Loved the dandelion twist! ( )

This one, I think, was her best yet in this series. A timely story, with good, strong suspects and no real clear (at least not to me) idea of the murderer. Really excellent. ( )

Kate Collins takes a hike and Mrs Hyde ghostwrote this book for her. It's simply maddening how erratic can the author be. I should be used to this on and off form. There are more stupid books but they don't insult one's intelligence as a book that is half serious half joking, but committedly stupid. It seems that the very author herself can't keep hold of her characters. I mean that she can't write them the same way. In this book, they are doppelgangers, not originals.

I hope her next book is better. There was one single good thing about Night of the Living Dandelion, that was the identity of the murderer. I really wanted to love this book. I did derive pleasure from reading it thoroughly. I said to myself, this is the reason why I read. It's just like the Enid Blyton books I have read in my childhood. It's all about getting comfortable and cozy and be able to escape. I thought, I'm no longer reading the Dickens book that's driving me mad, I'm not reading Les Miserables, I'm not steeling myself for reading the contemporary and untried 700 page novel that's perched on my kindle. I now need to man up and read the said books, eroding them away from my e-reader word by word. Who needs friends when you've got books? Right? Right. ( )

With fiancée Marco Salvare recalled to active duty and due to leave any day, Abby Knight is determined to spend as much time as possible with him and won't let a minor thing like a sprained ankle get in her way. Marco wants to make sure things are taken care of while he's gone so he hires good friend Vlad Serban as bartender. There is one slight problem - Vlad looks like a vampire and many people think he is indeed one. When a local woman is found murdered and drained of blood many people, including the police, think Vlad is the culprit. It is up to Abby and Marco to clear Vlad's name - but will they be able to do it before Marco has to leave?

"Night of the Living Dandelion" is the delightfully funny eleventh book in Kate Collins' Flower Shop cozy mystery series. Collins tackles the vampire craze with tongue firmly in cheek with a touch of a lesson about letting people be who they are and not who you want them to be. The humor can be a bit over-the-top at times, but you can't help laugh at what is going on - especially with Abby's cousin Jillian. Collins has a lot of fun with the vampire thing and Vlad's character including the plants he orders. the murder itself is gruesome to think about but Collins never goes into great detail about the death. The mystery is well plotted with plenty of suspects, although I did figure out early on who the killer was. I did wish a few times that Abby would ask more questions or that Marco would stop withholding information from Abby - it got a bit ridiculous at times (did the reason Vlad wanted the dandelions really have to be a secret?).

Outside of the mystery, some of the things I like best about this series are the characters and the setting. I love Abby's coworkers at her flower shop - Lottie and Grace who care deeply for Abby and are always ready to help her (and Grace always has just the right quote for the occasion.) Abby's family may be eccentric but are also loving and add much humor to the book - especially Abby's mother's latest art project. It was nice to see Marco develop a better relationship with his brother Rafe in the book. Finally, I love the description of the various flower arrangements Abby makes - how I wish the book came with illustrations!

"Night of the Living Dandelion" is a very funny cozy mystery. ( )

Fun, fun, fun and funny!!! And yeah for Abby and Marco!!! ( )