Hannah Reed (1)

There is always a lot of action in the small town of Moraine, but the annual Harmony Festival is anything but harmonious. Between the usual squabbles and vendor problems, some impromptu explosions are keeping the townspeople frazzled. This book was well-written as expected, but the storyline was quite different from previous books in the series. Written in Hannah Reed's wry and witty way, some of the characters undergo surprising changes, a metamorphosis so to speak, adding an interesting show more and unexpected factor to the mix.

I really enjoy this series of quirky characters in a small town. A small part of that enjoyment is because I was once a beekeeper, but the author does spice her book up with some interesting honeybee facts and lore, as well as including recipes using honey. This series may come under the classification of cozy, but don't be fooled, they always have a good and surprising mystery to solve and this book was no stranger to the theme. When our heroine, Story, trips over a body in the cemetery, only to have it disappear, no one believes her. Was there a body? Was it overactive imagination in the dark? If there was a body, where did it go? The challenge is to discover if another body found elsewhere is in fact the same one, and if the perpetrator of the crime is a local, a stranger, or a team. Whose body is missing? Why are some townspeople being attacked? And what in the world do hickory nuts have to do with anything?

This is the kind of book where you can recognize some characters, relax and enjoy them, learn something new, but remain on high alert for the chase to find answers and solve the mystery. A very enjoyable book, #3 in the series, it gets better all the time. show less

I love a cozy mystery to relax with, and when it gives me not only an interesting whodunit but something new I can learn about, I always feel like I hit a jackpot. Hannah Reed has done just that with her new series.

Story Fischer is celebrating her divorce from her skirt-chasing now ex-husband, Clay Lane by having a one-day sale on everything in her store, The Wild Clover, and offering champagne. She is also celebrating the kick-off campaign for September National Honey Month. Story has been show more learning beekeeping from her mentor, Manny Chapman, and she is now the proud owner of two strong beehives. Manny has studied and kept a journal on every aspect of honeybees and is the owner operator of the strongest, most productive honey farm in Wisconsin.

Buzz Off is told in first person by Story. Her celebration is interrupted suddenly with the news that Manny is unconscious and may be dead. The police and paramedics can't tell because he is covered with bees and they can't get at him. They need Story to get the bees away. She can not believe he would be killed by honeybees, especially when they have a lot of honey to take back to their hives, but she does notice yellow-jackets among the bees which definitely could do the deed. Unfortunately, nobody believes her. We are now at the crux of the mystery. Story believes it is murder, everyone else thinks the bees killed him and the town, led by the overzealous wife of the town chairman, is out to get Storey's bees.

Moraine is a very small town, more like a neighborhood. As such, readers might think there would be no way for secrets to be kept, but readers, you would be wrong. This town abounds with secrets, even with a very informed but oft mistaken gossip queen in their midst. Hannah Reed has peopled the book with a melange of quirky characters in this small town. The story flows well, the research done by Hannah is excellent, I suspect from her obvious care and knowledge that she is also a beekeeper when she isn't writing. In fact, being around the hives is probably conducive to writing, a music of its own. More character-driven than not, this series promises to be flat out fun, murders aside. I found this book enjoyable, descriptive, and the feel of the book is well-defined. Readers may feel they have been dropped into the story and become a part of it. The crimes are well-plotted and the solutions hinted at remain well-hidden. The heroine is flawed just enough to feel comfortable with, no perfect specimen of femininity here, and she is no slouch under attack, but she is very entertaining. A good beginning to this series, I know I will be following it wherever it takes me. Recipes included. show less

Eden Elliott, in Scotland writing her first novel and doing local color research is asked by Inspector Jameson to take the volunteer position as Special Constable, while the current SC is away at Police School. He was impressed with her logical thinking during her initial involvement with a murder case. Eden accepts before a body appears at the local sheep dog competition. Yarn from one of her friend Vicki's Yarn of the Month Kits is used to strangle the victim. I'm really enjoying this cozy show more series because it is one of the most unique ways of getting the amateur sleuth involved in solving the case. There are great side characters and I love the descriptions and cultural information on Scotland. Highly recommended. show less

This cosy lets you pretend that you are in Scotland. It is a quick and enjoyable read. Eden Elliot has been nursing her mother who passed away and her husband got jealous of all the attention, so he divorced her.

Eden's best friend buys her a round-trip ticket to Scotland to try to cheer her up. The only thing is that she put the return for six weeks later. She thought about backing out but her friend gave her enough push to get there.

On the flight, she met Vickie Mc Bride who was returning show more to her childhood home, bringing her two Westie terriers with her. She was quite chatty and Eden really wanted to be alone but Vickie asked her to be her friend and she agreed.

Eden rented a car and found that it is very difficult to rent an automatic so she had to take a stick shift which scared her to death. I learned how to drive on a stick shift and it was not a pleasant experience, the teacher scolded me for being timid all the time. Eden sets out to go to the village that her friend loves, Glenkillen, and has a disaster driving. A handsome Scot stopped to help her. She decided to trust him because he had a very cute Border Collie with him.

Her new friend, Vickie happens to be going to the same town, and a local sheep shearer is found dead. The town suspects Vickie and Eden is determined to prove them wrong.

We learn about local food, some that I would never want to eat and others that sound delicious, and hear a little of the Scottish dialect and sayings.

I liked this cozy very much, it was direct and entertaining. show less