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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Kill or Bee Killed, by Jennie Marts

 

Publication June 4, 2024

If you like your cozy mysteries with fun characters and humor, this is the book for you. Bailey Briggs is a successful mystery writer and the situations she and her best friend and sleuthing buddy Evie get into are frequently laugh out loud hilarious to visualize. I won't spoil things for you but will note that water seems to play a role rather often as the plot progresses. In addition to being a writer and sleuth, Bailey is a mom and her relationship with daughter Daisy grabs my attention every time, as does her long-time love for Sawyer, never mind that as a detective he is constantly warning her to stay safe and out of his investigations. I bet you know how well that goes over.

This installment in this relatively young series focuses on bullying and how different people respond to it. My hunch is that you're not going to waste much time feeling sorry for the murder victims. Well, maybe you'll feel a twinge of temporary sorrow for one but, well, you'll seen why I use the word temporary. There is more than one side to the various stories and, to be oblique, it's complex, especially for a story that starts out seeming to be about a competitive bake-off in the small town of Humble Hills, Colorado. Will Evie win? How does Sawyer always seem to be on the spot to rescue Bailey (and usually Evie) from some hijinx they've gotten themselves into? Do all morticians have a wicked quirky sense of humor?  Would you dress up as a bear for a 3K Bear Run? What creates a bully? How far would you go to get even? 

And, whoa, how the heck do Daisy and Bailey both wind up in the hospital? Oh, come on. You knew Bailey would find herself in danger, so that's not really a spoiler. And, speaking of Daisy, who.....oh, never mind. No more teasers. Just kick back, enjoy the quirky characters, humor, and budding romances, not to mention adorable dogs. Thanks #NetGalley and  #CrookedLaneBooks for inviting me to the Bee Festival. I'll note that you'll learn a bit about bees and bee keeping as you read, too, while the end recipes will have you heading in search of a sweet treat. With honey maybe?

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