Rating: 
Summary: Warm cozy
Review: One year ago in River City, Missouri, Bretta Solomon's spouse, a police office, suffered a massive heart attack and died. Bretta turned to the florist business as a means of escaping the all-encompassing grief that still surrounds her. Bretta and most of the townsfolk are shocked when someone murders local Amish farmer Isaac Miller, who was a prime supplier of flowers to the florist. The police think Isaac's brother Evan killed his sibling to gain control of a new breed of chrysanthemum that has off the scale major revenue potential and that the farmer was cultivating. Desperate and grieving, Evan asks Bretta to help him. She begins to make inquires only to learn that the roots of this murder run deep. ROOTS OF MURDER is an interesting cozy that brings modern day Amish life to the forefront. The story line is crisp, as Janis Harrison lays out her who-done-it in a fine fashion that will thrill sub-genre fans. Bretta is a fascinating protagonist who is a such a complex mass of emotions that readers will feel an immediate bond with her. The audience will want Ms. Harrison to foster more novels like ROOTS OF MURDER starring a very admirable heroine. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: I loved the main character and enjoyed the mystery.
Review: Harrison has written a mystery full of believable characters and events which kept me reading until I finished the book in one day. Her description of "Missouri rural life" is right on, I could see each farm as Bretta Solomon drove up to it, be it clean as the Amish or with retired machinery covered with weeds. The plot is developed and played out magnificently with excellent detail. I truly enjoyed the authors use of typical rural Missouri language "peppered" throughout the novel to make it more believable. Definitely a must read. I look forward to future readings from this author!!!
Rating:
Summary: Believable characters and events make for great reading
Review: Harrison has written a mystery full of believable characters and events which kept me reading until I finished the book in one day. Her description of "Missouri rural life" is right on, I could see each farm as Bretta Solomon drove up to it, be it clean as the Amish or with retired machinery covered with weeds. The plot is developed and played out magnificently with excellent detail. I truly enjoyed the authors use of typical rural Missouri language "peppered" throughout the novel to make it more believable. Definitely a must read. I look forward to future readings from this author!!!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down...
Review: I bought this book on the basis of recommendations at this site as well as from DorothyL mystery list. I did not go wrong following the opinions of those readers.I found the writing to flow so smoothly that it was impossible to put down until I finished. A great read for a winter day. The characters and setting were quite realistic. Bretta is the kind of person I would like to know. The mystery was complex and clever. The only quibble I have is that for a "Gardening Mystery", there was not much depth in that area. Perhaps the series title "Florist Mystery" would not draw as many readers. I hope the characters I came to like so much will be around in a series of many more. I recommend this book without reservation to anyone loving a good mystery of the cozy variety.
Rating:
Summary: If you like mysteries and gardening, you'll love this book!
Review: I found "Roots of Murder" to be a very enjoyable read, with lots of interesting characters from formerly over-weight florists to Amish farmers. The story keeps moving along, with no long dry spells like some mysteries. This book reminded me of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series.I am looking forward to Bretta's next adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Weak prose, flat characters, comic failure
Review: I selected this book based on the customer reviews. You folks sure let me down this time! Roots of Murder is so bad that I declined to share it with my circle of mystery-reading friends. The prose is flat and simplistic, written at about a 6th grade level. The characters are undeveloped stereotypes, with the possible exception of the protaganist, and she is a pitiful excuse for a detective. I expected to learn something about gardening, flowers, or the Amish, but there's no attempt to educate the reader. The worst thing is that there are some plot elements with the potential for hilarity -- like when the heroine is cold-cocked by a dangling corpse or when she tries to drive with a python slithering around her leg -- but it falls flat. Don't waste your time on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Weak prose, flat characters, comic failure
Review: I selected this book based on the customer reviews. You folks sure let me down this time! Roots of Murder is so bad that I declined to share it with my circle of mystery-reading friends. The prose is flat and simplistic, written at about a 6th grade level. The characters are undeveloped stereotypes, with the possible exception of the protaganist, and she is a pitiful excuse for a detective. I expected to learn something about gardening, flowers, or the Amish, but there's no attempt to educate the reader. The worst thing is that there are some plot elements with the potential for hilarity -- like when the heroine is cold-cocked by a dangling corpse or when she tries to drive with a python slithering around her leg -- but it falls flat. Don't waste your time on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Nevermind the Bad Critiques
Review: Nevermind the bad critiques, folks. Janis Harrison's first Bretta Solomon mystery is a delight, even if you don't like gardening! I, personally, never understood how anyone could enjoy getting one's hands utterly filthy. But JH makes it sound like fun.
An Amish man, Isaac Miller is found murdered in his fields of beautiful flowers, these flowers which Miller sold to local florists, including Bretta Solomon. When Isaac's brother Evan asks Bretta to investigate, find out why Isaac was murdered, Bretta is just a bit reluctant at first, but then dives into the investigation, taking you along for the ride.
Having read "Lilies That Fester" first, I'm not exactly reading these in order, but I'm so excited about JH writing more; something in her books, her style of writing maybe, or maybe something in Bretta herself that makes me feel comfortable, like I've known her for a long time. Snuggle up with "Roots of Murder", a cozy in which you are sure to delight!
Rating:
Summary: If you like mysteries and gardening, you'll love this book!
Review: Once you start reading, you can not stop. The pace of the story line keeps you reading to find out what happens next. Bretta is a very believable, inquisitive, and impetuous lady. She has the ability to draw out the best or the worst in most of the people she encounters. There are moments of high tension and moments of tenderness, splashed with unexpected humor. At some times while reading this book, you will experience a whole range of emotions, including fear. A great summer read!!!!
Rating:
Summary: You can't put it down!!!!!
Review: Once you start reading, you can not stop. The pace of the story line keeps you reading to find out what happens next. Bretta is a very believable, inquisitive, and impetuous lady. She has the ability to draw out the best or the worst in most of the people she encounters. There are moments of high tension and moments of tenderness, splashed with unexpected humor. At some times while reading this book, you will experience a whole range of emotions, including fear. A great summer read!!!!
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