Truffle Trouble (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Book 10), by Amanda Flower

 

Publication March 31, 2026

Everyone in the village of Harvest, Ohio, seems to be excited for the upcoming wedding of chocolatier Bailey King and Sheriff Aiden Brody. What could possibly go wrong with a wedding that includes a seven-tier wedding cake and Jethro the pig as ring bearer? I'm sure long time readers can make a close guess and, most likely add, hey, what about a murder? If you're one of those, good guess. Yes, Jethro gets the first bite out of the cake but that ranks as relatively well-behaved for this not-at-all-spoiled pig, but before Bailey and Aiden can make their exit a guest drops dead. Needless to say, not only does the new groom suddenly have to don his role as sheriff but Bailey is quickly on the case as a good friend is initially the most obvious suspect. Add on Margot Rawling guilt tripping Bailey into being front-and-center for the upcoming summer wine tasting event since the honeymoon was obviously delayed, her family's needs, and, of course, pig sitting Jethro, and Bailey barely has time to get used to her new title of wife. 

This is the 10th book in this series that I've so come to enjoy. The regulars are all well-fleshed out, though new readers may wonder about that brick in Lois' bag, and generally likable. True, I'm not too fond of the overbearing Margot or Ruth Yoder but even they have their good points, albeit I do wish Bailey would learn to stand up for herself a bit more where they're concerned. Even if you're unfamiliar with the Amish culture, this book does an excellent job explaining not just the beliefs but the thoughts behind them. True, Bailey may have wished not to have been stuck behind a couple slow moving horse and buggies at one point but she respects their role in the Amish way of life. She struggles to smooth the way for Margot's wine tasting event even when it isn't well received by the community but makes it work, for instance.

Speaking of the wine tasting event, the four wine representative involved have a lot of drama behind their interaction. That does nothing to make the already crunched for time Bailey's job easier as she finds herself investigating rather than honeymooning. I don't want to share any more of the plot except to say everything somehow seems to be intertwined. As usual, it's fun to try to sift through the clues as Bailey finds them while laughing at the antics of Jethro. Unfortunately, Bailey isn't quite as amused by them as usual due to her worries about her grandmother's health and her friend being a suspect. The plot moves along quickly and works well as a standalone although this is such a fun series I recommend you check it out in full as some point as it'll give you some insight into inter-relationships and how the past has shaped the regulars that, while explained to satisfaction, doesn't go into the depth long time readers will have. Thanks #KensingtonPress for this early peek at characters I feel like I've come to know as friends while enjoying the quirkiness and warmth of the village of Harvest. Have some chocolate hand as you read, everyone, and be sure to check out the recipes at the end. I bet Jethro isn't the only one with a weakness for truffles. Grin. 

Caught in the Traminette, by J. C. Eaton

 

Publication Nov. 7, 2023

If you don't know much about how wineries operate, not to mention what a traminette is, you'll know by the time you finish this book. You'll also know more about cockroach DNA than perhaps you want to know, which puts you right up there with main character Norrie Ellington. A reluctant temporary convert to running a winery, Norrie is still learning the ins and outs of wine making. She wishes the winery's real owners, her sister and brother-in-law, would quit chasing, well, bugs/insects in the far corners of the world and come home and stop sending her stuff like cockroach DNA. She'd like to get back to her real job of screenwriting, even if some of the ideas tossed her way by her publisher make her cringe.

I won't do a deep dive into the plot other than to say it largely evolves around finding out who murdered Stanley Hurst, the man wanting to build a supposedly luxury resort in their small town. It'd ruin more than the view, most likely meaning the end to several local businesses. Many community business reps, including Norrie, spoke out against the development but it was okayed anyway. Then Stanley is found dead. It's when Norrie's friend Madeline becomes the chief suspect that Norrie becomes involved. But, wait...there are other suspects. Stanley's proposal was not popular, to be honest, leading to the question of why it was passed. And, Zenora, the local psychic, seems to be one a roll for accurate, rather scary predictions. Maybe Norrie should have burned that sage.

Bottom line, this was a quick, fun read but seemed to start slowly for me.  I liked the characters but it took me awhile to get them straight in my head, which may be on me for finding things slow going. There were also lots of coincidences. 3.5 rounded to a 4 star. I did enjoy the interactions between the characters although, whoa, given how often they prompted or warned each other with a kick under the tables, Norrie and friend Theo must be constantly black-and-blue. They work well together, however, despite this rather painful prompt. Even the flamboyant psychic, Zenora, seemed to have a heart of gold. Thanks #NetGalley and #BeyondThePagePublishing for introducing me to Norrie and her circle of friends. I'll be on the lookout for her next adventure now that I've got everyone straight. That last "catch" was a hoot.