Flower House Mystery

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. Indeed, 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.

Petals and Poison is the second in a colorful cozy mystery series, from Jess Dylan, set in a flower shop with a knack for attracting trouble as well as customers. Sierra Ravenswood has embraced her role as owner of Flower House floral shop and companion to her former boss's pet, Gus the Corgi. Sierra's team are enjoying their new jobs too. At least, until everyone realizes their lack of experience might be contributing to their lack of customers... Sierra decides they need a change in luck, so she creates a special window display featuring lucky bamboo and auspicious flowers. It seems the new arrangement has worked, when the shop is flooded with customers the next day, including a van full of college students on a horticulture club field trip. Unfortunately, Sierra doesn't notice that the students' distracted professor has gone missing until Gus's urgent barking leads her to the storeroom, and the body of the unfortunate professor. With folks now referring to Flower House as “Poison House” and suspects galore, Sierra fears her new business is doomed, before it has a chance to get off the ground. Determined to reverse course and see justice served, she sets out to solve the crime and change her luck once more. The Flower House is no place for shrinking violets.

At the Flower House, you're as likely to find a killer as a chrysanthemum. As Aerieville, Tennessee's Flower House finally gains in popularity, Sierra Ravenswood finds herself feeling ready for new challenges. Luckily, the shop has grabbed the attention of the mayor's daughter, and bride-to-be, Marissa Lakely. Sierra is thrilled, and nervous, to land her most important job yet: providing flowers for the biggest wedding Aerieville has ever seen. Fortunately, Marissa bucks all stereotypes and is far from a bridezilla, but her wedding planner, Taz Banyan, has apparently taken on the role for himself. But Taz aside, everything seems to be under control... until Sierra makes a startling discovery in the great room: the wedding planner, lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. He survives only long enough to mutter: "It was the snake." As Granny Mae would say, seeing a snake is rarely a good sign, and this was clearly no exception. With the town on edge and the wedding up in the air, Sierra refuses to stop asking questions in her determination to put an end to this latest danger, so both Aerieville and the Flower House can flourish once more.