Accidental Florist (Jane Jeffry Series #16)

Another Flop!

This book was not quite as bad as Bell, Book, and Scandal; but it came close. Jill Churchill -- what is going on? This is your second lousy book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Where's the mystery?

I have always enjoyed the Jaen Jeffry series, but this one was a sad disappointment. The blurb for the book indicates that Jane has an active part in the investigation, but that was far from the case. The murder was completely incidental to the plot. I don't think this book even qualifies as a mystery.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not a mystery at all.

Despite what the cover states, this isn't a mystery, it's a daily diary of a suburban mom. Midway through the book, someone gets killed. Periodically, she asks her boyfriend, the policeman, how the case is going. And that's the extent of hef involvement. Basically, someone gets killed. A police officer suspects XYZ. The police track down XYZ. The police arrest XYZ. About 50 sentences are deovted to 'mystery,' (without any involvement by the supposed heroine,) spread sparsely throughout the book. The bulk of the story is devoted to descriptions of lunches, shopping for clothes, taking her son to fast food restaurants, and her upcoming wedding. Even when you think a turn of events will lead to something -- a pet dying, a former mother-in-law making threats, buidling an addition on a house, nothing comes of it. It's one long Christmas letter -- and a boring one at that. If you call a book a mystery, you ought to provide one.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

This title makes absolutely no sense. What did the florist in this book have to do with the murder. All the florist did was arrange flowers for Jane's wedding. There was absolutely no information about the victim, her background, why she was teaching the classes and living in Chicago. There were so many unresolved issues. Why did her children want to kill her? What was their motive? The characters in the book did not listen to each other. Jane mentioned that she did not want gifts at the wedding and Mel agreed. When she mentioned it later, he acted like he never heard it before. The oldest son wanted to be a doctor in previous books and now he is studying law in this book. Also when Jane told him about the wedding and pushing up the date, first Mike mentioned his job and asking his boss about getting time off and then in the later chaper mentioned talking to his professor about taking time off. Why did she have to push up her wedding because her parents were coming to Chicago sooner than expected without even consulting them to see if they could stay in Chicago for the additional three weeks. When she picked them up they told her they were moving to Chicago permanently. But didn't her father have vacation time. She pushed her wedding date up without considering her children's schedules. She could have kept the original date and it would have been more convenient. Her mother-in-law was terrible, but she was good to all of Jane's kids. The kids acted as if they lost a pet frog they weren't that crazy about. Mel's mother may have also been terrible, but they acted like her wanting to give them a wedding was the most terrible thing anyone could do to them. Mel said he didn't think he would ever see his mother again after the wedding and acted as if he didn't care. I can't believe that everyone can reject their mothers without any regret or sad feelings as Jill Churchill depicted in this book. Jane was also so rude. She didn't try to communicate with Mel's mother. A real wedding with only her family and a fake wedding as she called it for his family and friends?????? I was so disappointed with this book. Other people state in their reviews that they hope it is the last book and perhaps Churchill wanted to end the series, but I wish she could have ended Jane on a high note. One small point Jane's kitchen was always in the rear and in this book it is in the front??????? The editor should have told Jill Churchill to start over again.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An Utter Embarrassment

It is hard to fathom how this book was ever allowed to be published. Surely there are standards that must be met. An aspiring author who submitted this manuscript would be red-lined into oblivion. How a seasoned and award-winning author could write this drivel and have it published is the real mystery here. The dialog in Churchill's earliest Jane Jeffrey books rang true, the characters were believable and likeable. There was a plot. None of this is found in her newest book. In addition to the poor writing, Churchill puts in a shameless plug to her other series smack in the middle of this book. All in all, this was not the breezy summer read I have come to expect from this series. I can only hope that the author is finished with the Jane Jeffrey books.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Who wrote this?

This book just didn't seem like it was from the same series as the rest of the Jane Jeffry books. The words and phrasing were odd: 'chow down', 'sweating like pigs', 'Swell!'. The attention to detail wasn't there either, almost like there were too many themes for any of them to be more than surface. The wedding happened the self-defense class happened the murder happened the kids showed up but didn't act like themselves. Maybe this was the last in the series and it was just meant to tie up loose ends. Whatever, it was disppointing.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

very disappointed

This is the biggest book disappointment I've had in a long time - I eagerly await each Jane Jeffry mystery by Jill Churchill, but this book was terrible! There were several storylines going on, but all of them had inconsistencies, the murder was not the main part of the book - just an afterthought, it seemed. Also, it seemed as if it were written for an audience with about a 3rd grade reading level. This was definitely not up to par and I won't bother to see what Jane is up to in the next installment, if there is one.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Extremely disappointing!

