A review by peggyemi
Daisies for Innocence by Bailey Cattrell

5.0

During the last several months I have read some cozy mysteries that were first in a new series that were pretty good, but this one by Bailey Cattrell just stood out and stayed with me after the book was finished. In all fairness, I am a huge fan of Bailey Cates so it wasn't a stretch to believe that I would enjoy this book as I have her others. This one for me was just so charming, magical and enjoyable that I couldn't put it down. I literally read it in about 5 hours over the course of two days. The story is really well written. The author has such a descriptive style that the reader can picture the Enchanted Garden and smell the soaps and perfumes in Ellianna's store. I thought the book was well plotted with a steady pace. The mystery was solid and provide the reader with several viable suspects and theories for the crime. I was surprised at the identity of the killer and thought the mystery and reason for the murder were wrapped up nicely. The characters in this story are charming, quirky and some people I would like to know in real life. Ellianna has a quiet strength about her as she goes about trying to solve this mystery and remove herself as the chief suspect. What I liked about her and how the character was written is that as she investigated and gathered facts, she didn't accuse everyone in town of murder during the course of her investigation. I have seen that in some other stories and it was a little off putting.

All in all, this was a great start to what I hope will be a long running series. The story was well written, with great characters and a solid mystery. If you are looking for a charming read I would suggest you give this one a try.