Of all of the Flower Shop Mystery books, this is my least favourite thus far (although I still enjoyed it).

Abby's roommate (and longtime friend), Nikki meets Jonas Treat at a speed dating event. Although Abby has a steady boyfriend, she tags along to keep Nikki company and server as an advisor. Although Abby is turned off by Jonas and tries to stear Nikki away from him, Nikki is immediately smitten. Despite the rules, Nikki exchanges contact information with Jonas, and they arrange a date soon after the speed dating event. Unfortunately, Jonas ends up dead the night of his date with Nikki. Nikki is, of course, the last person on record to see him alive.

The investigation soon focuses on Nikki, and Abby wants to swing into action. She is convinced that Nikki could never kill anyone, and she wants to help with the investigation. However, Nikki's attorney (who Abby interned for when she was in law school) is equally determined that Abby stay out of the investigation because she is biased. So Abby's boyfriend Marco is put in charge of the investigation. But, of course, Abby can't help but worm her way into the investigation through the back door.

What I found lacking in this plot was that it took so long to find an alternate suspect. It also took a very long time for Abby to start investigating (even unofficially). This is the eighth book in the series, so it was obvious that Abby WOULD get involved in the investigation one way or another. And whether Nikki committed the murder, it's rare that a murder mystery would have only one suspect, so there HAD to be at least one other suspect, if only the red herring! Once these two things got going, the pacing was great and the book was the page-turner that I've come to expect from Collins.

It's nice to see Abby and Marco trying to negotiate their relationship, and it's also nice to see a female character with her own business who has concerns about the balance between career and domesticity.

While I say that this book is my least favourite in the series, it's worth noting that I still liked the book, and am eager to read the next book in the series.