I love finding a new series to read!
I typically like to read the books of a series in order but trusted some reviews that said I could read this one without having read any of the others yet.
I think they were right. I don’t think it took away from this story that I hadn’t read any before this one, so I’ll know for sure after I read a few more.
A fun, intriguing story with likeable characters snd it did keep me guessing until close to the end.
I’ll definitely be reading more of this series. Well done!

Thankyou to Author Lee Hollis, Netgalley and Kensington Cozies publishers for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication date.
Charlene 📚🌸🤗 @lastnownext

I love Lee Hollis! This is the 5th book in the Desert Flowers Mysteries, set in Palm Springs. If you've ever been to Palm Springs, you;ll recognize familiar restaurants and landmarks. Poppy Harmon never thought she run into her nemesis, Serena Saunders again, bur fate intervenes. Serena turns up in Palm Springs and enlists Poppy's help in investigating her fiance. Is he what he seems? Serena is smitten with him but is suspicious that he's hiding something. Poppy and her pals, Violet, Iris and Matt jump into action and work their way through the complex, roller-coaster plot. Highly recommend.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the books in the Desert Flowers series. The characters are such a delight! Poppy and her cohorts, Violet and Iris, as well as the token stud muffin male, Matt, keep things interesting. I love the twists and turns and the way the older ladies kick butt and take names. They are not your typical private detectives and are smarter than most people give them credit. I loved getting lost in the pages with Poppy and can’t wait to see what the next adventure will be!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

This was such a fun read! I love Poppy and the fact that the series includes older characters. This was a great installment to the series and I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Senior former tv star, Poppy, has built a thriving detective agency with two friends and a handsome aspiring actor, who played the official face of the agency until they built a reputation. Matt is spending less time with the Flowers Agency as his career takes off but he and the ladies get embroiled in a case that involves Poppy’s acting nemesis. Serena is set to marry and wants the team to “vet” her intended before the vows.

What she discovers is pleasant news but not so pleasant are the grown children of the groom who are suspicious of Serena’s motives. Two murders make Poppy wonder what is going on behind the scenes. There is a complicated plot to steal a valuable item that allows Poppy to solve one murder. And then there is an equally complicated plot that helps Poppy solve the second one. The characters, as always, are great. They are well drawn and appealing. Poppy is a great heroine and very smart. The mysteries are engaging and have just enough twists to be highly satisfying.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Loved this addition to the Poppy Harmon series! It was so much fun....and the series gets better and better! I love to see a group of older characters kicking butt!
Cozy lovers need to check this series out!
I received an arc of this book in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank netgalley, the author Lee Hollis, and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Poppy returns and her old “friend” Serena is back on the scene. Serena is getting married and she wants her husband-to-be checked out. One thing leads to another and soon Poppy is trying to solve a murder. Join Poppy and her friends in solving this surprising murder.

Poppy's longtime rival has shown up and asked the girls to investigate her soon to be husband and make sure everything is on the up and up with him. The group agrees and wonders if there is something behind Serena's need.to be friends all of a sudden. They don't find anything that should keep Serena from marrying Ned and Poppy thinks that is the end of it. When Serena shoots someone in self defense she immediately asks for Poppy's help. The wedding happens and the groom ends up dead not long after. Poppy and the gang decide to dive in to figure out just what is going on and who is the real bad guy in the end!

While I enjoyed spending time with Poppy, Iris, Violet, Matt and the genius Wyatt [is this kid EVER in school? LOL], and after really enjoying the previous book, this one just was a meh read for me. Poppy and Sam and their inability to have a conversation when one is needed, Poppy's willingness to "forgive and forget" [HMPH], a VERY transparent mystery and then a side mystery that was also pretty easy to see through and ultimately 2 reveals that were so tepid I wished I could warm them up in the microwave...it just was, overall, a close to below-average read. There were some moments of humor and that is really what kept this from being a 2 star read for me. And that end? Really? I may have sprained my eyes rolling them so hard. I can only hope that the next one is back to being the books that I have really grown to love.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lee Hollis, and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this installment of the poppy Harmon series we have poppy trying to figure out a who dun it with forner co star Serena Saunders. Serena hires poppy at first to research her fiance Ned. But once Poppy gives him an all clear that's when all Hell breaks loose. There's one murder. Then another and some more mysteries sprinkled in. This was a great installment and it kept my interest alot. I didn't even figure out who was doing what until it was revealed. I look for to the next book in this series.

