The Murder of a Queen Bee

August 29, 2016
Lester ticks all the boxes in her pleasant but formulaic second Henny Penny Farmette mystery (after 2015’s A Beeline to Murder). After herbalist Fiona Mary Sullivan fails to show up for lunch with farmer Abigail Mackenzie, Abby is horrified to learn that Fiona has been discovered dead in a burning car in the woods outside Las Flores, Calif. The coroner’s report concludes that Fiona was dead before someone placed her in the car. Lester overdoes the detail about the wine-country locale, beekeeping, gardening, cooking, Abby’s fetching outfits, and her complicated love life. Distracting Abby, a former cop, from her investigation are her bad-boy ex, her strong and silent widowed neighbor, and Fiona’s charming, hunky brother. In the end, Abby doesn’t have too much trouble identifying who killed Fiona. This one is for lovers of cozy mysteries that are heavy on the cozy and light on the mystery. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott-Notch Literary Agency.

July 15, 2016
A beekeeper gets a second chance at love and solving a murder.Former police officer Abigail Mackenzie and her ex-partner Kat Petrovsky are supposed to be having lunch at Abby's farmette with local shop owner Fiona Mary Sullivan, who'd asked to have a talk with Abby. Fiona recently split from a New Age group whose new leader created a cultish atmosphere, leaving her husband, Tom Davidson Dodge, behind at the commune. When Kat gets a call reporting a burning car with a body, both of them rush to the scene to discover that the body is Fiona's. The police chief wants no interference from Abby, but she can hardly help investigating the murder of a friend. After being nearly forced off the road and shot at, she's not in the mood to discuss relationship problems with Clay Calhoun, the sexy carpenter who loved her and left her heartbroken. Clay evidently wants her back. He plans a fabulous bathroom makeover as a gift to help win her. Meanwhile, Abby helps Fiona's brother, Jack Sullivan, straighten out Fiona's affairs and seeks to discover what lock a mysterious key Abby found in one of Fiona's diaries unlocks. Though there are plenty of suspects for Abby and the police to check out, Abby naturally finds it hard to concentrate on murder while she's trying to decide what to do about Clay and her newfound attraction to Jack.The second from Lester (A Beeline To Murder, 2016) is long on romance, sweet tips, and honey recipes. There's a thin little mystery, too.

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September 1, 2016
Former cop turned beekeeper Abby Mackenzie invites her good friend, free spirit Fiona Mary Ryan, to luncheon after Fiona tells Abby she wants to talk to her as soon as possible. After Fiona fails to show up, Abby learns that her friend was found dead in her burnt-out car. Abby feels compelled to investigate, and, after a rocky start, she enlists the help of Fiona's brother, Jack. It turns out that Fiona had recently left a cult where her estranged husband still lives, had broken up with a boyfriend, and had been involved in an altercation with an unknown man, all of which adds up to many suspects. During her investigation, Abby's former boyfriend, the self-centered Clay Calhoun, who broke her heart, returns asking for a second chance, but Abby is unsure if she wants him back. Framed with details of beekeeping, herb growing, and living and working on a small farm in California, this charming cozy also includes well-drawn, engaging characters and a promising new romance for Abby.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)