Pushing Up Daisy

Daisy Bruce Cozy Mysteries #1

by Patti Larsen

She still loves him, but life with him is murder…

Daisy Bruce never expected to see her ex-fiancée again. Especially when their reunion coincides with confronting the two people who contributed to her breaking up with Emile Reis in the first place. And when an unexpected death is thrown in the mix, she's forced to not only face her past but her choice to become a Fleming Investigations private detective in the first place. Can she solve the case before her heart betrays her?

Welcome to the Daisy Bruce Cozy Mysteries, a spinoff of the award-winning Fiona Fleming and Fleming Investigations Cozy Mysteries!

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery

411 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2023

About the author

I write a lot of paranormal books for someone who is afraid of the dark. And I wonder why I have to sleep with the lights on. Sometimes life is a teenaged B horror movie and I'm the one who investigates when the scary music is playing. But the voices are calling and resistance is… Yes. I am a Star Trek geek, too. And a fan of RPG’s. With a slight coolness factor since I've been told I'm allowed to join the pops.

Naw. I like being a nerdy girl :)

Reviews

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reluctantly re-entering the overbearingly glitzy world of the affluent, Daisy Bruce agrees to accompany her ex-fiance to the engagement party of her biggest nemesis. But the sparkle winks out when, later that night, the man's fiancee is found dead. Daisy believes the man has genuinely changed from a callous bully to a man in love though the evidence suggests otherwise. As a detective with Fleming Investigations, Daisy has the tools to bring the killer to justice, even if a tiny part of her is reluctant to do so.

Right off the bat, Daisy is an amazing character. I loved her asides to the reader which pulls us in and creates an intimacy that even the most highly crafted MCs often fail to achieve. And Daisy is likeable, so very likeable. She's fresh and adorable. She's had her time with the power people and walked away. And, she's an outstanding detective. Without going into spoiler territory, I can say that this murder led to one of the twistiest pieces of investigation I've ever read.

There is, alas, one small quibble with this story. Daisy has been a part of other series and this book appears to spoil several plot points in those previous mysteries. This is my own fault for jumping ahead, but honestly, I couldn't resist the cover.

I'm used to Patti Larsen's excellent paranormal stories, but Pushing Up Daisy had me even more enthralled than usual. A hard task, indeed. I recommended this novel and, by extension, the rest of this series for cosy lovers who enjoy a miniscule amount of grit in their readings.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a winner!

Lots of suspects, interesting characters, and a neatly crafted plot with enough twists that the reveal is a surprise. My kind of cozy!

Recommended.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book from this author, so I haven´t read the other series.

I think this book is for young adults and I don´t belong in this demographic but I am going to be fair because there are parts that I did like, so this is my perspective, the story was a light read, funny to read, and to pass a cozy time with it.

The Main character is interesting but there were times that she irritated me, I think it was because she contradicted herself often, and she could be a little bit of a doormat, not a surprise there because she had a complicated childhood, although there were moments that she stand up for herself and in those moments I cheered for her, however, I couldn´t help noticing that dearest Daisy is a little bit Mary Sue, sometimes with a few words the people seemed to have no problem in telling her everything, all the men fell in love with her, while certain women in positions of power were bitches to her, the confrontations from these women reminded me of the Mexican telenovelas I used to watch when I was little. It was dramatic and entertaining to read.

Now about the crime, I didn´t expect the result. I had in mind who the murderer was but it wasn´t how I thought it would be and that was something that I liked.

Is the book good? Yeah, I mean there were parts that I liked and there were parts that I didn´t. If you are a young girl you will like this book, because it is funny, has mystery, a bit of romance, and a lot of drama. If you are a grown woman like myself, it will entertain you enough to distract you from your life.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a few of this author's series of books and like her work. This one is about a very likeable private investigator named Daisy Bruce who is quite good at her job yet still worries about doing it right. The plot is straightforward, and the premise is finding out how the bride to be died and why. The groom is detained and finally arrested after a video showing him fighting with the fiancée, just before her death. is sent to most of the participants and the police. I definitely recommend this book.

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book, as Daisy keeps on talking to herself & having lots of thoughts that one gets to read. She’s asked to go to an engagement party by her ex fiancé. Once there things from the past keep,on popping into her mind, but, she realises that the engaged man, Sloan, has indeed improved from the nasty man he used to be. Later on Sloan finds his fiancée dead, of a drug overdose. Was it murder. The book sets out to answer that question.

[Lorna Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read with a thoughtful, compassionate and sweet female lead, Daisy Bruce seeking justice and truth. Patti Larsen is wonderful at creating characters with dignity, compassion and characteristics that hugely vary. This is the first in this particular series, covering drug abuse, mental health problems and illness with tact and care. I am just about to delve into book 2 as I can’t wait to find out what is next for Daisy.

[Carole Craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was wonderful. I've always wanted to get to know Daisy better in the Fiona Fleming series, and later Fleming Investigations. This spinoff series has a lot of potential as the main character, Daisy Bruce, continues to grow in confidence and her skills as an investigator. Looking forward to many more Daisy Bruce adventures!

[Celest · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Entertaining Mystery

This is a great adventure and I really enjoyed reading it. Daisy's a fun character and becomes a good detective as the story progresses. With so many suspects it was hard to figure out who the murderer was. All of the characters were unique and some were likable, while others were not. I hope to read the next book in the series.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Mystery

A little slow at first but keep reading - it does pick up.
A little depressing with how ugly everyone is to each other and sad that some are so negative. Glad that Daisy is more upbeat and the people in her office are much better than the other characters in this story.

[Jennifer Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun! It had me second guessing myself all the time. Daisy is such a fun PI and it was a joy to read about her self-discovery and how real all the characters seemed. Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good cozy mystery!

[Teresa Tavener · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy for sure

What a great read. Characters were great. You could get into their feelings but it was short and sweet. Pace was great from the beginning. If it hasn't been Thanksgiving I would have read it all in one day. Can't wait for more

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dais keeps busy!

Daisy is in the middle of a possible murder investigation. The twists and turns in this story will keep you guessing and turning pages and the final result is probably not what you anticipated.
Enjoy!

[Carol Grappo · Rating 5 out of 5]

mystery

I love mysteries and this sure was a mystery. It turns out with me still trying to figure this out. Fantastic stuff and will read Patti Larsen again. Thanks for writing and keeping me and I am sure others entertained.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many twists and turns

Daisy is very good at what she does. A questionable death and so many suspects. Daisy does her best to fend off men interested in her all while secretly interviewing and figuring out how this death happened. You will be surprised.

[Kathy Triplett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story!

Not the normal Cozy mystery. I loved the story line and truly enjoyed reading this book. It was easy to dislike some of the characters and like others. Very well written.

[SM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read.

[Lee Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one twisted, messed up storyline!! Oh my gosh!!! It just blew me away; this book is so good!! I cannot wait to read the next book!!

[Bernadine Sydow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Mayhem

It is a very interesting story. So many twists and turn that you had to keep reading to see what really happened.

[Linda Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What came before???

This was my first Patti Larsen book, but I really want to read - and can't seem to find - whatever came before for Daisy.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm guessing this was a self-published book? Decent story idea but really could have benefitted from some decent editing.