Cut down among the flowers . . . Britta Johnston might be a late bloomer, but after leaving her deadbeat husband and dead-end job, she’s finally pursuing her artistic passion at her aunt Elin’s floral boutique, Blooma, in Portland, Oregon. It’s on the banks of the Willamette, in a quaint district of cobblestone paths and cherry trees. The wine bar featuring Pacific Northwest vintages is a tasty … vintages is a tasty bonus, offering another kind of bouquet to enjoy. But things aren’t as peaceful as they look.
For one thing, someone’s been leaving dead roses around—and a sleazy real estate developer who wants the waterfront property has put a big-money offer on the table. Then, after a contentious meeting of local business owners, he’s found on the floor of the shop, with Elin’s garden shears planted in his chest. And before the police decide to pin the crime on her beloved aunt, Britta will have to find out who arranged this murder . . .
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Kate Dyer-Seeley has a way of painting scenic locations with her words that you just can’t help but fall in love with and this book is no exception. Britta and Aunt Elin are charming characters with so much potential to blossom in future books. I can’t wait to see where they go next!
https://cozyexperience.com/natural-thorn-killer-book-review/
Synopsis:
Cut down among the flowers . . .
Britta Johnston might be a late bloomer, but after leaving her deadbeat husband and dead-end job, she’s finally pursuing her artistic passion at her aunt Elin’s floral boutique, Blooma, in Portland, Oregon. It’s on the banks of the Willamette, in a quaint district of cobblestone paths and cherry trees. The wine bar featuring Pacific Northwest vintages is a tasty bonus, offering another kind of bouquet to enjoy. But things aren’t as peaceful as they look.
For one thing, someone’s been leaving dead roses around–and a sleazy real estate developer who wants the waterfront property has put a big-money offer on the table. Then, after a contentious meeting of local business owners, he’s found on the floor of the shop, with Elin’s garden shears planted in his chest. And before the police decide to pin the crime on her beloved aunt, Britta will have to find out who arranged this murder . . .(Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Britta and her aunt Elin. You can tell that they love each other very much and are happy to be reunited again. Elin is a real wiz with flowers and Britta is happy to be working with flowers again. Her life has taken a downward turn but she really wants to be happy again. It will be hard because she lost her confidence while she was married to her jerk of a husband, but she is determined to get it back. When, shortly after she arrives in Portland, a dead body is found, she realizes that she has to find the culprit before her aunt is sent away permanently.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy way. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book, I felt like I was right there in Portland being part of the community. Her descriptions of the flowers and creations that they made made me feel like I could smell them and see them in my mind’s eye. You can tell that the author knows a lot about flowers or she did a lot of research (I think she probably knows a lot about them). I also liked the flower tips included at the end of the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you like vivid descriptions and enjoy flowers, you will want to read this story.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
I love cozies like this. A great location. Interesting characters. A cute shop. This was a very good story.
Easy read. Nice plot
I liked the characters and the location of the book. The people felt real and I look forward to more books by this author.
Loved the flower shop detail and the setting (Portland).
Well written cozy mystery that is easy to read. Light-heated and fun.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Blooma, a flower/wine shop in Portland Oregon is where Britta Johnston finds herself after leaving her lazy husband and job behind. Her Aunt Elin’s shop is expanding and she is thrilled Britta is bringing her artistic talents home. Soon after Britta arrives she learns that a real estate developer wants to buy out all the local business owners so he can tear everything down and rebuild a marketplace with housing on the waterfront. Most of the owners are refusing to sell, but the developer gives one last push and that push may have caused his demise. Britta arrives at Blooma and discovers the developer dead surrounded by dead roses and her Aunt Elin’s garden shears pushed right into his chest. When the police decide Elin is their main suspect Britta decides to sow a few seeds of her own to find the real natural thorn killer.
Blooma is a delightful setting for this cozy mystery. Elin’s interest in wearable items made of flowers is unique and fresh as is her whole outlook on her business. Flowers grown locally is what she uses for all her creations. She tunes and really listens to her customer’s wishes to make something original and that is what set her above other florists. Plus she has a wine bar and she is opening up a cottage next to the shop for events and classes. The whole Riverplace Village sounds pretty fantastic.
We meet Britta Johnston in the middle of a cold Minnesota winter when she is fed up with her husband and realizes she will never be happy at her job. She just packs up, gets on the train and heads home to Portland. I myself would probably take the Minnesota weather over the Oregon cold rainy weather but I sure can’t blame her for changing her life and following her dream especially when her aunt’s business is the perfect place for Britta to bloom.
