Fiction, Cozy Mystery,

3***

Blurb: When a festival honoring local farmers is marred by murder, cook-off contestant Sherry Oliveri will have to harvest the clues to catch a killer . . . The tight-knit community of Augustin has always valued its local farmers, and this year’s fair to honor them features a cook-off with Sherry Oliveri in the running. The sponsor of the event is an heirloom potato farm run by a man and his two sons, but tensions rise when one of the sons begins pulling away from the family business. With the young man’s father dead-set on preserving his traditional way of life, the festive celebration takes a dark turn when the rebellious son is found murdered. Unwilling to believe that the man could have killed his own son, Sherry turns a suspicious eye on a local real estate developer, who might literally have killed to get his hands on the property. But Sherry knows the most likely suspect isn’t always the culprit, and soon she turns to others in the community to unearth any evidence they can find. Because Sherry will need all the help she can get to catch the killer and save the farm—and her own life . . . Includes mouthwatering recipes from Sherry’s kitchen!

THOUGHTS: Who would have thought that potatoes could be the reason for murder? The Augustin festival is holding a cook-off featuring potatoes and Sherry Oliveri is a seasoned cooking competitor. While she is busy coming up with the perfect recipe, there are some nasty things going on with the owners of the local potato farm–the sponsors of the contest.

I had a little trouble getting into the story. I will say that the world building was very well done. I learned a lot about potato farming and storage. I never realized how much was involved. It was the characters I had a problem with. I just couldn’t accept some of them as realistic. And the interaction between them just didn’t grab me. And the ending… I was frustrated by the reveal in that several clues were given only then and not throughout the story. And the contest…. I really felt let down by the solution. It was nicely done, but… it just seemed too easy. Too pat. But I understand the reasoning behind it.

So… a decent murder mystery with lots of secrets and issues, but some problems for me. And remember, these are just my thoughts. Someone else might have absolutely loved the story.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”