Lee Hollis involves the Desert Flowers Detective Agency in another murderous case in Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star. Poppy and her friends are hired by Serena Saunders, a former acting colleague, to look into her fiance Ned, a rich widower. All is turning up golden until rumors that he killed his former wife emerge. Turns out that there is a tangle of plots falling over each other. Serena marries Ned who is murdered immediately after. Who did what to whom? Enjoy the cozy.

When Poppy agrees to represent an old acting rival Serena Saunders as a client when she requests an urgent background check on her fiancé’ Ned Boyce before tying the knot. Wealthy connected and owning a breathtaking mountain top home Ned seems like the most unlikely private investigation subject in Palm Springs. Poppy no sooner thinks she nailed down her latest assignment Serena is caught holding a smoking gun over a stranger’s dead body. While Serena is claiming self defense the team must gather their show biz talents to expose the truth about the unknown victim. Only Poppy can determine who’s innocent and who’s ready to smile for the mug shot. This was a fun enjoyable story for all mystery lovers.

I really enjoy this series. Even though the amateur sleuth is older, she is far from syrupy sweet as other older sleuths are portrayed. Poppy is smart and her partners are hilarious. The mysteries are well plotted and full of action. I was very surprised at the ending; I did not see that coming. Highly recommended for those who need a break from the 30-something MCs in most cozy mysteries.

This is the first in Lee Hollis’s Desert Flowers Mystery series that I’ve read. Interestingly I’ve read a couple of novellas by this author and one novel in a different series previously and wasn’t keen, but this really worked for me.

The set up is this: Poppy Harmon is a former actress who has been forced out of retired life to become a private investigator and runs a detective agency with two friends. In this instalment, one of Poppy’s former acting rivals has reappeared in her life. Serena has asked the agency to do an urgent background check on her husband to be. It seems easily done – but then Serena is found standing over a dead body holding a smoking gun and the team find themselves caught up in the investigation.

This has plenty of action, lots of twists and is really easy and fun to read. I thought I had the solution figured out – but I wasn’t entirely right and I liked that too.

Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star (A Desert Flowers Mystery, #5) by Lee Hollis is published by Kensington Books and has an expected publication date of May 23, 2023. When actress Serena Saunders hires the Desert Flowers Detective Agency, Poppy Harmon is shocked that her nemesis is being so friendly. Does Serena have an ulterior motive?

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star (A Desert Flowers Mystery, #5) by Lee Hollis. I was thrilled to be approved to receive a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

I've read a few books by Lee Hollis that are in his other series and enjoyed them immensely, and this newest book in his A Desert Flowers Mystery was just as entertaining as the other books I've read by this author. Unlike his other series, Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star had several plots throughout the story. As soon as one scenario was wrapped up, another one was introduced. However, all the storylines tied together at the end of the novel, and I predicted who the culprit was.

Although it was predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and I'd like to go back and read the series from book one. I didn't feel like I missed out by starting the series with the fifth book because the author did a phenomenal job at giving the reader plenty of background of all the characters.

Four out of five stars is what I gave Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star (A Desert Flowers Mystery, #5) by Lee Hollis.

Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star: A Desert Flowers Mystery
By Lee Hollis
Kensington
May 23, 2023

Review by Cynthia Chow

It’s been five years since Poppy Harmon, Violet Hogan, and Iris Becker created the Desert Flowers Detective Agency using actor Matt Flowers as their front man and face of the company. And while they have had considerable success with their recent investigations, Poppy never expected to have this particular prospective client waiting in their (garage) office. Throughout the 80s and 90s Serena Saunders and Poppy were vicious rivals competing for the same acting television roles, with Serena often exceeding her Mean Girl reputation. Hoping to let bygones be bygones, Serena has come to Poppy asking her to investigate a prospective sixth husband. Businessman Ned Boyce himself is the son of 1960s acting legends, but rumors concerning his involvement in what was declared to be an accidental death have Serena concerned. When yet another shooting death occurs in his Palm Springs home, Poppy begins to worry that her once-detested nemesis may actually be in danger.