The mystery was well planned and plotted. I formed an instant dislike for the victim, as had almost everyone around him. That means plenty of suspects. It also means Detective Pete Fletcher and Officer Thomas “Tomo” Iwamoto spent a lot of time around the flower shop. I really enjoyed Tomo, he was so friendly and good-natured. Detective Fletcher was great too. The mystery was not easy to solve and kept me guessing right up until the end.
All of the characters we met within this story were pretty fleshed out for the first book in a series. They were very engaging and relatable. They are characters I want to get to know more about and the relationships they build together.
This series is off to an excellent start! I am excited to see what is next for Britta and Elin.
Natural Thorn Killer by Kate Dyer-Seeley is the first installment in A Rose City Mystery series. Britta Johnston has been putting her dreams on hold (having her own floral shop) and working two jobs so her husband, Chad can work on his novel (he needs to concentrate on it fully). When Britta discovers that Chad is having an affair, she decides it is time for a change. Britta packs up her belongings and heads back home to Portland, Oregon where her Aunt Elin lives and has her floral boutique and wine bar combination, Blooma. Aunt Elin raised Britta and is happy to have her return. The timing is perfect since Elin is getting ready for the grand opening of her cottage that will feature classes/workshops on floral design (flower jewelry for example). Britta is soon immersed in running Blooma, but not everything is rosy. Someone is leaving dead roses at the shop and a seedy real estate developer is intent on buying up Riverplace Village (where BLooma and other charming shops are located). Britta is opening up Blooma one morning and notices the doors to the cottage are open. She goes inside and finds Frank Jaffe, the developer, on the floor with Elin’s floral shears sticking out of his chest and roses scattered on the floor. Detective Pete Fletcher hones in on Elin as the killer which makes Britta determined to dig up the guilty party.
In Natural Thorn Killer I was drawn right away into the story. I liked the author’s conversational writing style. The book had a nice steady pace and good flow. The two main characters of Britta and Elin are engaging and relatable. I liked their creative energy and ideas. I appreciated that the author gave the characters a Swedish background and had Swedish words/phrases sprinkled throughout the story. Two side characters that added to the story were Nora who owns Demitasse (spunky) and Officer Tomo Iwamoto (great personality). I enjoyed the descriptions of the Riverplace Village where Blooma was located. It sounds just charming and has a nice small-town feel (even though it is in Portland). The author included some interesting facts about Portland. I did feel that it was too soon for a romance for Britta since she just left her cheating husband. I really hope that there will not be a love triangle (there are hints of it). The author included wonderful descriptions of the flowers and arrangements created at Blooma along with interesting facts about the flowers. She really brought them alive with her words. The one downfall of the book was the mystery. There were a limited number of suspects and little investigation (just some questioning). There was a lack of action and the reveal was disappointing. I wish the author had found a different way to wrap up the book (it was more supposition that fact). The why part of the murder was slightly farfetched. At the end there are tips for increasing the longevity of a bouquet of flowers, recipe for Swedish pancakes, and how to pair flowers with wine (never thought of that before). I give Natural Thorn Killer 4 out of 5 stars. If the mystery had been more compelling, I would have been a very happy reader. The next book in A Rose City Mystery series is Violet Tendencies.
NATURAL THORN KILLER by Kate Dyer-Seeley
The First Rose City Mystery
Britta Johnston lives a lackluster existence in Minnesota working at a mind numbing wholesale florist company to support her husband who’s been writing the great American novel for years. When she discovers he’s cheating on her, she stops kowtowing to him, packs her bags, and returns to Portland, Oregon and the aunt who raised her. The timing is perfect for Aunt Elin as she’s getting ready to launch a new part of her floral boutique and wine bar, but not so perfect for the loud egocentric real estate developer who wants to raze the entire shopping village to make way for new development. After a contentious shop owner meeting, Britta finds him dead in Blomma surrounded by roses. Now Britta finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation while making a new life for herself.
NATURAL THORN KILLER is a delightful start to a new series. The setting is unique and described so vividly it was easy to see myself walking through the village and stopping at all of the wonderful shops. The characters are engaging with backstory evident and starting to ooze out. I especially liked how the author brought different cultures to the fore. The addition of Swedish language and culture not only brought interest, but a feeling of hygge. I also loved the character of Tomo, not only his fun loving attitude, but his Japanese culture. And I want some of his mom’s noodles!
