The Final Arrangement by Annie AdamsI'd never read anything by Annie Adams before, so I did what I usually do with a new author -- hit the internet to see if there was a website. There was, so I spent a few minutes reading her blogs, and visiting each of the sites. What I found out is, that at least under this name (she could have a pen name I don't know about), she seems to have authored only this book, with the second in what will be The Flower Shop Mystery Series soon forthcoming. She works in real life in a floral shop, drives a delivery van, and lives in Utah. So, obviously she has the first rule of good writing down: write what you know. She also had a page for her pets and her readers' pets. Anyone who likes animals is okay in my book. So, I like mysteries, I like quirky characters, I like well executed plots and, most of all, I love a book that is well proof-read and edited. This book filled all of those "likes." So, why did I give it only a 3 star rating? Okay, let's move on and I'll tell you.First, let's address the plot and storyline. I liked these. The heroine, Quincey McKay, has taken over her Aunt Rosie's flower shop, Rosie's Posies. The flower shop is having some financial difficulties, and a main reason seems to be that the local funeral parlor has stopped giving recommendations to Rosie's Posies -- or any flower shop other than the one run by Derrick Gibbons, a very nefarious character who, despite being dead at the start of the book, figures greatly in the ensuing story line. Who killed Derrick? Why does Detective Arroyo suspect Quincy? Why was Derrick killed? What shady dealing form the base of the reasons Derrick met his untimely death? Is Officer Alex Cooper the walking dream he appears to be, or just your garden variety nightmare? Add in some former relationship drama, some family drama, some wonderfully colorful characters (Danny Barnes and K.C. Clackerton for sure), and you have the makings of what was a fun read. While it was fun, I didn't feel that enough information was provided along the way for me to start forming theories about what was happening or why it was happening. Instead, it felt like there were large sections of information provided here and there, randomly. Not really anything wrong with that style of release of information, just not my favorite style. I also felt that the further one got into the mystery, the more complex it got, which, for me anyway, didn't give enough time to fully flesh out the reasons for the original murder or the connections to the underlying shady dealings prior to the final climactic scenes. To be truthful, the family drama at the after-the-climax of the mystery scene, was more of a climax to the story than was the mystery climax. It made me wonder which of the storylines I should have been following more closely. On the other hand, her characterizations were relatively well fleshed out, at least for the main players in the story. Other characters I wasn't sure about. Were they what/who they seemed? Could they be trusted? Why the heck were they even in the story? So, while I liked the characters, I was often confused (even after finishing the book) as to what role they actually played in the novel. The editing and proof-reading are stellar. I think I saw maybe one or two errors, but like Frank's regrets, too few to mention! I struggled with giving the book an extra star just on that alone! Kudos to you Ms. Adams. I really do appreciate that attention to detail.I liked Quincy McKay. Wanted to like her more. As seems to be the fashion these days, she was a bit of a ditz, jumping to conclusions, being uber-defensive, allowing herself to alternately be taken in by someone then second guessing that person's motivations, going off half-cocked, ignoring good advice, putting herself and others in unnecessary danger, and seemingly having little control over her hormones. Likeable? Yes. Did I want to be her friend. No. Who needs all that baggage? I'm a big Stephanie Plum fan, so ditzy females are okay with me. But like fashion, knock-offs don't always deliver the punch of the original. So many of the novels I've read over the past couple of years feature the ditzy, daring darling who gets herself into foreseeable and preventable trouble and then needs to look to some guy to get her out. I'm feeling a bit 'been there, read that' about this scenario. In the end, I just didn't love the novel. I did enjoy it. It was a quick, fun summer read, but it didn't leave me excited to read the next in the series. The Final Arrangement is an entertaining member of the everyday-woman-turned-sleuth mystery genre. Quincy, the main character, is a florist and a Mormon, each of which figure prominently into the story line. If you're not at all familiar with the Mormon church, there are references which might be confusing, but not so much so as to ruin the story. I endeavor to not be predjudiced agains self-published books, there are many good ones out there, and this one was one of the better. It did suffer, however, from a few editing and e-book formatting issues that I found distracting. I got this book free, I think, and given that, I'm happy to have read it. I'm not sure I'll pick up the sequel, however.
What do You think about The Final Arrangement (2013)?
Really a 2.5 or 2.75. My mom owned a flower shop and I know she'll love this one.
—kimihaug
Excellently written! Can't wait for the next one!
—devil
