The Final Bloom (Welcome To Starlinghaven Series)

For Penny Coolidge, new supervisor of the Recreation and Tourism Department in Starlinghaven, a lot is riding on the Spring Blooms competition. As an event long beloved by the town, Penny wants everything to go smoothly and has introduced an exciting new prize. The murder of a cantankerous competitor was not on her radar. The police and public opinion are set squarely on a single suspect, but Penny has doubts. Recruiting two friends to her cause, she decides to dig deeper, adding amateur sleuth to her job description. Can she expose the truth before an innocent is charged? The Final Bloom is a solid start to a new cozy series by Dominique Daoust. I enjoyed getting to know Penny, Jason, Celeste, and Sophie as well as pets Bongo the dog and Gary the Cockatoo. Starlinghaven was nicely established with a small town feel and diverse characters. I especially loved the cat cafe as well as owners, Brian and Santiago. The mystery was well plotted and flowed nicely and the ladies came across as smart and competent as they pieced it together. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.