Nightshade on Elm Street: A Flower Shop Mystery

Bride-to-be Abby Knight, a New Chapel, Ind., florist, has her hands full before a murder investigation is added to her calendar in Collins’s zippy 13th Flower Shop mystery (after 2011’s To Catch a Leaf). Abby is surprised when her first fiancé, wealthy Pryce Osborne II, asks her and her current beau, bar owner and PI Marco Salvare, to locate Pryce’s current fiancée, who’s gone missing. Despite her lingering hurt, Abby agrees to take the case. Abby juggles business at Bloomers Flower Shop and logistics for her bridal shower with trips to the Osbornes’ lakeside beach house and interviews with family and neighbors. Pryce becoming the prime suspect in a drowning murder raises the stakes. Meanwhile, pregnant cousin Jillian distracts Abby with ill-advised possible baby names. Abby’s warm and caring relationships, especially with Marco, will draw readers back as this cozy series continues to grow. Agent: Karen Solem, Spencerhill Associates. (Nov.)