A Hive of Homicides

July 15, 2017
Trouble swarms around beekeeper Abigail Mackenzie (Murder of a Queen Bee, 2016, etc.) as she tries to discover who shot her faithful friend and her friend's faithless husband.Although she swears she's happy as a pig in mud out at her Henny Penny Farmette, ex-cop Abigail can't seem to keep out of the way of the police as they investigate the shootings of Jake Winston and Paola Varela in a sedan outside Jake's family winery just as the couple was about to celebrate the renewal of their wedding vows. Jake was killed and his wife severely injured in the attack. Police Chief Bob Allen threatens severe penalties if Abby doesn't leave the sleuthing to those still on the force. But his threats don't stop her from pestering veteran Sgt. Otto Nowicki or newcomer Lt. Sinclair, trying to find out about their latest leads. She even gets on her best friend Kat Petrovsky's wrong side by asking too much about an ongoing investigation. But as the police focus more and more on Paola's brother, Emilio, Abby feels she has to act. Serial philanderer Jake had plenty of women--and their families--angry with him. If only Abby can find out who might have been killing mad she may be able to save Emilio and spare her friend still more heartache. More moth than bee, Lester's third floats all over the landscape before settling on a target. Interrogations, pie recipes, aphorisms, and disturbingly detailed accounts of bee copulation all vie for the reader's attention.

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August 14, 2017
At the start of Lester’s touching third Henny Penny Farmette mystery (after 2016’s Murder of a Queen Bee), ex-cop-turned-farmer Abigail Mackenzie attends a church ceremony at which her friend Paola Varola renews her wedding vows with Jake Winston, the owner of the Country Schoolhouse Winery in Las Flores, Calif. After the reception at the winery, Abby hears a gunshot and finds Paola gravely wounded and Jake dead in a car parked outside. The police warn her not to interfere, but Abby conducts a quiet investigation on her own. The event awakens long-buried traumas from Abby’s past, and she seeks help with her anxiety from psychologist Olivia Crawford, a newcomer in town who’s also the sister of Abby’s secret crush, Lucas Crawford. After a suspect in the shooting is killed, Abby realizes that someone means to get rid of possible witnesses—including the injured Paola and Abby herself. Lester’s sensitive portrayal of Abby’s struggle with her wounded psyche raises this traditional mystery above the pack. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott-Notch Literary Agency.