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Crime and Cherry Pits–pug brings smiles in this cozy
Crime and Cherry Pits
By Amanda Flower
I needed a break from the more “serious” read that my book club had been working on for 6 weeks. It was a worthy read, with depth, but what I needed was the diversion of a cozy mystery, but not just any cozy mystery. I needed a novel with a strong, intelligent protagonist with an interesting background. I wanted a mystery that would keep me guessing with a little romance thrown in. If there could be a kid and animals, so much the better. I was delighted to see that a cozy mystery from Amanda Flower’s Farm to Table Mysteries was next in my queue.
In Crime and Cherry Pits, Shiloh Bellamy is the owner of the organic Bellamy Farm in Cherry Glen, a little western Michigan town. She has had to work hard to get it out of debt and running again, but she has done so well that she has been honored by an invitation to participate in the annual Cherry Festival in nearby Traverse City. While all seems to be going well, there are so many ways for things to go wrong. She has problems with a new organic farm neighbor who doesn’t really know what he has gotten into. Another neighbor has a darling, precocious daughter Hazel who adores Shiloh. Hazel’s father has known Shiloh since childhood and there is an attraction, but their past always looms between them. Hazel’s parents absolutely do not like Shiloh. Shiloh recently found some stocks left to her by her grandmother who died years ago. She wants to do what is right, not just what is legal, which causes problems with her father and her cousin.
Shiloh has a way of getting dangerously mixed up in murder cases partly because of circumstances and partly because she is nosy. Surely that could not be an issue in this story, because how could someone die at a Cherry Festival? Cue the cherry pit spitting competition! A production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest is produced by Shiloh’s cousin and Shiloh’s father accepts a leading role. There are affairs and lying, three police agencies get involved, and there are death threats. On the positive side, the reader gets to enjoy Shiloh’s cat Esmeralda and her pug Huckleberry who accompanies her almost everywhere. Add to that the farms animals: Diva the chicken and all the other chickens she controls and the flock of five Olde English Babydoll Southdown yearlings, less than twenty inches tall. Is someone out to hurt them? As Shiloh rises to the occasion, the reader can be sure that it won’t happen on Shiloh’s watch.
Crime and Cherry Pits is a cozy mystery that will keep you turning pages to see whodunit. You’ll need to read to the finish for a surprise ending.
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. #4 in the Farm to Table Mysteries, but could be read as a standalone because Flower includes background (without being boring).
2. Includes a basic recipe for homemade soap that sounds doable. Hers, of course, includes cherry essential oil.
Publication: February 27, 2024—Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
She looked down at Huckleberry. “Is that a police dog?” “In training,” Milan said. “We aren’t sure he has what it takes.” “He’s a pug,” Susan said. “We thought we’d go for unassuming with this one,” Milan said with a straight face. “No kidding,” Susan replied.
My little pug was in tune with my emotions, and he felt my nervousness. I was grateful for his warm presence.
Inside the general store, Huckleberry was living his best life, lying on a plush dog bed and gnawing on a piece of beef jerky. He didn’t even look up when I entered the store. I didn’t blame him. Snacks in bed were my favorite too.
In Farm’s Way–the heart of the farm
In Farm’s Way
by Amanda Flower
There is a lot going on in Cherry Glen, Michigan, land of cherry orchards, snow, and ice fishing. Shiloh Bellamy left her L.A. producer job to return to Cherry Glen to save the family farm by reinventing it as an organic farm.
In the brief time since she returned to her home town, she has gained a reputation as someone who is nosy and can solve crimes. She helps her aging father as much as he will allow, but their bonds have never been strong as her father could not step up to the plate emotionally after Shiloh’s mother passed away. Along the way, they have both developed a relationship with the exuberant Hazel who loves to help on the farm. Hazel’s father Quinn, an EMT, was Shiloh’s deceased fiancé’s best friend. Complicated, right?
When Shiloh discovers a body under the ice at an ice fishing competition, and her friend Kristi’s husband is a prime suspect, Shiloh is asked to investigate. Woven into her sleuthing are topics like ice fishing, birding, beer brewing, and organic farming. Shiloh continues her search for something her beloved grandmother left for her at the “heart of the farm.” There is also a potential romance or two that mainly produces tension, but also ends the book with a cliff-hanger.
As with most mysteries you will meet some interesting characters along the way. there are two sheriffs who become a little territorial, a widow who doesn’t seem at all sad, and an organic beer brewing association with internal politics. Jesse’s Place is the cafe to go to if you want to pick up the latest local gossip, and Jesse herself is civic minded and kind hearted. Shiloh’s older cousin Stacey is fulfilling a personal dream by reviving the town theater using money she got from the sale of her half of the family farm. I mustn’t forget Shiloh’s animals. Her adorable pug is Huckleberry. He goes almost everywhere with her. She also has a Siamese cat who rules over the barn cats and Diva who rules in the hen house. Shiloh anthropomorphizes her animals and that adds humor to the story.
I have read most of Amanda Flower’s cozy mystery series and have enjoyed all of them. Her characters are interesting, and the plots are well conceived with lots of threads. In Farm’s Way continues her stellar reputation for good cozy mysteries.
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. #3 in the Farm to Table Mystery Series, but can be read as a standalone. Amanda Flower excels at providing background information as needed for the reader, so don’t be afraid to jump in with In Farm’s Way.
2. Includes tips and a recipe for suet for feeding birds in the winter.
Publication: February 21, 2023—Poisoned Pen Press (Source Books)
Memorable Lines:
I wasn’t one for the crowds, at least not crowds in Cherry Glen. I hadn’t really minded them in LA because they had anonymity. However, in my hometown, everyone knew who I was, what I was a doing. Gossip was a town pastime.