I, too, was EXTREMELY disappointed with this latest addition to the Jane Jeffry series. It's hard to believe that this book was authored by the same person who wrote the previous books. This book appears to be written by a depressed and unfocused author. The book certainly had no true rhythm or flow to it and the writing was flat and stiff and bland. The murder was almost a 'sideline'.........almost an afterthought. The books in this series are usually about Jane's and Shelley's rollicking adventures as they attempt to solve a murder and this time they were not involved in the murder investigation at all. The focus was entirely on Jane's upcoming wedding and it was written in a most boring manner! There was none of the usual hilarity that often occurs in the Jeffry household. The subplots involving the two 'wicked mothers-in-law' were redundant, continuity was often lacking or in error, and Jane herself just did not act like the Jane we're used to. And what was with the constant mentioning of the rolls of quarters? Jane told her parking ticket story to EVERYONE she encountered..........I kept waiting to see if some big story was going to develop concerning it.......but nothing untoward happened. The kids weren't much involved in this book.........the dog died.......the cats are old.........it indeed seems like Churchill was perhaps trying to 'wind up' the Jane Jeffry series. If so, it was done in a most distressing and pitiful manner. YES..........whoever edited this book was sleeping while reading it. I cannot believe that a professional would let a book like this actually get to the publisher without extensive revisions. This book may not have been quite as bad as the most recent 'Cat Who........' book (60 Whiskers), but I'm sad to say it's a close second! I'm on a limited budget and feel badly that I wasted my 'book allowance' on this insipid, lifeless piece of writing. I am sooooooooo disappointed and if there IS another Jane Jeffry book, I'll have to think twice about purchasing it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

I am generally a big fan of Jill Churchill's Jane Jeffrey mysteries. But this one doesn't even really classify as a mystery it is almost entirely about the planning of her 2nd wedding [BORING]. The murder was obviously just tacked on to be able to say it is a mystery & to sell to Ms. Churchill's fans. There is very little info about the murder or suspects. In fact, no motive is ever given & there are so many inconsistencies & major contradictions that listing them all would take up too much space. One glaring error is that the murder takes place in the unnamed Chicago suburb where Jane lives. But, when the victim's children who reputedly committed the murder, are found living near by in a rented house, they are returned to Australia to be charged with murder! Huh?!?!?! Since when is one charged in the country where they are citizens rather in the venue where the crime occurred? This is just one glaring inconsistency. There is not even the slightest hint as to WHY the children would want to kill their mother, or why they would contact a reporter when their passport photos are published in the NY Times. I feel very ripped off for having purchased this book & will not likely be buying any Jill Churchill books in the future. It is so obvious that this book was just thrown together slap dash with no care for quality. IF Ms. Churchill has an editor, s/he was asleep at the wheel this time [if s/he even glanced at this book which seems questionable]. Shame on you, Jill Churchill, for exploiting your fans like this! This is not just a case of someone not quite executing their idea well - it is crystal clear that no effort was expended in the creation of this book, the author is relying on fans of her previous books to buy this without waiting for reviews. Why would an author exploit her most loyal fans like that?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don't bother!

I was sorely disappointed in this book. It felt like Ms. Churchill dashed it off the week before it was due at the publisher. There's no plot, there's no mystery, there's no charm. The earlier books were terrific, but this series has been going downhill with the last few books, and this book is rock-bottom. Ms. Churchill is clearly bored with the series, and she's boring her readers as well.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jane Jeffrey, wise widow who uses common sense and a bit of ingenuity to solve neighborhood mysteries

This book would be interesting to women who have children or who have dealt with children and have curiosity about what goes on around them. The language is basically clean and the situations believable. The violence is relatively minimal, but of course there is some, or else it would not be a murder mystery. It also has some love interest, which helps hold your interest.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jill Churchhill's The Accidental Florist

I've been a big fan of all of Jill Churchhill's books. Since reading "Grime and Punishment", I have followed the adventures of Jane Jeffry and her best friend, Shelley. And I haven't missed one yet. This is a great book for summer reading.But it does help if you have read some of the other Jane Jeffry stories, it helps with understanding the relationships of the characters involved. If you have, you will love it.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

When I first read Ms. Churchills 1st book I fell in love with the characters and their story line. I immediately purchased all the ones she had written and enjoyed them all. So when her latest book came out I ordered it immediately. I found the book was mainly about the impending wedding of Jane & Mel. I hope her next book will bring back the sleuthing of Jane & Shelley which makes these books really work.

