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Wine jelly. Watermelon pickles. And a suicidal stalker? Great.Thirty-something crafter extraordinaire Sophie Mae Reynolds makes preserves by day and answers a crisis center help referral line by night. What better way to help people while still keeping a low profile? But on her very first night, she gets a call from a man who is threatening suicide . . . and her. Angrily deeming the caller a crank, her boss, Philip Heaven, disconnects the line. Days later, Philip dies from a nasty case of show more botulism. Now, as a stalker singles out Sophie Mae, Philip's eerie last words keep coming back to haunt her: Threat. Meant it.
Stirring up the town with talk of murder by preserves, can Sophie Mae and her handsome boyfriend Detective Barr Ambrose spoil a mad murderer's poisonous plans?
This dangerously delicious second book in the Home Crafting Mystery series also includes recipes for preserves and beauty products!
Praise:
"McRae writes about characters that we really care about, and her plot is thoroughly credible. Sophie Mae and her friends deserve many more adventures."—Booklist
"There’s something special about Ms. McRae as her strong characters and unique plot are definitely spellbinding."—Sydney Star Observer
"Murder by preserves promises your enjoyment of McRae's humor."—The Coloradoan
"Sophie Mae is a confident woman with an appetite for mystery and Heaven Preserve Us is a good one. The characters are engaging, the story intriguing, and the book a pleasure to read."—Mysterious Reviews
“McRae delivers another satisfying and clever novel with an intriguing plot—murder by botulism."—Fresh Fiction
"Nicely paced without any time wasted, Heaven Preserve Us does a fine job of leading the readers through the investigation with no false starts or cheap side trips...solid and entertaining."—Reviewing the Evidence
"McRae ably navigates the waters of small-town crime, establishing believable characters and capturing the charm and camaraderie of the denizens of Cadyville. This town might well be worth visiting frequently."—Gumshoe Review
“Sophie Mae is a top-notch cozy heroine."—Cozy Library
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Member Reviews
The second book was as much fun as the first, though this time the main characters involvement in the mystery felt a bit more forced and some of her choices, as well as the reactions of the people in her life grated on my nerves as unrealistic in the real world. That is often the biggest downside to cozy mysteries for me, it’s hard to justify the same person getting involved in so many mysteries in a small community that you just have to suspend disbelief and move on.
That said though I really enjoyed the character development and the mystery itself was interesting and was resolved nicely, both of which more than made up for any shortfalls elsewhere for me.
That said though I really enjoyed the character development and the mystery itself was interesting and was resolved nicely, both of which more than made up for any shortfalls elsewhere for me.
A Book Bub cozy mystery. Quick, fun read. KIRKUS REVIEWIs a case of death by botulism a terrible accident or murder?While doing volunteer work answering the Heaven House Helpline, soapmaker Sophie Mae Reynolds is disturbed by a caller who seems to be stalking her rather than asking for professional help. Her concerns for herself pale, however, when Heaven House director Philip Heaven dies a nasty death in front of her eyes. Her boyfriend, policeman Barr Ambrose, ends up in the hospital with the same symptoms but survives. The authorities blame these developments on a bad jar of home-canned beets. But Sophie Mae, fresh from recently solving a murder, has a feeling this was no accident. It turns out that all the programs Philip Heaven was show more pledged to support went by the wayside so that he could spend the funds on himself. Sophie Mae is also worried about her housemate Meghan Bly, who?s dating another volunteer at Heaven House, a man who seems to have no past. As Barr rests up in Sophie Mae?s spare bedroom, the local force, stretched tight, has brought in a gorgeous, supercilious Seattle detective to help find the serial attacker plaguing the area. With no help forthcoming from the police, it is up to Sophie Mae to track down a killer and expose her stalker.Stubborn Sophie Mae?s sophomore case provides her with more intriguing opportunities for sleuthing than her debut (Lye in Wait, 2007) ever did. show less
Simple mystery about Sophie Mae and her persistence in finding out who murdered Philip. Quick read.
Decent enough cozy with some nice aromatherapy recipes. Marred by formatting and spelling errors.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
Decent cozy mystery set in eastern Washington state.
Decent cozy mystery set in eastern Washington state.
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Author Information
6 Works 606 Members
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Heaven Preserve Us
- Original publication date
- 2008
- People/Characters
- Sophie Mae Reynolds; Philip Heaven; Detective Barr
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 149
- Popularity
- 218,992
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.38)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 2
