Poppy and the gang can’t be more surprised when her old acting rival, Serena Saunders shows up, asking her to investigate her fiancé, Ned before they tie the knot. However, an interesting twist occurs when Serena is caught holding a smoking gun over a dead body. Now it’s up to Poppy and the rest of the Desert Flowers team to find out if Serena is really a friend or foe.

As a Lee Hollis fan, I always look forward to the next book of the Desert Flowers series. Throughout POPPY HARMON AND THE SHOOTING STAR, I thought the interaction and history of Serena and Poppy were very unique and certainly brought a lot of intrigue to the novel. Having Serena in this book definitely shook things up and provided the perfect plot for this mystery.

Hollis’s writing is easy to follow, and the plot keeps you on your toes. Even when the killer is revealed, Poppy’s acting makes this different from some of the other books you’ll typically read. The acting theme really does make this entire series stand out.

POPPY HARMON AND THE SHOOTING STAR is an excellent book for readers who want to try the Cozy Mystery genre but don’t really know where to start. There are a lot of likeable characters in this series, so there’s a lot of fun to be had with the Desert Flowers team.