Waiting for Disappointment

I was very disappointed with this installment from Jill Churchill. Definitely not up to snuff. I had been waiting for the next Jane and Shelley story and if this is how she's going to write them now, I won't bother with anymore. Try the earlier ones if you'd like a good, fun mystery.

A reviewer

I enjoyed it alot and I highly recommend it.

The Accidental Novel

Is this the end of the series? The murder victim, for once not discovered by Jane, is incidental to the story. Jane's dealings with her odious former mother-in-law and mother-in-law to be are repetitive. Nice to see Jane and Mel tie the knot, but with Mike in law school, Katie at culinary school, the youngest looking into colleges with strong math programs, and Thelma dead, it looks like Churchill is tying up the loose ends and concluding the series rather than writing a new addition to the the series.

Very Disappointed

I've read all of Jill Churchill's books and this is by far the worst. It is not a mystery at all, but a story about planning a wedding. I don't think anyone bothered to re-read this book before publication. There are some glaring mistakes. On one page, Jane mentions that she is glad she changed the cat litter before bringing the architect to the basement. A few pages later, she goes on and on about having to go to the pet store to buy a box and cat litter. She says her cats have been outdoor cats for years and she is afraid they won't even remember how to use a box. She mentions how nice her new room looks now that the windows (except for one that had been arrived damaged) have been installed. Chapters later, she is proud to announce that all the windows are finally being installed in the new room. Early on, a character named Sara is killed by her boyfriend. Shortly after, they are talking about the man who killed his wife, Sara. The mistakes go on and on. The phrase 'cost the earth' is used three times in the first 47 pages. One one page, she mentions three times that someone gave her their business card! Some things are explained repeatedly for no apparent reason. This seemed like a first attempt at a novel, not the novel of a seasoned writer. Oh, and by the way, the florist has nothing to do with the story.

Disappointed fan

Have enjoyed Churchhill's books in the past but this one was a terrible disappointment. The plot (if you can say there was one) seemed quite disjointed and had lots of poor wording. Too much unecessary repeating of words. Thank goodness this wasn't the first book of hers I've read or I'd read no more.

Borrring laundry list of a book

Truly one of the most unimpressive tales ever told. Zero character or plot development- the murder is definitely a sideline and an afterthought as who done it and why doesn't even merit a thought. This book should have been titled 'The Longest Day' or something along those lines. Chronicling the everyday list of things that need to be done before getting married, one wonders if this was meant as a ' how to' book. I've read and enjoyed this author before but this was so appallingly bad, I've decided life's too short. There have to be books more deserving of my time.

A fun mystery

In Chicago, police officer Mel VanDyne persuades his girlfriend Jane Jeffry and her pal Shelley Nowack to attend a self-defense seminar after the pair¿s latest harrowing escapade (see A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SCREAM). However, before they complete the class, someone kills instructor Miss Welbourne with a lethal blow to her head.-------------------- Meanwhile Jane and Mel agree to marry. Though they prefer a quiet dignified ceremony, his mom plans the social event of the season while her mom plans a different social event of the season. Knowing that she holds the cards (just not the invitations), Jane fosters the war of the moms so she and Mel can somewhat get the ceremony they want though that begins to prove a dangerous strategy as strange bedfellows begin to emerge. Jane and Shelley, unable to heed Mel¿s advice to stay out of the homicide investigation, make tentative inquiries into who killed the women¿s safety expert while the culprit observes their every move just in case a groom needs to be widowed before he says I do.----------------- The in-law war is amusing and fun to follow especially when someone else is caught in the middle as Jane¿s strategy seems so effective initially until the battling mommas begin to realize they are being played watch out what happens to Jane once they know. The amateur sleuth investigation is never fully developed as it takes a back seat to the nuptials even as the bride and groom start their honeymoon on the case. Fans of the series will enjoy the sixteenth tale more for the wedding march than for the whodunit.---------------- Harriet Klausner