Ex-cop Abigail Mackenzie has started a second career--as a farmer. Raising chickens, keeping bees, and growing heirloom vegetables on her farmette in the Bay Area, Abby has a peaceful life. Yet trouble just seems to make a beeline for her. . .
When Abby attempts to deliver her artisanal honey to local pastry chef Jean-Louis Bonheur and finds him dead in his shop, her investigative instincts kick in. After the chef's handsome brother insists on hiring Abby to find out who killed Jean-Louis, she must sort through a swarm of suspects. But as she closes in on the truth, she'll need more than her beekeeper suit to protect her from a killer's sting[summary via Amazon]
I'm a new series addict! Being a cozy mystery reader, with a handful of new series out every month, I get more than my fill of my addiction. Usually amongst them is cozy mysteries with unique themes and these are the ones that I'm drawn to.
Beeline to Murder was my first cozy mystery that centered around honey-making and it certainly won't be my last. I'm certainly no gardener! In fact the words "black thumb" have been spoken about me more than once. So even though I love cozy mysteries I wasn't sure if I would like a mystery that is set on a farmette and involved honeybees - even though I do love honey! Well I absolutely loved this mystery!!
In Beeline to Murder we meet Abby, who is retired from the police force and is now running her own farmette. She stumbles upon the dead body of Chef Jean-Louis and gets involved in the investigation, prompted by her friend and police officer, Kat.
I enjoyed every aspect of this mystery, and I especially love that Abby wasn't just a "snoop". She is hired by Jean-Louis' brother to proof that his brother didn't commit suicide. This gives her a legitimate excuse to investigate, and being an ex-cop she doesn't hesitate to investigate. I really liked this angle that the author has taken. While I do enjoy the mysteries with the "snoop", sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong, it was enjoyable to read a mystery with a ex-cop farmette girl!
With plenty of interesting characters, a unputdownable mystery and tantalizing honey recipes, Beeline to Murder hit all the right marks with me, and I will definitely be back for a second round when book two in the series is released.
Beeline to Murder sounds very interesting. That might be my next read.
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