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Aunt Bessie Cold Case Mystery #6
The Flowers File
Elizabeth Cubbon, Bessie to everyone who knows her, is surprised when Charles Morris invites her to lunch. He’s part of the cold case unit with which she’s been working for months, but he’s never seemed particularly friendly. Lunch is pleasant enough, but both Bessie and Charles are unpleasantly surprised when they walk out of the restaurant to find that Charles’s hire car has been stolen.
Meanwhile, the cold case unit is considering a case that may not be a case at all. Julia Tyler is convinced that her boyfriend, Jack Flowers, is missing. His family, friends, and former fiancée all disagree, although none of them will provide Julia or the police with any information to help them find Jack.
When Charles has a second hire car stolen from him later in the same week, Bessie can’t help but get involved. Can Bessie help discover who is stealing hire cars? Can she and the cold case unit find Jack Flowers? Is he just missing or has something terrible happened to him?
Meanwhile, the cold case unit is considering a case that may not be a case at all. Julia Tyler is convinced that her boyfriend, Jack Flowers, is missing. His family, friends, and former fiancée all disagree, although none of them will provide Julia or the police with any information to help them find Jack.
When Charles has a second hire car stolen from him later in the same week, Bessie can’t help but get involved. Can Bessie help discover who is stealing hire cars? Can she and the cold case unit find Jack Flowers? Is he just missing or has something terrible happened to him?
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 13, 2022
About the author
Diana Xarissa
296 books272 followersDiana started self-publishing in 2013 and over a decade later she now has over a hundred books available for readers. Writing remains her passion and she has no plans to stop writing in the foreseeable future.
Diana grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and earned a history degree from Allegheny College. She met her husband, an Englishman, while living and working in Washington, DC. Following their marriage, she moved to Derbyshire. A short while later, the happy couple moved to the Isle of Man.
During their years on the island, Diana and her husband welcomed two children, and Diana completed a master’s degree in the history of the island. In 2008, the family made the decision to move to the US. Now empty-nesters, Diana and her husband are living in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, and contemplating moving somewhere that doesn’t get snow.
Diana also writes mystery/thrillers set in the not-too-distant future as Diana X. Dunn and Young Adult fiction as D.X. Dunn.
Diana grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and earned a history degree from Allegheny College. She met her husband, an Englishman, while living and working in Washington, DC. Following their marriage, she moved to Derbyshire. A short while later, the happy couple moved to the Isle of Man.
During their years on the island, Diana and her husband welcomed two children, and Diana completed a master’s degree in the history of the island. In 2008, the family made the decision to move to the US. Now empty-nesters, Diana and her husband are living in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, and contemplating moving somewhere that doesn’t get snow.
Diana also writes mystery/thrillers set in the not-too-distant future as Diana X. Dunn and Young Adult fiction as D.X. Dunn.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 10, 2022
Enough with the puddings! I wanted something light but now I feel heavy after being subjected to this group of friends, who now officially work on cold cases, continually chow down on free food. This time around they were asked to solve a cold case where someone with a trust fund disappeared and all evidence seemed to suggest it was a family affair.
In order to gather, some of the visitors required rental cars and the rental agency had some crooks working for them. So...one book, two crimes to solve for the crew.
Light reading that makes you feel heavy.
Kindle Unlimited
In order to gather, some of the visitors required rental cars and the rental agency had some crooks working for them. So...one book, two crimes to solve for the crew.
Light reading that makes you feel heavy.
Kindle Unlimited
February 10, 2026
Food and crime, murder and pudding...a sort of coocking book? No ideas for a light
lunch or a fancy dinner? Here you could find a solution and even a criminal to invite! 😅 Well, it's a cosy reading nevertheless!
lunch or a fancy dinner? Here you could find a solution and even a criminal to invite! 😅 Well, it's a cosy reading nevertheless!
May 7, 2022
A good book but had a rather abrupt ending for me.
April 16, 2022
Is a missing man truly missing?
April 24, 2022
A more apt title for the book would be Friends File since it is a not a cold case at all, but a favour for a friend. Even better, for the sake of the reader of this series, it could have been the Final File.
The book starts in the typical fashion of taking the reader through another lengthy revision of most of the main characters backgrounds which readers of the series have already been besieged with countless times. What is missed in the first chapter is infiltrated within the remainder of the books text, with an obvious intent to include every previous character despite their otherwise lack of importance to this story.
Considerable content of the books text is focused on food. One could be excused for thinking that it was more a food blog rather than an investigation. Neither does it appear that any of the main characters ever prepare meals at home. A luxury usually attributed to the wealthy or lazy.
All unnecessary content which merely assists in filling pages of the book without conveying a story. This does not occur until about 20% into the book. Then, the vast majority of the story is about stolen cars which, apparently almost never happens on the Isle of Man, but does very conveniently for the author, manage to happen twice in the space of a week. As stated by Aunt Bessie, talking about Jack Flowers (which the story was supposed to be about), “He’d been rather forgotten because of Charles’s stolen cars”.
The book starts in the typical fashion of taking the reader through another lengthy revision of most of the main characters backgrounds which readers of the series have already been besieged with countless times. What is missed in the first chapter is infiltrated within the remainder of the books text, with an obvious intent to include every previous character despite their otherwise lack of importance to this story.
