Abby Knight Salvare and her husband Marco Salvare have finally moved into their dream home. There are a few problems, however, including the fact that they need new furniture and Abby's cousin Jillian is more than happy to help them find it and decorate their house. Then there is the dead body found in a pond near their house and the fact that the police think their next-door neighbor is the killer. Abby and Marco aren’t sure the police have the right person and as private detectives they start investigating the case. They need to be careful though as the killer may be desperate enough to kill again.

“Moss Hysteria” is the nicely done eighteenth book in Kate Collins’ Flower Shop cozy mystery series. I like Abby as a heroine – she has grown as a character throughout the series yet she still has a fiery temper and can be a bit impetuous at times. Her relationship with Rosa, a new worker Bloomers, Abby's flower shop, is easily one of the more interesting parts of this book and helps keep the series fresh (even if I did want to shake Abby a few times as she was dealing with Rosa!). Abby and Marco's moving to a new neighborhood is a good plot device - not only does it offer plenty of suspects in this book but no doubt for murders in future books. The murder mystery is indeed well plotted not only with the number of suspects but some red herrings, twists, and turns. There is a real sense of danger towards the end of this book that makes it a real page turner. Oh, and I just love Kitty!

“Moss Hysteria” is another nice cozy mystery by Kate Collins. ( )

Moss Hysteria is the eighteenth book in the A Flower Shop Mystery series.

I love this series, it's still as fun and as enjoyable as in book 1.

Finally, Abby and Marco's dream house is complete and they are busy unpacking when their neighbor Theda asks if they want to walk around the neighborhood. As they are approaching the pond behind their houses, Theda is telling Abby of the problem with moss and how the developer doesn't seem to do anything about it. As she kicks at some of the moss she sees a body floating close by. The body is identified as Dirk Singletary, and it is soon learned that Theda might have been the last one to have seen him alive. Abby and Marco can't help but to investigate what happened, literally in their backyard.

They soon find that Dirk and his foreman, Rye Bishop, have their disagreements in the past. Dirk has also been accused of stealing valuables from the homeowner while he was in their homes doing warranty work. Plus it is rumored that he has been romantically involved with more than one of the women in the development. Also, Theda had been a suspect in the death of her husband years before.

For Abby at Bloomers, she is still a little unsure if the hiring of Rosa was a good thing, or is it jealousy that she has fit in so well. Rosa and Lottie are working on a floral display to enter in the contest that Abby had won the previous year. But Grace is around with her quotes to keep everything running smoothly.

For things on the lighter side. Marco's mother seems to have a new boyfriend that Marco is happy about. He doesn't seem to want to provide much about his past and they think that she is dating a gigolo. And with everything that is going on, Abby doesn't have time to really furnish their home, so she asks her cousin, Jillian to select furniture and furnishings. Jillian is in her element and provided me with a lot chuckles.

Will be watching for the next book in the series. ( )