With attention to detail, well developed characterization, and a captivating plot NATURAL THORN KILLER is a winner.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
This was a very enjoyable cozy mystery. I enjoyed meeting Britta. I don’t know how she had the patience with a husband who didn’t work and basically mooched off his wife. What a shock poor Britta had when she found out her husband was cheating. Oh he made me so mad with his excuses and begging Britta to come back. I say fat chance of that happening. The best decision she made was packing up and going to stay with her aunt Elin. It’s a perfect arrangement for both of them. Britta has come to the picturesque place nestled in Portland, Oregon.
The description that the author gives about the area had me wanting to pack up and move there myself. She helps readers visualize the quaint shops and beautiful landscape. I was mesmerized by the details of the flowers in Elin’s flower shop. I didn’t realize there were so many different kinds of roses, but I sure could smell the intoxicating scent as you open the door to the shop. The intricate knowledge of flowers really highlighted the story for me.
Elin is excited about expanding her business and Britta has come at the perfect time to help her. I could sense the excitement Britta had when she knew she would be running the shop as Elin focus is on teaching classes about floral techniques, designs and other related topics that include the beauty of flowers. There is just one problem with this great plan and his name is Frank Jaffe. I didn’t like his rudeness and superior attitude at all. He has this big plan that include buying Elin’s shop and developing it into something profitable. Many shop owners are not in favor of being bought out and Frank seems to have made some enemies in the town.
I wonder who Britta finds dead in the shop the day after Frank tries to convince everyone to let him buy them out? My question is why and how did he get into the shop? I enjoyed the investigation and the determination Britta had to help solve the murder. The author does a great job of letting readers get to know the characters with wonderful dialogue and fascinating facts about them. It is a race to the finish as Britta starts to get too close to the true killer. Can she clear her and her aunts name before someone else gets hurt? I have become a huge fan of the author and can’t wait for the next book in the series. At the end of the book the author has included floral tips as well as some delicious recipes to cook up.
I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.
Kate Dyer-Seeley’s Natural Thorn Killer introduces the reader to Britta Johnston who has left her cheating husband back in Minnesota and returned home to Portland to join her aunt Elin, and help with Elin’s flower shop, Blooma. She’s settling in nicely, getting ready for the grand opening of Elin’s expansion into the cottage next door, when she stumbles upon the dead (and murdered!!!) body of real estate developer Frank Jaffe. Lots of suspects in the trendy Riverplace Village, but Ms. Dyer-Seeley kept this reader guessing whodunit until the end! Well done, and I really enjoyed this first book in the Rose City Mystery series!
I am a fan already! This mystery pulled me in immediately and didn’t let go of me until the end. One of my most favourite series are Kate Dyer-Seeley’s Pacific Northwest Mysteries and I felt just right at home with the setting being again in Oregon a state which I have yet to visit.
After she finds out that her husband is cheating on her, Britta leaves him and goes back home to Portland to live and work with her aunt Elin in her flower shop. Flower shop themes are not new to the cozy mystery genre but here’s a new spin with the addition of a wearable flower design studio situated a little cottage behind the shop that also offers classes.
The morning after the community shop owners meeting with Frank a real estate developer who wants to buy all the shops and build a new development on the popular Willamette riverside he is found dead in Elin’s design studio….stabbed with her shears.
The local police force is made up of 2 friendly officers, Tomo a young officer with Japanese background whose parents own a restaurant close by and Pete, more experienced and new to the area, develops an interest in Britta.
A very interesting murder investigation, some wonderfully drawn characters, a tight community of shop owners and some promising relationships are ingredients to this well paced mystery.
A new favourite mystery series for me!
I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Kensington and the author provided me with an advance copy.
Natural Thorn Killer by Kate Dyer-Seeley was an excellent begining to this new cozy series.
I admired Britta when she moved back to Portland. She’s so much stronger than she thinks she is and her character is evolving in this first book. I can relate to some of her feelings as she makes the decision to move home to “find herself”. Ms. Dyer-Seeley’s descriptive writing of Portland and the flower arrangements made me feel like I was there in the shop and cottage. The story line flowed, the pacing of the plot was quick and the twists kept me guessing until the reveal. I also enjoyed the subtle possibility of a romance for both Britta and her aunt Elin. The secondary characters were also well drawn and I am looking forward to getting to know them better in future books. I want to walk through the shops and be friends with all of them.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own. I would like to sincerely thank Kensington for allowing me to read this ARC.