Peanut Butter Panic (Amish Candy Shop Mystery #7), by Amanda Flower

 

 

Is it good or bad that at one point I was so caught up in the antics of Jethro the pig that I momentarily forgot there was a murder? I'm going with good. It simply shows how focused main character Bailey King could be in the face of, well, I won't share because I want you to enjoy them as they happen, but will say in the face of some funny but pulse raising events. Heck, she even manages to elude some attack turkeys. Nope, don't ask. Not telling. You really, really need to read this book.

In any case, back to the murder. If it wasn't bad enough that Margot, organizer of Harvest, Ohio's Thanksgiving festivities, is upset by the visit of her overbearing, self-focused, and, well, terribly unlikable mother, Zara, but her mother's much younger boyfriend is murdered at the event. Who did it and why? Was it daughter Margot, already distressed by her mother's unexpected visit? How about one of the Amish who suffered because of the harsh punishments Zara doled out as a judge? Or, hmm, maybe someone from Blaze's own past? How will Bailey sort it all out while getting up to make candy for the shop in what amounts to the middle of the night for most of us, babysitting Jethro, juggling her media presence, avoiding the sharp teeth of Zara's little dog Gator, making future business plans, investigating the murder, and trying to sort out her own relationship with Aiden? There are even some genuine booby-traps she has to avoid.

Nope, not telling, but you'll enjoy the ride. Not only is Bailey likable but her family and friends are, too. They're people we'd like to know and spend time with. I love how sensitive Bailey is to the Amish community, for instance, an affection that isn't always readily returned, but it shows her caring personality. Aiden, the love interest, shows an emotional, caring side of himself, too, and, well, his mother seems to be a lovable force all her own. Read this one. You'll love it. Number 7 in Amanda Flower's longer running series to date, "Peanut Butter Panic" is a winner. I hated to see it end.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for allowing me to spend some time with Bailey while I enjoyed Jethro's antics, not to mention flashing back to my own encounter with some "attack turkeys". Amanda Flower knows her farm critters.