Kate Collins Shoots to Kill

Shoots to Kill

Kate Collins

Obsidian, Aug 2008, $6.99

ISBN: 9780451224743

Very few people are as happy as Abby Knight is. She gets on great with her family; her developing relationship with private investigator Marco Salvatore is strong and intense; and she loves working in her florist shop Bloomers.

Elizabeth ' Libby ' Blume returns to town to Abby ' s horror as she knows how treacherous the woman is since she babysat her as a child and tried to steal her identity. Libby asks for a job at Abby ' s store, but Abby says no. Instead Libby opens up an art store up the block from Bloomers that is almost identical in looks; she also manages to make herself look like Abby ' s twin. She interferes with Abby ' s relationship with Marco; causing a breakup. When Libby ' s mom turns up dead, everyone assumes the daughter killed her mostly due to Abby ' s behavior towards Libby, but evidence is lacking. Abby investigates seeking the proof although two other suspects with strong motives surface including the victim ' s mentally disturbed son meds he does not always take..

Kate Collins keeps getting better with each new book she writes, which is saying a lot as her backlist is top rate (see A ROSE FROM THE DEAD). The amateur sleuth investigation is fun to follow as the key characters are fully developed especially the ' twins ' and Marco; yet there is plenty of action filled with plausible twists. Often amusing, the fun in the tale is Abby ' s deep desire to prove Libby committed the homicide, but every clue leads away from the manipulative minx to other people. The Abby-Marco romantic subplot with its Libby-induced troubles adds to the heroine ' s need to find the proof as SHOOTS TO KILL is an entreating whodunit.

Harriet Klausner