Mindy Starns Clark has delivered a funny, witty story with an unforgettable character.

Josephine Tulip struggles to keep her grandmother's hint column alive, dealing with issues of the modern woman. When a neighbor winds up dead, confusing the police with the abundance of shower caps, tomato juice and cucumber paste, Jo is called in to advise. Reeling from the shock of being stood up at the altar, Jo dives in to solve the case with her bestfriend, Danny.

Eternal life, empty promises, the search for love, a dog who loves throw pillows...all these and more make up this delightful and suspenseful read. I recommend Mindy's books to anyone who enjoys a quirky heroine and a sweet love story.- Cynthia Hickey, author

After being dumped at the altar on her wedding day and finding a dead body next door, Jo Tulip's world turns up side down. Danny Watkins, Jo's friend, and Josephine Tulip, Jo, have been friends since they were kids. And now, when it's the hardest time for her, Jo is glad to know he is there for her. Jo has a helpful hints column in several newspapers, which provides helpful information for people. Danny, who was hired by the police to take pictures of Edna Pratt's death, realized that there were a lot of weird things around the house. For example, shower caps under potted plants, a lamp turned on in a drawer, and tomato juice in the woman's hair. He called up Tulip on the day of her wedding to come and take a look. Jo had an explanation for everything because she had written about it in her column. Another thing, which she had written about in her column, was not to mix bleach and ammonia because it was fatal, but there in the house was a bucked full of it. Jo was convinced it was a murder.
So after her "almost" wedding, Jo decides to devote herself to finding evidence. She starts to clean out Edna's house for Edna's daughter. Along the way she stumbles upon some shocking evidence. Danny and her investigate further to find that the man in some of the pictures, reaching back to the early 1900's, was her brother. They did more investigating to find his name was Simon and that he and Edna were responsible for a con that was taking place. In the meantime Jo received a dog she and Bradford, her not so fiancé, had picked out together. She finally is able to convince the police chief that Edna's death was a murder. At a press conference, Jo didn't show up because she was caught by the murder, a professor from the local college. Jo was able to escape and find Danny, who provided transportation. The professor was caught and Simon died of a heart attack. I enjoyed this immensely.

Jo seemed to have an explanation for everything happened, that is one reason why I liked this book. For example, when Danny found the weird things at Edna's house he called Jo, who could explain what everything was for. Then when she found some old pictures in a secret compartment that she believed could help explain the mystery. Lastly, when a realtor was selling a house that needed serious repair, Jo suggests some things that could help the appearance.

Another reason why I liked this book was because it was full of suspense. For example, when Bradford leaves Jo at the altar and made a get away in his car and doesn't talk to her for a while. Then when Danny and Jo think Simon killed Edna, but it turned out not to be and they didn't have another lead. Finally, when Jo wakes up in her home office to her dog growling and someone trying to brake in to her house. She called the police and Danny and found out the person who had tried to brake in was an acquaintance.

This book also had lots unexpected twists and turns. First when Jo and Danny thought Simon was the one who killed Edna and everything starts to point to him and then don't. Then the story switches to Simon's point of view and he is sad and didn't know his sister died and started to remember their childhood. In the end the one person no one suspected to have murdered Edna caught Jo and held her captive `til he got what he wanted.

Lastly, I loved this book because I enjoy murder mysteries. Edna was finally done justice when they caught Keith McMann, the murder and professor. Danny and Jo's relationship didn't change, but Jo said she would give up dating for a while. The Trouble with Tulip was so good I want to read more books by this author.

H.Wissmann

Jo Tulip has just been jilted at the altar and been involved in murder investigation, all in the same day. Her best friend Danny (who's secretly in love with her) gets Jo to come to the crime scene of an elderly woman who turns up mysteriously dead in her own home. The police rule it as an accident but with Jo's knack for household tips, she discovers it to be a murder. Theft, fraud, the deceiving of old ladies, and alchemy all come into play to as Jo and Danny try to discover the truth about really happened.

This was my first Mindy Starns Clark book and I really got a kick out of it. I loved all the household advice spread throughout the novel. Very interesting techniques given how to combat any home problem. I have yet to try out any but I may do so in the future. The murder investigation was really gutsy of Jo to do it mostly by herself. There were a lot of twists I wasn't expecting. I really Jo's character. I do hope we get a full confrontation with Bradford. The guy is a jerk. She should be happy she didn't marry him, what a wimp. I also hope Jo can work out her relationship with her parents. It'll also be interesting to see how Jo's and Danny's future will work itself out.

I really liked the letters from the advice column. I found it funny that the writers of the letters always seemed to be clueless about the situations they were writing about. I guess housewives from back then really were in the dark? Great book, great mystery, and good fun read.

This is the first time I've read one of her books and it was so good I had to buy another one. She's just as good as Kingsbury and Blackstock.

The Trouble with Tulip by Mindy Starns Clark is the first book in the Smart Chick mystery series. Jo Tulip has the perfect life: she writes an household hints advice column for the newspaper, she's engaged to a handsome business executive, and she lives in her beloved hometown. Until the day of her wedding when she's called to identify the body of her dead neighbor, her fiancé dumps her at the altar, and her column has been cancelled. What's a poor girl to do but find the murderer with her best friend Danny? But Danny's got a secret too: he's in love with Jo. Clark manages to keep all of these storylines interesting and fun. While some of the characters seem a little flat, I'm assuming that they will be fleshed out as the series continues. Clark does a good job of weaving God into the characters' lives without it seeming forced. The plot behind the mystery seemed a little over the top, as did the climax, but Clark handled it well.