Gin JonesReviews

This is book two in the series. It was my first time reading this series and I did not notice it wasn’t the first book until I was done. I need to read the first book now because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I put this on my TBR because I happen to love rhubarb and garlic, though not together. There are two rhubarb recipes in the back that were mentioned in the book. I was happy to see the stewed rhubarb as I never had that. When I read it in the book, I thought I was going to have to google it.
Mabel has come to her aunt’s garlic farm with the intention of selling it. However things did not work out that way as quickly as she hoped. When she discovers the body of a murdered man she finds herself high on the suspect list. Will she be able to prove her innocence? Will she find a buyer for the farm? I liked Mabel. She was different from so many sleuths in the cozy mysteries I have read. Her differences made her interesting to me. I especially liked her observations. I like Rory who becomes her friend and the way she kind of forced her way into Mabel’s life. I think she is good for Mabel. Mabel adopts a cat then finds herself the caretaker of a pregnant cat who belonged to the murder victim. I enjoyed reading about the cats. I found myself engrossed in this mystery which I saw as multilayered. There were a few suspects but I honestly was so interested in the whole story, I can’t tell you if they were easy or difficult to guess at. I was caught up in the farm and the rhubarb. I am going to go look at book one now. I’m intrigued. I think you should read it.
I won a kindle copy of this title in a Goodreads Giveaway. No review was required. I voluntarily reviewed this book based on my enjoyment of it. I appreciate Goodreads, Kensington/Lyrical and the author providing a copy of the book for the giveaway.

whodunit, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, wedding-madness, cozy-mystery, family-dynamics, friendship*****

Mabel had been suddenly orphaned at twelve and was more comfortable with her computer work than dealing with interpersonal problems. But she is still in western Massachusetts trying to sell her aunt's garlic farm instead of back home in Maine. She is trying to hire a farm manager, dealing with the nice man she is dating, and had agreed to host a wedding in her lavender field. And the the obnoxious best man falls dead and she has to put up with an incompetent wedding planner and a hostile cop. Let the sleuthing begin! Twisty and full of red herrings! I enjoyed the story a lot and read it in one sitting!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I was intrigued by the name of the series, "A Garlic Farm Mystery" as I love Italian cooking and especially Italian selections made with garlic. Garlic knots are always the perfect accompaniment to any order of pasta dishes. But as I viewed the title, I realized I didn't have any clue as to how garlic is grown. Reading this cozy seemed a delicious way to explore the topic.

Just like Mabel Skinner I'm much more comfortable at a computer than thinking of working on a farm. Even though Mabel kept telling herself she was taking care of her Aunt Peggy's farm in western Massachusetts to honor her aunt and her reputation of having the "best garlic on the east coast" Mabel's actions are quite impressive.

For feline lovers, there is an adorable cat named "Pixie" but with a very interesting habit. For cooks, there are a few recipes at the end of the mystery.

I certainly learned more than I ever wanted to know about growing and harvesting garlic but in a charming way that can only be found within a cozy mystery. I'm glad I stepped away from my comfort zone to read about a niece stepping away from hers. Although I didn't anticipate continuing to read the series, the next title is "Rhubarb Pie Before You Die" and I love rhubarb pie (even more than garlic).

Rhubarb Pie Before You Die by Gin Jones is the 2nd A Garlic Farm Mystery series. It can be read on its own if you have not read Six Cloves Under. I found Rhubarb Pie Before You Die to be easy to read with an interesting cast of characters that includes cats. Mabel is doing her app work as well as keeping the farm running with help from her friends, neighbors, and co-op members. While Mabel likes the nearby town and the friends she has made, she still wishes to return to her regular life. She is thrilled when the local realtor finds a buyer for the farm who assures her that he is going to maintain the farm and is eager to get started. Mabel decides to have her lawyer check out this buyer before signing on the dotted line. The problem is, though, that her lawyer is failing to answer his phone or return her calls. Mabel’s life if further complicated when she stumbles upon the local rhubarb farmer dead in his greenhouse after she had a public altercation with him over grass clippings (they are organic which is desirable for the farmers). Mabel is once again under suspicion which has her donning her sleuthing cap to prove her innocence. I found Rhubarb Pie Before You Die to be lacking in depth and there is too much repetition especially regarding the list of suspects. She calls her lawyer who does not answer, feeds the cats, the one cat meows frequently, and the sale of the farm are some of the repetitive scenes. The mystery was light and can easily be solved by readers. It was interesting to learn about rhubarb and there are recipes at the end. I do like that Mabel is an introvert who prefers to work at night (I am the same way). This gives us a different type of cozy mystery protagonist. For those looking for an escape story (an easy breezy relaxing story), then you will enjoy Rhubarb Pie Before You Die. Rhubarb Pie Before You Die is a lighthearted cozy mystery with clipping chaos, fervent rhubarb farmer, cute cats, a neglectful lawyer, and an eager beaver buyer.

