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Olive You to Death–where’s the bride?
Olive You to Death
by Lynn Cahoon
Wedding bells are in the air for two couples. Jill, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, is ready to tie the knot with Greg, South Cove’s detective. First, however, Josh, the owner of the antique store, and Mandy, from the family who grows olives and products for sale at the South Cove farmers market, surprise the town with an announcement of their upcoming wedding. Mandy is sweet and has worked wonders on the formerly grumpy Josh.
When she disappears without a word, Josh is heartbroken and worried sick. Several other mysteries weave in and out with the assumed kidnapping. Josh and a professor are collaborating on finding a buried treasure that has been the stuff of local legends for many years. When the professor is killed, there are several suspects including some of his former teaching assistants who had previous ties to Mandy. Is her disappearance related to the murder or to the hidden treasure? Jill is involved in the various investigations while trying to locate a wedding venue for her own upcoming nuptials, finish her final paper for her MBA, reorganize her business plan and staff, maintain her friendships, and nurture her relationship with Greg. For her own health and that of Emma, her faithful golden retriever, Jill also tries to take a beach run every day.
Olive You to Death is a clean cozy mystery with lots of threads and a little danger. It will keep you wondering whodunit, but is tied up nicely in the final chapter.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #16 in the Tourist Trap Mystery series. It could be read as a standalone, but reading the recently published prequel (2024), Murder in a Tourist Town, first is a great introduction to the characters and setting.
2. Includes the author’s recipe for “Weekday Enchiladas.” With a pound of both ground beef and ground pork, this recipe must make a lot of enchiladas, but she says they freeze well to provide leftovers for extra lunches.
Publication: June 4, 2024—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
The sun sparkled off a stretch of the ocean as I drove by. Living here wasn’t bad at all. Even with the drought. And now the rivers of rain. Days like today made it all worth it.
“Man, every day we’re on this earth is a sightseeing trip. You just need to open your eyes to the magic.”
I felt like the upheaval of my life was finally slowing down to at least a workable amount of stress. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I just hoped it wasn’t a train.
Farm to Trouble–saving the family farm
Farm to Trouble
by Amanda Flower
Amanda Flower has written several series that I enjoy very much. Her new series, the Farm to Table Mysteries, has some room for growth. Farm to Trouble is only the first book in the series. So far, there are very few characters that I like. The memories of Shiloh’s (Shi’s) deceased grandmother depict her as a woman of strength and character and a great role model for Shi. The protagonist, Shi, is well-meaning, but as she returns to her childhood town she struggles to find her place as most of the residents view her as an outsider. Her father and her cousin are not nice to her, and her deceased fiancé’s best friend Quinn is still struggling with emotions he should have dealt with fifteen years ago. There are a few old friends who truly welcome her back, and some new residents who are quite hateful. Quinn’s daughter Hazel finds a kindred spirit in Shi because they both lost their mothers as children, and they both love animals. My favorite character is an empathetic pug, Huckleberry. The author has great descriptions of him and of Shi’s interpretation of what he is thinking. This is a cute approach to having Huck as an active participant throughout the story.
Shi’s father has let the family farm go to ruins and resists her plans to transform it into an organic farm. She has naively signed a contract with a businessman who is buying up property in Cherry Grove so that he can inundate the area with wind turbines. The terms of the contract are not favorable to Shi, but she is desperate. When she signs the agreement, she has not yet seen the extent of deterioration on the farm. Her pushing forward with this bad deal, after throwing lots of money into the farm over the years to cover her father’s debts, does not seem to be in line with the persona of Shi, a successful Hollywood television producer.
The book deals with murder and identifying the killer, the survival of the Bellemy Farm and of the town of Cherry Grove, lots of liars, the restoration of the local theater, and unresolved feelings of guilt and resentment. There are plenty of plot threads in this book. I’m hoping for more positive character development in the next book in the series, Put Out to Pasture, which is scheduled to be published on February 22, 2022.
I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #1 in the Farm to Table Mystery Series
Publication: February 23, 2021—Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
Now I realized the effort I’d have to put in to care for my ailing father, save the farm, and face the memories that I had buried in my tinsel town life for the last fifteen years. It would be no small feat.
“I haven’t read a book since college. It’s a complete waste of time when everything you need to know is on the internet.” That’s when I knew Laurel and I could never be friends.
I set the pug on the grass. He looked up at me and cocked his head one way and then the other. Even when I was in the worst spots, Huckleberry had the power to cheer me up.
education pathways 