The cover of Jess Dylan’s first Flower House mystery, Death in Bloom, is almost as busy as the poor amateur sleuth. However, I like the cover art and Sierra Ravenswood.

Sierra’s back home in Aerieville, a small town in southeastern Tennessee. She’s been back for four months, working part-time at Flower House, the local florist’s, while the rest of her quirky family works at Dumbbells, a small health club owned by her parents. She’s enthusiastic about her job, and even invites a high school acquaintance to attend a flower arranging workshop her boss, Felix Maniford, is offering. But, that night, Sierra only sees Felix for a couple minutes before he rushes out, leaving the keys, the business, and the workshop in her hands.

Sierra doesn’t feel she’s worked there long enough to teach, but she’s muddling through with her small group. There’s an undercurrent of tension due to the presence of Abe Ranker, owner of the local garden center. There’s even more tension when Abe falls over dead. Sierra guesses he had a heart attack, but the police think otherwise. And, Sierra, along with all the businesspeople in the class are now suspects in a murder investigation.

With Felix gone and Abe dead, Sierra’s life is turned upside down. When Calvin Foxheart turns up, saying he’s the new tenant for Felix’s upstairs apartment, she’s uneasy, but he’s willing to help her with the plants and the shop. Then, she learns Felix doesn’t plan to return. He’s left her the shop, if she wants it. He also asked that Abe take care of his new corgi pup, Gus. With Abe dead, Sierra is more willing to take on Gus than the Flower House. But, for now, she has a new dog. She’s running a business. And, because someone tries to break into the Flower House, more than once, she finds herself asking questions about Abe and his murder.

Dylan introduces an interesting cast of characters with Sierra, Calvin, and Gus. Then, there’s Sierra’s wonderful Granny Mae, the local herbalist and wise woman, who tells Sierra to “Catch the killer.” If you read cozy mysteries for the characters, as I do, you might want to try Jess Dylan’s Death in Bloom.

Jess Dylan’s website is http://jessdylan.com/

Death in Bloom by Jess Dylan. St. Martin’s, 2021. ISBN 9781250769510 (paperback), 320p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I read a .PDF ARC.