Christmas cozy that takes place all in one day in one location, which is unlike any cozy I have read before.

Rhubarb Pie Before You Die is the second book in the A Garlic Farm Mystery series by Gin Jones.

Mabel is still looking for a buyer for the farm that she inherited from her aunt. The farm raises the best garlic on the East Coast, but Mabel doesn’t want to be a farmer and only wants to find a buyer that will continue to farm the land.

Mabel and her good friend and mentor, Rory, are going through a nearby development, picking up bags of yard waste that they plan to use as compost for the garlic that will soon need planting. Graham Winthrop soon accosts them, stating that they are stealing “his stuff” that he uses on his rhubarb seedlings.

The next morning, she will apologize to Graham, as she is worried that if he contacts city officials, Rory’s husband, a police officer, might get into trouble. She enters his greenhouse, calling out to him, and receives no response. She takes in how well organized and neat everything is. Mabel is also talking to Graham about his rhubarb garden but soon realizes that won’t happen, as she has come across his dead body. Mabel is sure once the police learn of her argument with Graham, she will become a suspect. Mabel wants this cleared up quickly, so if a buyer is found for the farm, she can head back to Maine’s home. She will soon find a few suspects that might want him out of the picture.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I was hoping that Mabel’s whining about finding a buyer would soon be put to rest. Instead of continually calling her lawyer’s cell phone, and as necessary it was to talk with him, she should have called his business number. I did enjoy the other characters and thought they were interesting and likable.

I enjoyed reading about gardening/farming and hoped that I would find this an interesting series, but it’s not to be.

I had high hopes for Rhubarb Pie Before You Die by Gin Jones, especially since she has two other mystery series out. I’ve been noticing a trend though, when authors have multiple series out, at least one of them tends to suffer. Perhaps because they have too much going on or authors are expected to pump books out so quickly. Not even 10 years ago you would maybe get one book from an author a year, and be happy about it. But now people are expecting two or more books a year, and some authors even churn out five or six books a year. I know the competition is fierce for readers and the pay isn’t great, but I would rather wait two years for a good book than keep reading mediocre ones.

I did love the premise of Rhubarb Pie Before You Die; an introverted app developer who lives in the city takes over her dead aunt’s busy country farm. It’s ripe for quirky characters and farming mishaps.

And some of the characters were enduring; Pixie, the cat, who barely likes anyone, Billie Jean, the pregnant momma cat who seems to be a bit feral and hates everyone (but I would too if I was about ready to pop), Rory, another farmer who is super supportive, and Josephine, the spunky, older librarian.

There was just so much repetition. It felt like Jones had mapped out the eight main scenes and just kept repeating the same things in between. Mabel keeps calling her lawyer who fixes everything for her, but he isn’t picking up. Mabel wants to leave, but only when she finds a farmer who will keep running her aunt’s farm. She has to feed the cats and Pixie meows a lot since the farm continually has people stopping by. And Mabel goes over the suspects over and over and over and over.

With so many cozy series out there I won’t be reading more in this one. But there is a reader for every book, so to those who enjoy it, that does make me happy.

whodunit, cozy-mystery, friendship, amateur-sleuth*****

Suddenly orphaned at twelve and more comfortable with computer work than dealing with interpersonal problems, Mabel Skinner is still in western Massachusetts trying to sell her aunt's garlic farm instead of back home in Maine. While doing a sneaky raid on yard waste in another part of town with one of her new friends she comes into confrontational contact with a man who wants the impending compost for his own asparagus operation. But the next day, when she goes to reason with the man, she finds him dead his greenhouse. Guess who the inexperienced detective figures for the chief suspect. Mabel learns sleuthing with the helps of several of her new friends, including the town librarian, while learning if she really wants to sell the farm. Twisty and full of red herrings!
I enjoyed the story a lot and read it in one sitting!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Six Cloves Under by Gin Jones has Mabel Skinner inheriting her aunt’s garlic farm, Stinkin’ Stuff Farm in West Slocum, Massachusetts. Being an app developer, Mabel does not know a thing about farming. She is dumped in the deep end because the garlic must be harvested within the next three days. The more Mabel learns about her aunt’s death and the farm, the more she suspects that her Aunt Peggy’s death was not accidental. Mabel will have to proceed with caution if she does not want to tip off the killer and end up as fertilizer food. Six Cloves Under is the amusing debut of A Garlic Farm Mystery series. Mabel Skinner is an interesting character. She is an app developer who prefers to work at night (I can relate). She goes to bed around 3 a.m. and considers noon to be morning. I did not appreciate Mabel’s abruptness and rudeness with people. I can understand being cranky when being awoken at the crack of dawn (7 a.m.), but you can still be polite. Mabel is also an introvert and an analytical thinker. I did think that Mabel being a night owl was overmentioned (I got it after the first five times). There is a nice cast of secondary characters that round out the story especially the friendly next-door neighbor, Emily Cotter. I liked that the author chose a garlic farm for the setting. It is unique for a cozy mystery. There is also a lavender field which sounded like it is lovely when in full bloom. I enjoyed learning more about the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program that the area farms are involved in. The mystery was different for a cozy. Peggy’s death had not been ruled murder, but I had to agree with Mabel that things did not add up. While I identified the guilty party early on, I enjoyed following Mabel as she put together the clues. Six Cloves Under is a fun tale with glorious garlic, a crop conundrum, a shortage of sleep, developing deadlines, friendly farmers, and a confounding crime.