The Siamese looked over her shoulder at me and gave a very slow blink. I had read that a slow blink from a cat meant she was saying, “I love you.” However, when it came to Esmeralda, I was certain it meant, “I am your queen. Sit down, peasant.”
Huckleberry looked at me with wide pug eyes in alarm. To be honest, pugs looked alarmed the majority of the time. When they didn’t, they were asleep.
Put Out to Pasture–a victim’s startling past
Put Out to Pasture
by Amanda Flower
Since I enjoy Amanda Flower’s cozy mysteries, I left the first one in her new series Farm to Table Mysteries scratching my head in wonderment that this book, although satisfactory, was just not up to the standards I expect from this author. Fortunately, the first book was just a rough patch as she got started on the series. The second book, Put Out to Pasture, is everything I want in a cozy.
Flower turned around the pervasive and ugly negativity that permeated Shiloh’s return to her home town of Cherry Glen in Michigan from L.A. In this story there continue to be antagonists, but not everyone is pitted against Shi. When a dead body is found on her farm and her best friend Kristy is accused of the murder, Shi is doggedly determined to clear her name. There are a lot of clues that lead Shi and the reader to suspect various people. Having spent years with the Hollywood crowd, Shi knows that many seemingly good people may just be good actors.
Meanwhile, on the personal front, Shi’s best and favorite sidekick, her pug Huckleberry, continues to bring humor through Shi’s descriptions of what he appears to be thinking. She continues to clean out her grandmother’s cabin and finds a note to her with a mysterious riddle. She has a new neighbor who at first appears to be a bright light, but later seems to have greedy intentions. Shi’s deceased boyfriend’s best friend is working through the deaths of his friend and his own wife. Hazel, his daughter continues to be a breath of fresh air as the tween struggles to find a new normal with her firefighter dad’s erratic schedule and her grandmother’s protective strictness. Shi’s father, who was immersed in his Michigan history collection for most of Shi’s life might be coming out of his shell.
In this book, Shi is a likable character and we can see potential for her goals of revitalizing the family farm. The story is fast-paced with a web of threads and interesting characters. The author ends by dangling several hooks, any one of which is sufficient to reel the reader into the next book in the series.
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: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #2 in the Farm to Table Mystery Series, but can certainly be read as a standalone.
Publication: February 22, 2022—Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
The one anomaly in the gravel lot was my car, an expensive sports car that would be as practical in a Michigan winter as a snow blower was in LA.
“She seems calm to me.” “That doesn’t mean she’s not mad. Trust me, I know. When she is really, really mad she gets cold. She’s like the iceberg that took out the Titanic.”
“I think the thing I got most out of my parents’ death is cutting people a break. You don’t know what they have been through or are going through. Everyone could use a little kindness.”
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.
A Midwinter’s Tale–love the dogs as characters!
A Midwinter’s Tail
by Bethany Blake
Daphne Templeton, owner of Lucky Paws Pet Sitting Service and of Flour Power, a bakery specializing in pet treats, is surrounded by four-legged friends in A Midwinter’s Tail. Bethany Blake brings her readers quickly up to date on her series’ background as Daphne finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. CeeCee French wants to return to her hometown, which caters to pets, bringing her flagship mega pet store with her. The potential for destroying the local pet-related businesses looms large. CeeCee was also involved in conflict going all the way back to high school. Are these threats related to current issues or metaphorical ghosts of the past?
You will either love the way this story is told or you won’t. Each of the animals is truly a character in this tale. My favorite is the Basset hound Socrates. Rarely aroused, he is Daphne’s patient, laid-back sidekick. He expresses his emotions and opinions subtly, but Daphne can interpret them easily. Other characters include Snowdrop, a fashionable trained poodle; Tiny Tim, a mischievous pug; Tinkleston, a disdainful feline; and my least favorite, Sebastian, her friend Moxie’s white rat. Each one is truly a developed character and plays an important role in the story. The dogs accompany Daphne almost everywhere she goes and contribute in many ways to the story, including acting as a sounding board for Daphne. I think this way of telling the story works well in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery Series. I have particular fondness for Basset hounds, and so I particularly enjoy the character of Sebastian. Although perhaps the effect is slightly exaggerated, Sebastian is portrayed fairly accurately for a Basset. It is almost impossible not to attribute feelings and thoughts to Basset hounds as they are so responsive to human emotions.
Clues abound and the spotlight shines on a variety of characters, some more likable than others. The plot has twists and turns but is never dull. Grab this cozy with a Christmas setting for an entertaining evening of mystery with a little romance thrown in.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #4 in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery Series, but the author does a fantastic job with background so it works well as a standalone.
2. Pet treat recipes are included in the back of the book.
Publication: November 27, 2018—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
Piper looked like she wanted to thunk her head against something, while Socrates lay down, whined, and placed his paws over his muzzle. Snowdrop, who was unfamiliar with Fidelia—but who had barked with disapproval at the accountant’s droopy cardigan—appeared confused.
Her tone was so vitriolic that Snowdrop stood up and backed nervously away on her delicate white paws. Socrates rose, too, stepping gallantly between the poodle and the woman who continued to glower at her.
The heart of the storm had passed overnight, leaving Sylvan Creek glittering like a town in a softly swirling snow globe, and I went to the French doors to look down at Market Street, where icicles dripped like jewels from the storefronts and the Bijoux’s marquee was glowing.
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