Statue Of Limitations
After her divorce, Athena has returned to coastal Michigan to work in her family’s garden center and raise her son, while also caring for a mischievous wild raccoon and fending off her family’s annoying talent for nagging. Working alone at the garden center one night, Athena is startled by a handsome stranger who claims to be the rightful owner of a valuable statue her grandfather purchased at a recent estate sale.
But she has even bigger problems on her plate. The powerful Talbot family from whom her pappoús bought the statue is threatening to raze the shops on Greene Street’s “Little Greece” to make way for a condo. The recent death of the family’s patriarch already seemed suspicious, but now it’s clear that a murderer is in their midst. Athena will have to live up to her warrior goddess namesake to protect her family from a killer and save their community from ruin.
Series: A Goddess Of Greene St. Mystery – Book #1
Author: Kate Collins
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Harden/Hobby
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 336
Rating: 
A new garden shop-based cozy series written by Kate Collins, Statue Of Limitations is the first book in the new “A Goddess Of Greene St. Mystery” series from Kensington Books.
I adore cozies that have gardens and flowers as a central setting. It makes me think of spring, aromatic scents, color-filled sights, and warm days. This cozy keeps readers smiling and happy. It gives them a desire for winter to be over. It also gives them a taste of passion with a sense of compassion as well.
The characters in this new series are interesting and quirky. They are also very Greek. This has readers longing for good food, sun, and family. Even though the Greek aspect is mentioned a great deal, it isn’t shoved down your throat as it could have been. The main character, Athena, is working in her parent’s garden center, writing a blog that is secret and funny while trying to avoid marrying a man she can’t stand. She is strong-minded, but at times too concerned with what her family will think or do if she expresses her thoughts, hence the secret blog about that very family.
Unfortunately, Athena’s inability to take charge of her life and tell her family to butt out gets a bit irritating, especially where her son is concerned. She was once a big city reporter but seemed to have trouble asking hard-hitting questions, which does not agree with the type of character she is portraying. Other characters are very likable but need more definition. Characters will grow as the series adds new books. I hope the garden center continues to play a big part in this series, as it was the scene of much of the action and helps readers visualize the setting. I also hope that Athena and Case’s relationship continues down the current road it’s traveling and that the two will continue to work together to solve many more murders in the future.
The killer was a bit too obvious from the very beginning, and unfortunately, the motive was never in any doubt. Overall, I enjoyed Statue Of Limitations; it was easy to read and didn’t consume tons of time or energy. Even though some things could have been better, I feel the book is an excellent start for the series.
I look forward to reading the next installment. One last comment, I hope Kevin goes to jail sooner or later!
Similar garden/flower-based series readers will enjoy Amy Patricia Meade’s https://amypatriciameade.com/ “A Tish Tarragon Mystery” series https://www.thecozyreview.com/the-garden-club-murder/ or Edith Maxwell’s https://edithmaxwell.com/ “A Local Foods Mystery” https://www.thecozyreview.com/mulch-ado-about-murder/.
About the Author:
Kate Collins is the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mystery series. An Indiana native, Kate graduated from Purdue University with a master’s degree in education. She taught elementary school for six years, but after the birth of her first child, she gave up teaching to pursue a long-time dream of putting her stories to paper.
Kate started her career writing children’s stories for magazines and eventually published historical romantic suspense novels under the pen name Linda Eberhardt and Linda O’Brien.
When not growing roots at her computer, Kate loves to garden. Other passions include yoga, travel, decorating, reading, spending time with family and friends, sampling great wines and fine dark chocolate, and enjoying every moment of life. The author lives in Northwest Indiana and Key West Florida.
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