves back to her hometown to help her aunt’s floundering business. Her aunt and uncle built the flower shop up from the ground but after his death, her aunt let things slide. Tracy has lots of plans and ideas ready to put into practice but not everybody is pleased with the idea. Namely the owner of the other florists shop in town who had been profiting from her aunt shop being run down. On the morning of the grand opening the competition is found dead and Tracy’s aunt becomes the prime suspect. Can Tracy clear her aunt’s name and turn her fortunes around .
I liked the narrator, she spoke clearly and gave each character there own voice in this fun light hearted cosy mystery.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
See Amazon review
Cute cosy mystery.
All Tracy wanted to do was help her aunt with her aunt’s floral business. However, a rival florist gets murdered and Tracy is the prime suspect.
The characters and the settings of the small town were cute and made me eager for more. The mystery was also fast paced.
Quick, light mystery read.
This book was a fun quick read that went into just enough detail to make it interesting. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships with each other. About the time you think you’ll have to read the next book to have an ending, you find out who the killer is. I would recommend this book.
Carnations and Deadly Fixations (Fern Grove Cozy Mystery Book 1), my first read from author Abby Reede. Well-written & enjoyable. a cute, clean cozy mystery with well-developed characters and detailed settings. I look forward to reading more in this series & from this author when I get them. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
Tracy Adams returns to Fern Grove to help her Aunt Rose with her floundering flower shop. She has some ideas to update the shop and their competitor is concerned. Then the competitor is found dead and Tracy and her Aunt are suspects. This is a great new cozy mystery with likeable characters and the cozy mystery will keep you guessing to the end. Very enjoyable.
What a great town Fern Grove is; quiet and peaceful and the citizens are all wonderful. Well, most of them anyway. Long suffering John White has finally found peace. With the death of his miserable wife Becky, he can move on with his life. Tracey and her aunt Rose are working to bring In Season Flower Shop back to its former glory in the mist of the murder investigation. Will the shop once again be the go-to flower store, or will Tracy’s being a suspect in the murder bring down the entire store. A must read if you enjoy cozy mystery’s. Want to read more in this series soon.
What a great start to a new series!!
Small town feuding and what a rumor mill! Tracy lost her good job and moved back home to recover. She decided to help her Aunt try to bring her flower shop back to its former glory. But will the competition destroy everything they are trying to accomplish? Or will someone destroy the competition? Most of the town had a motive but who is the guilty party?
Characters to love and some to hate. And I love the small town! This was a great start to a new series.
Tracy Adams has returned to her childhood town of Fern Grove, after being laid off from her ideal job. Learning of her Aunt Rose’s struggle, dealing with the death her husband, and trying to keep her floral shop, In Season, up and running, Tracy makes the decision to move back home. Implementing the skills acquired in her previous profession, Tracy brings the floral shop up to date with all the latest technology and a complete facelift, instituting a re-grand opening. When Aunt Rose’s nemesis, another floral shop owner, turns up dead, Tracy becomes the lead suspect due to evidence found at the crime scene.
I was pleased with this new series by a new author. Tracy was resourceful and Aunt Rose was quite charming, reminding me of some of my own loved family members. There were the “I love to hate” characters, as well as characters that step up in support of Aunt Rose. I found the floral shop perspective a nice touch. Overall, a great new cozy. I hope to read more on how the characters develop and Tracy’s adventures in Forest Grove.