May 1, 2023
Another murder roils the peaceful surface of Harvest, Ohio, a town located in an Amish area filled with farms and quaint shops that attract plenty of tourists. Bailey King left a job with a New York City chocolatier to return home and help her grandmother run Swissmen Sweets in Harvest. Business is good, and her reality TV show, Bailey's Amish Sweets, has helped bring her dream of a chocolate factory close to fruition. Just as a camera crew arrives in town to record her progress, her contractor, Wade Farmer, stops working, suspiciously demanding more money from her and all his clients. Bailey's boyfriend, Aiden Brook, has been working for the state Bureau of Investigation in Columbus for the past year, but he's given up his job to move home and set up as a private investigator. When Wade is found shot dead at the shell of her factory, Bailey knows she may be a suspect because she'd just fired him. Her cousin Charlotte Weaver, who's making a splash as Blueberry Princess at the town's summer Bash, is engaged to Deputy Luke Little of the local sheriff's office and estranged from her Amish family, which blames Bailey for her defection. When Charlotte's conservative father is arrested for the crime, Bailey knows she must investigate. With Aiden's mother's pet pig in tow, she visits Amish and English suspects alike in an attempt to uncover a motive. Mystery, humor, and romance mix with an overview of the diverse spectrum of Amish beliefs.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
May 1, 2023
Co-owner of Swissmen Sweets in Harvest, Ohio, Bailey King fires her general contractor, Wade Farmer, who for weeks has not made any progress on the construction of her new candy factory. Wade is furious and threatens Bailey, and she becomes the chief suspect when Wade is found dead at the factory. However, the sheriff soon turns his attention to her cousin Charlotte's Amish father when it is determined his rifle fired the fatal shot. Even though Charlotte is being shunned by her family due to her leaving the Amish faith, she assists Bailey with her investigation to clear her father. It turns out Bailey wasn't the only one having business troubles with Wade. During Bailey's investigation she must dodge television producer Devon Cruz, who is supposed to be filming the candy company construction but keeps worming her way into the investigation. Enlivened by the antics of Jethro, the miniature pig, this satisfying cozy with its details of candy making, the eighth in Flower's Amish Candy Shop series, also illuminates small-town life through its lovingly described setting and well-defined characters.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 1, 2024
Bailey King, candy shop owner and star of TV's Bailey's Amish Sweets, is back for another mystery-filled adventure in the town of Harvest, OH. It's right before Christmas, and Bailey has a lot to be excited for this holiday season. She's engaged to Sheriff Aiden Brody, celebrating the grand opening of her new candy factory, and looking forward to a long-overdue visit from her jet-setting parents. However, between a series of burglaries worrying townsfolk, an unexpected wedding planner, babysitting a troublesome pig, and the tragic demise of one of her employees, Bailey is once again searching for answers. When she learns her employee's death was more than an accident, Bailey's innocent pursuit of answers and empathetic effort to reunite a local family put her in danger and illuminate secrets that some wish would stay hidden. VERDICT This follow-up to Blueberry Blunder is perfect for series fans and readers who enjoy cozy mysteries and books that explore the Amish way of life. Even readers unfamiliar with the series who crave a holiday read will enjoy Flower's respectful balance of Amish culture with genre expectations.--Linsey Milillo
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 15, 2024
Christmas and crime threaten the delicate balance that Harvest, Ohio, has established between English and Amish residents. Life is good for Bailey King. She's recently opened Swissmen Candyworks as a counterpart to Swissmen Sweets, the candy store she helps her Amish grandmother run. She's happily engaged to county sheriff Aiden Brody. And she's the go-to sitter for her future mother-in-law's pet pig, Jethro, whose latest feat is covering himself with gingerbread taffy. Lida Lantz, one of her Amish workers, is upset over Jethro's accident, but Bailey, secure in her personal happiness, is more concerned about other things. There's been a series of break-ins at Amish businesses. She's expecting the arrival of her globe-trotting parents--a father who'd grown up Amish, and the English mother he left the community to marry--who've been pushing wedding plans on her. And she's worried about the whereabouts of Lida's brother, Zephaniah, who's supposed to be shoveling the sidewalk. Eventually Bailey spots Zeph putting up a Candy Land piece on her roof at the direction of Margot, the bossy person in charge of town festivities. After Bailey finds Zeph dead below the factory roof and the police find other footprints at the scene, it seems possible that his death was no accident. Zeph had sticky fingers from early childhood. He got into trouble with his family and the Amish community for stealing. And he was probably involved in those break-ins. Adding to Lida's heartbreak, her father refuses to let her continue working for Bailey, who's already helped solve several murders and is determined to learn the truth about Zeph. An inspiring feel-good Christmas mystery mixed with Amish lore and pre-wedding angst.
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