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Friday 20 May 2011

THE AURORA TEAGARDEN MYSTERIES #8: Poppy Done to Death by Charlaine Harris

A mystery series from the No. 1 bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.
Lawrenceton, Georgia, was once a small town; now many people see it only as a growing suburb of Atlanta - but it's still a small town at heart, where people wander in and out of each other's homes, and everybody knows everybody's business. Librarian Aurora Teagarden - Roe to her friends - grew up there, and she should know. She's always been interested in the darker side of human nature, ever since her True Crime book club led to a real murder...
This omnibus edition contains the last four novels: Dead Over Heals (book 5); A Fool and his Honey (book 6); Last Scene Alive (book 7 ); Poppy Done to Death (book 8).

**This review will contain spoilers***

This is the last book in this omnibus, which also means it's the last book in the series. :(

Roe and her stepsisters-in-law were supposed to meet at an Uppity Women meeting because one of them--Poppy--was going to be inducted, but she never showed up. And since Roe can't seem to stay away from trouble, as soon as they get to Poppy's house and Poppy doesn't answer the door, the tiny librarian goes inside the house and finds her dead.

The family is devastated, and try to deal with the loss, but the mystery of Poppy's death makes it hard. Poppy Queensland and her husband, John David, didn't exactly have a conventional marriage. They both strayed, and as Roe finds herself falling deeper into the investigation, she begins to find a lot of distasteful details about Poppy's infidelities, as well as hidden secrets...

There are too many things for Roe to deal with in this book, and the 'situations' don't stop coming. Especially when her teenage half-brother pops in unannounced to stay with her. It's no wonder she feels exhausted all the time... or is there another reason for that? ;)

With Thanksgiving around the corner, and meeting her beau's mother, things never slow down. Her relationship with Robin seems to go through a few ups-and-downs too.

Poppy Done To Death is a wonderful end to this fantastic series. It features a murder-mystery with a lot of twists and turns, plenty of hidden secrets, personal agendas, as well as a larger-than-usual array of potential killers. I also enjoyed the personal growth and changes Roe is forced to adapt to. Not to mention the wonderful--and unexpected--surprise at the end of the book. I loved that her happily ever after ends with the writer, Robin Crusoe. I liked him--and thought he was perfect for her--from the very beginning.

This series has a lot of happy times, unexpected events, intriguing mysteries, memorable characters, sad times, and an unforgettable heroine. I'm going to miss you, Aurora.

The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Omnibus 2, April 2011, ISBN 9780575096509, Gollancz Paperback
M&SRC books read: 14/12

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