Poppies, Perils, and Poison (Camelot Flowers Mysteries) by Erica Wynters ~ #BookTour #Excerpt

Poppies, Perils, and Poison

(Camelot Flowers Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting – Illinois
Publisher : Gemma Halliday Publishing
(March 19, 2024)
Number of Pages – 280 pages

From author Erica Wynters comes another Camelot Flowers Mystery blooming with secrets, suspicions, and danger at every turn…

Things are finally looking up with florist Gwen Stevens’ family business, Camelot Flowers, which means her biggest problem now is making her heart choose between her lifelong crush on the charming Chris Crawford and her budding romance with Finn Butler, the new police detective who makes her want to stop and smell the roses.

But Gwen’s thorny love life takes a backseat when Shannon Wentworth, a newcomer to the small town of Star Junction, drops dead in the local coffee shop the day after she announces her candidacy for garden club president. Unfortunately, Margie Philips, Gwen’s surrogate aunt, has been garden club president for years and had threatened to win again this year at any cost—which suddenly puts her in the role of prime suspect in Wentworth’s untimely demise!

Determined to clear Margie’s name, Gwen digs deep and discovers a bouquet’s worth of secrets, including marital infidelity, a lawsuit threatening to ruin a local business, and even doubts about where Margie was right before the murder. With too many suspects all hiding something, will Gwen uncover the truth before the killer poisons her chances of a happily ever after?

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Excerpt from Poppies, Perils, and Poison

Just Beans was crowded by Star Junction standards, which meant half the seats were filled. Penny found a table in the corner near the fireplace. I set my purse on one of the empty seats.

“Let’s order,” Penny said.

I studied the handwritten chalk menu hanging on the wall. “What looks good?” I asked.

“I’m going to get the turkey and pesto sandwich. It comes with chips,” Penny said. “I’ll try the BBQ chicken salad,” I said.

“Then we can talk about what you’re going to wear to the gala,” Penny said with delight. I started toward the counter, but Penny remained sitting.

“Are you coming?” I asked.

“I’m going to save our seats,” Penny said, pulling a twenty-dollar bill from her purse. “Lunch is on me, if you order.”

It would be easy to argue that there was no need to save seats, but I wasn’t going to argue with Penny buying lunch. I approached the counter, where a woman with white- blonde hair cut into a stylish bob was talking to Amanda, the owner of Just Beans. The woman got louder, and I slowed my approach.

“I asked for a double espresso with two pumps sugar-free vanilla and a splash of heavy cream. This has two and a half pumps of sugar-free vanilla. I can taste it,” the woman snapped. “Two weeks in this Podunk town, and I haven’t had a decent cup of coffee yet.” The woman had yelled the last words, drawing everyone’s attention to the counter.

I’d never heard Amanda say a cross word about anyone in all the years I’d known her. She had a bright blue T-shirt on that sported the Just Beans logo with the words Make it a Great Day printed underneath. She had her dark-brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail and was wearing a blue headband that matched the color of her shirt. She gave the woman a tight smile and said, “I’m happy to remake it if there’s a problem.”

The other woman leaned forward and said, “The problem is you and your subpar coffee-making skills.”

Everything within me wanted to jump in defend Amanda with something like, If you don’t like the coffee, then maybe make your coffee at home, but before I could say anything, Amanda had already turned around to make another drink.

The woman turned while she waited and noticed me standing a few feet behind her. “What?” she snapped.

My mind went blank. The woman’s green-eyed glare cut right through me. “Beautiful weather we’re having today, isn’t it?” I stammered out.

The woman glanced toward the window, where a steady drizzle was coating the glass. The temperatures were in the low fifties. Cold and wet. The worst kind of weather. She rolled her eyes at me and muttered something about thinking a small town would be charming. I might have also heard the word idiot, but I couldn’t be sure.

Erica Wynters may have lived most of her life in the frigid Midwest, but now she spends her time in the warmth and sunshine of Arizona. She loves hiking, hunting down waterfalls in the desert, reading (of course), and napping. Can napping be considered a hobby? When not weaving tales of mystery with plenty of quirky characters, laughs, and a dash of romance, Erica works as a Marriage and Family Therapist helping others find their Happily Ever Afters.

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A personalized signed copy of the first book in the Camelot Flowers mystery series, Marigolds, Mischief, and Murder. A life-sized pop-up flower bouquet of French Poppies, and a colorful, bookshelf sticker.