Rhubarb Pie Before You Die by Gin Jones is the second book in the Garlic Farm Mystery series. Mabel is trying to sell her late aunt's garlic farm, but in the meantime she must keep it running to attract potential buyers. When she and her friend/farm mentor Rory get into an argument with rhubarb farmer Graham, Mabel decides to go to his farm to smooth things over. She never expects to find Graham dead. The suspects range from a disgruntled neighbor to a rival farmer with Mabel thrown into the mix as well. I did not read the first book in the series, but I had no trouble following along with this one. Mabel is 100% introvert and definitely not the normal cozy heroine. This may put some readers off, but I liked her as a character. The story moved slowly at times, but I expect that might change as Mabel evolves. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
The sixth book in the Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery series by Karen Rose Smith is Murder with Oolong Tea. Daisy finds herself catering a tea for the high school staff including one particularly unlikable teacher from when Daisy was in school. When Althea the mean teacher is found dead, several people beg for Daisy's help in solving the mystery. As usual Daisy combines her sleuthing with plenty of extra drama. I enjoy this series, but I find the extra stuff in Daisy's life (taking on an additional teenager, solving other people's disagreements) to be tiring. This is still a good series despite Daisy's drama.
Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy Coco is the first book in the Oregon Honeycomb Mystery series. Wren owns a honey themed store on the Oregon coast which she shares with her cat Everett. While on their morning walk along the beach, Everett finds the body of a woman who is Wren's aunt's crafting rival. Wren becomes the only suspect and has to work to clear her name. This series has potential, and I really wanted to love it. One issue is the narrow focus of the police. Wren is the only suspect even when she is targeted herself. My second issue was the murder. The motive was extremely weak, and it was never truly solved. Third is the various editing blunders. Hopefully these were resolved in the final printing, but many were so obvious I question why no one caught them for the ARC. I do like the author's other series and for that reason would try a second book in this one.
disclosure: I received these books through NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own!
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