Secrets,Snapdragons, & A Spirit by Tina D. C. Hayes

• Series: The Petal Pushers Mystery Series
• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Raven's Wing Books; 2 edition (November 15, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1618071157
• ISBN-13: 978-1618071156

This book is also available as an ebook.

Purchase a copy here.

(Petal Pushers Mystery Series, Book 2)
Some secrets were never meant to stay hidden, even one that spans four generations... 

Darci Shelton is compelled to help a woman reclaim her rightful name and possible inheritance, which means uncovering dark family secrets someone may have killed to keep hidden. 

She gets a letter addressed to Addie Brown, the ghost who haunts Petal Pushers flower shop. Turns out a deathbed confession prompted Ellen to write in hopes that somebody in the small Kentucky town might know what happened all those years ago, when her great-grandmother, Betsy, went on the run with newborn twins. What happened to Betsy's husband, and why did she hide behind an alias the rest of her life? 

When Darci starts asking questions, she snoops her way into legal trouble. She's already struggling to overcome financial problems in the shop, so that's the last thing she needs. Miss Addie is eager to help, especially since Betsy was her BFF, but a dead lady can only do so much. Darci must solve the mystery in time . . . without falling victim to the cover-up.

My take on Secrets, Snapdragons, & A Spirit:

In Secrets, Snapdragons, & A Spirit Tina D. C. Hayes takes readers back to the small town of Dixon, Kentucky, where Darci Shelton spends her days running Petal Pushers, always trying to find a way to increase her bottom line. The flower  shop is actually located in a house that is haunted by Addie Brown, the former owner, who died in the 1940's.  When a letter arrives addressed to the former owners family,from the descendants  of Betsy McGee who fled from the area in fear of her life after the birth of twin girls back in 1905. Turns out Addie was the midwife who delivered those twin girls and the family hopes that they can find out what happened to cause Betsy to run away all those years ago, and what happened to her husband. Of course Darci can't resist a mystery and soon learns that the clues leads her to a very influential family who really wants the past to stay buried. Can Darci figure out what happened all those years ago without becoming a victim herself?

Secrets, Snapdragons & A Spirit is a cozy mystery with a paranormal twist! Tina D.C. Hayes provides an interesting, not so easy to solve mystery where the ameuter sleuth gets a bit of help from her resident ghost in figuring out who-dun-it. The characters in this story really make this book shine, there is Darci, the main character,  who has a penchant for Krispy Kreme donuts, she is  trying to make her business a success, but also having financial worries. She also juggles being a wife and mother,but that doesn't stop her from trying to solve a crime. My favorite secondary characters are Bernice and Mabel, they are such spunky ladies.I always love whenever an animal is included in a story and with this one we get Daisy the shop parakeet! I found the recipes and plant profiles to be a wonderful added bonus. Descriptive well written scenes not only allows me to visualize the characters and the fixes that they sometimes find themselves in but provided me with more than a few laughs as well!  Great characters, a small town southern feel, along with a paranormal twist makes for a page turning read. While this book is the second in the Petal Pushers Mystery series it can be read as a stand alone work. Personally though, as someone who read the first book I recommend reading it as well, especially if you enjoy a great cozy mystery that will keep you guessing and a cast of characters that become friends as you are drawn into their lives.

Reviewed for Readersfavorite.com