Despite the signs indicating that the marriage may be doomed, Serena is determined to walk down the aisle in the hope that the sixth time’s the charm. Ned’s own adult children are less enthusiastic about the possibility of having their inheritance split, while the sister of Ned’s rumored victim is intent on raising every objection possible. Despite Serena’s horrific behavior on the set of the TV remake of “Valley of the Dolls,” Poppy finds herself lowering her guard as they investigate the cascade of tragedies blocking the future of the happy couple. While Matt goes undercover at a gym designed to lure in predatory Cougars looking for their own boytoys, the rest of the ladies find themselves investigating whether someone is attempting to gaslight Serena or whether the stress – or guilt - has broken her sanity.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this 5th of the series is how frequently it veers into unexpected and fascinating territories. At the midway point the novel introduces an entirely new plot twist, one that allows all of the Flower’s Agency agents to investigate. Details concerning old and not-so-old Hollywood are endlessly entertaining, even those depicting the cost and struggle for Poppy to refuse Casting Couch expectations. The witty banter and friendships between the Agency women-of-a-certain-age continue to be outstanding elements of this series, especially now that Matt has become a vital and welcome part of the team. Poppy’s romance with a police detective brings in a welcome romantic thread, even though gifting shock right out of Love Actually threatens to shatter her happiness. The humor and intrigue always present in the writing of the brother and sister author duo Lee Hollis continues to entertain and delivers yet another satisfying and very fun read.

This series always guarantees delightful characters and a well paced whodunit.
I cannot wait to read the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This cozy series set in Palm Springs, California is great for its' use of ladies of a certain age as the heroine and supporting characters. Desert Flowers Poppy, Iris and Violet are wonderful characters, but having a beefcake, Matt, thrown in is just the cherry on top. Oh, I need to mention the tall, dark and mysterious boyfriend, Sam, he needs a lot more page space, he didn't get nearly enough this time around. But I am very hopeful we will see a lot more of him in the future. The plot was a little on the twisty side and just when you think it's all over - it isn't.

When Serena Saunders shows up at the Desert Flowers Detective Agency garage, Poppy is not at all happy. Serena and Poppy have been rivals from way back in the day and when Serena wants Poppy to investigate her fiancé, Ned Boyce, Poppy wants to say no. But a paying client is a paying client and Poppy takes the case. Serena just wants a background check and to know if Ned is solvent before she marries him.

What Poppy finds surprises both her and Serena and in a very, very good way. With the wedding a go, Serena wants to bury the hatchet and be friends with Poppy, who reluctantly agrees only to receive a midnight call from Serena and finds her with a dead body. Is there a reason Serena needed to shoot the intruder three times?

With the shooting ruled self-defense, the wedding is on, and Serena and her groom are ecstatic, but Poppy is not satisfied and the deeper she digs the more bizarre this case becomes. But another midnight call and another body put Poppy in yet another awkward position leaving her no choice but to continue to investigate and uncover the true villain in this ripped from the made for television script masquerading as real life. 3 1/2-Stars

My thanks to the Publisher, and Author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star is book #5 in the Desert Flowers Mystery series by Lee Hollis.

Poppy’s former acting rival, Serena, shows up and wants a background check on Ned Boyce, her fiancé. She wants to be friends which is out of character for her. That simple request turns into something much more.

I enjoy following the Desert Flower Detective Agency investigations. Despite Poppy’s initial reluctance, they take on the case. There are so many twists that kept me guessing. I couldn’t put this down. After that ending, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

With all the secrets and underhanded goings-on in the entertainment scene, I'm sure Poppy and her team were super happy to have each other knowing they could at least trust the team members. Aside from them and the police, I wasn't sure who to trust either, but as always Poppy plowed ahead and figured things out. Iris always cracks me up because she's just so blunt and believes in telling it like it should be, and Violet's grandson Wyatt's just grown into an amazing teen and still shines as their tech expert.

The staged showdown was pretty awesome. Poppy had her own little side mystery that I was really happy had an amazing outcome! Gotta admit, at times I was a bit worried what she'd find out. Don't miss this installment, available next Tuesday, March 23, 2023.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.