Considerable content of the books text is focused on food. One could be excused for thinking that it was more a food blog rather than an investigation. Neither does it appear that any of the main characters ever prepare meals at home. A luxury usually attributed to the wealthy or lazy.
All unnecessary content which merely assists in filling pages of the book without conveying a story. This does not occur until about 20% into the book. Then, the vast majority of the story is about stolen cars which, apparently almost never happens on the Isle of Man, but does very conveniently for the author, manage to happen twice in the space of a week. As stated by Aunt Bessie, talking about Jack Flowers (which the story was supposed to be about), “He’d been rather forgotten because of Charles’s stolen cars”.
June 17, 2022
The Aunt Bessie stories became my go-to cozies during the pandemic and I was sorry when I got to the end of the series (A-Z). She had been the maiden aunt of all the young people (she stopped counting birthdays once she got her free bus pass) until parents got concerned about her penchant for stumbling on dead bodies. She solves mysteries in community with young and older policemen and a former police receptionist now wealthy widow. Now they are part of a cold case team with some police experts who come over to the Isle of Man once a month and have an unheard of clearance rate. The Flowers case is a bit different since it is a missing persons case.
April 17, 2022
Andrew 👮♂️ Bessie 🕵️
A cold case is always good to solve. Jack Flowers had been missing for two years. His woman friend Julia kept after the police periodically to find him. It was turned over to Andrew, the head of the small group of friends, including Aunt Bessie, to work on. With all of them asking questions they were able to guide the police in further questioning and finally figured the disappearance out. You will enjoy reading about the car theft ring they solved as well. Good cozy reading!
A cold case is always good to solve. Jack Flowers had been missing for two years. His woman friend Julia kept after the police periodically to find him. It was turned over to Andrew, the head of the small group of friends, including Aunt Bessie, to work on. With all of them asking questions they were able to guide the police in further questioning and finally figured the disappearance out. You will enjoy reading about the car theft ring they solved as well. Good cozy reading!
April 26, 2022
Fun & a quick read
Out of all the cozy mysteries, I enjoy the Aunt Betsy, Markham sister, etc., written by Diana Xarissa. Some of the others are really quite graphic and ghoulish.
The books written by Diana Xarissa skip over the really ugly aspects of people’s demise and present us with tools to try to figure out who is the guilty party.
Thank you for presenting books that are so readable .
Out of all the cozy mysteries, I enjoy the Aunt Betsy, Markham sister, etc., written by Diana Xarissa. Some of the others are really quite graphic and ghoulish.
The books written by Diana Xarissa skip over the really ugly aspects of people’s demise and present us with tools to try to figure out who is the guilty party.
Thank you for presenting books that are so readable .
January 30, 2022
The cold-case unit which includes Aunt Bessie has two mysteries to solve this month:
1. What happened to Jack Flowers, who disappeared from London two years ago, and hasn't been heard from since?
2. Who keeps stealing Charles Morris's rental cars, both of them from the same rental company, JO-CO-TO-GO?
1. What happened to Jack Flowers, who disappeared from London two years ago, and hasn't been heard from since?
2. Who keeps stealing Charles Morris's rental cars, both of them from the same rental company, JO-CO-TO-GO?
April 30, 2023
Hooked On This Series
I really can't explain why this series is so satisfying to read. I love Aunt Bessie and enjoy the gentle guidance she hands out. The whole cold case team is interesting, even the two grumpy out of towners. This time, the cold case was not a murder, but a missing person. It was very interesting.
I really can't explain why this series is so satisfying to read. I love Aunt Bessie and enjoy the gentle guidance she hands out. The whole cold case team is interesting, even the two grumpy out of towners. This time, the cold case was not a murder, but a missing person. It was very interesting.
June 8, 2026
This one started as a missing person case, but after two rental cars were stolen from one of the team, there was also an investigation into stolen vehicles. Very few of the islanders not in the team appear in this case, but we get to know at least one of the investigators from across a little better.
Bessie works her investigative magic on both mysteries, as usual.
Bessie works her investigative magic on both mysteries, as usual.
April 20, 2022
The cold cases continue to be interesting, there is a definite local mystery alongside, and Elizabeth and Andy are not having a fairy-tale reunion -much more realistic than if they had fallen into each others' arms.
April 20, 2022
enjoyed the latest case with Aunt Bessie and friends...
April 23, 2022
Great read
This one had two mysteries to be solved: so much more "fun" for everyone! 😉 I certainly didn't figure out who the bad guys were (altogether!).
This one had two mysteries to be solved: so much more "fun" for everyone! 😉 I certainly didn't figure out who the bad guys were (altogether!).
April 26, 2022
Another great story!!
I love the Aunt Bessie stories. What I read about mak5es me want to move to the Isle of Man. H
I love the Aunt Bessie stories. What I read about mak5es me want to move to the Isle of Man. H
October 11, 2022
Good story
This book really has more than one story. At first I found that confusing while the murder mystery part was the main story,the car thefts made it more interesting.
This book really has more than one story. At first I found that confusing while the murder mystery part was the main story,the car thefts made it more interesting.
March 15, 2024
Always enjoyable
I love all the books with Aunt Bessie and her posse. Please keep writing. These people are now like neighborhood friends but with a much more amazing place.
I love all the books with Aunt Bessie and her posse. Please keep writing. These people are now like neighborhood friends but with a much more amazing place.
April 10, 2024
Another intriguing cold case combined with a current case of car theft, making for a convoluted and enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews