Prolific cozy mystery writer Amanda Flower is out with a new series. I was drawn to this series by the fresh look of the cover and the fun title. I'm excited to say this is the book of the month for June's Cozy Mystery Book Club. I am reading it early because this is when I was able to borrow it from my library!
This is the story of Shiloh Bellamy who grew up on a farm in Northwestern Michigan and then moved to California where she built a career as a television producer. Now she is back in her hometown to help her very taciturn father save their farm which has gone fallow (i.e. weeds no crops). First, she finds out the family home is in terrible shape and then she stumbles across a dead body.
I had trouble reconciling Shiloh's career as a television producer, a tough job that requires the ability to lead as well as sell people on ideas and meet tough deadlines, with her passivity and lack of self-confidence in the book. Far too often people berate her, far too often she is running here and there chasing after things other people want her to do. Her personality didn't match a successful 38-year-old television producer.
The person who is killed is a terrible person, that is always a plus in my book when it comes to cozy mysteries. However, in this book, Shiloh has more than a couple of unpleasant friends and family. I didn't enjoy spending time with them as the book progressed.
Cozies are so much about plucky MCs and Community. I love reading about protagonists who aren't afraid to ask questions or speak up for themselves and in this book Shiloh doesn't advocate for herself and is surrounded by people who are family who mistreat her and acquaintances who call her a murderer and a killer from the moment of the murder.
This is a three-star read for me.
*****
Can you believe it is already just about mid-May? My oldest has finished his Junior year of college and second son is finishing his first year of college finals this week, and my youngest child is at an AP test right now. We can taste summertime! However, the weather has been more like the Ides of March than the cusp of summer for the past week. My weather app says we should start seeing 70s by next week; but, that is what the app said last week and all we got were the mid-50s. Not Cool Mother Nature! --Well really, it is cool, that's the problem!
Time files!