Six Cloves Under is the first book in A Garlic Farm Mystery.

Mabel is an App developer and likes her life of solitude in remote Maine. She is soon saddened to learn that her Aunt Peggy has died, she hasn’t seen her aunt in nearly 10 years but has kept in touch through Christmas and birthday cards and emails. Aunt Peggy’s lawyer informs her that she has inherited her garlic farm, Stinkin’ Stuff Farm. Mabel packs the car and heads to Western Massachusetts intending to put the farm up for sale since she has no idea of running a farm or real desire to do so. She might have to interact with people and that is not one of her strong points. She finds when she arrives she has no cell phone service or is there any internet.

The next morning Mabel finds the neighbor in the kitchen preparing breakfast and soon another friend of her aunts arrives. They soon tell her that the garlic has to be harvested within the next four days or the rains that are coming, will the rest to rot. While getting ready for the harvest, she starts asking questions about how her aunt died. The more she hears, the more she is convinced that her aunt didn’t die from natural causes
as was reported by the coroner. She needs to learn why her aunt was at the back end of the property late, late at night and who was stealing garlic from the fields and trying to sabotage her fields. Mabel soon learns that her aunt was well respected in the small community of West Slocum and many are hopeful that the farm will continue to harvest the best garlic on the East Coast.

I enjoyed this book. I’ve had gardens in the past, but never attempted to grow garlic and enjoyed learning about the growing process. The story is well-developed and written. The characters are well-developed, likable and interesting. Because of Mabel being an introvert, I had a hard time getting into her character at first. Most everyone was so willing to help her that she was able to come out of her “shell” before long. There were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end as to the murderer.

There are also delicious sounding recipes in the book.

I will be sure to watch for the next book in this delightful new series.

A nice little mystery with a likable main character. I felt the book started a little slow, but the second half really picked up. I liked that Helen is struggling with Lupus, and has to deal with it throughout the course of the book. I liked the characters Zoey and Joey. They were like comic relief, but not really. The mystery itself was interesting and the resolution was satisfying.

law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, murder-investigation, suspense ------
Well done! The mystery aspect was very well plotted, the characters believable and interesting, and the quilting lessons informative. It's not that new suspects kept appearing, but that new evidence would point to a different person in this version of a locked room mystery. Add in some tidbits regarding autonomic syncope, diabetes, and a really annoying person of the AR variety, and this one is right up my alley!

Forced by an invisible stress related disability to abandon her high profile law practice, Keeley moves from Seattle to Danger Cove. Once there, she makes friends and works to become a certified quilt appraiser. She also becomes more involved with the quilters guild, to the point of beginning to learn to quilt. At one of the meetings, a man arrives looking for a quilt appraiser as part of processing an inheritance. It turns out the the deceased was not only known to the group, but that she had been murdered several weeks ago. And so it begins.
Interesting characters, twisty plot, incipient romance, and generally a good read for any season!

I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review, but I sew and have a little knowledge in quilts. Keely Fairchild had quit her job as a lawyer when she was diagnosed with a disease that sent her to a place where she didn't need to stress about her clients and she moved to Danger Cove. It really was a small town where everyone knew each other, and she accidentally ended up investigating a murder! She was honored to be asked to give free appraisals by the Historical Museum when they began to make their miniature ornaments for their Christmas tree. Keely could hardly hold a needle and was glad she'd not asked to sew! When the owner of The Tree of Life quilt is fatally stabbed to death, she finds herself in the middle of ANOTHER murder, and although she promised to stay out of this time, there was no way she could.....................