This is a new series by Amanda Flower. Unlike her other series set in Amish country, this is a farming community in northern Michigan. (if you are a Kid Rock fan and now have that "All Summer Long" line stuck in your head- my apologies )
In this series Shiloh Bellamy has returned how from LA after 15 years. She intended to come home to help revitalize and convert her family farm to an organic farm. Unfortunately for her, financial troubles are the least of her concerns when she comes home.
She discovers she is an outsider in the town she grew up in and has a lot of past demons to contend with upon her return. The characters are well written and complex- they are certainly not all tea and roses but rather have some real issues with real disagreements. As the story progresses we learn more of Shiloh's past and she discovers secrets about her neighbors and family.
The mystery is well written and has multiple layers to the storyline. The clues are well constructed and the guilty party is not at all the expected individual nor is the motive what the reader would expect.
All in all this is a great start to a new series and I look forward to reading more.
Farm to Trouble by Amanda Flower
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this debut in the new series by Amanda Flower. While still set in a rural Midwest farming community this is different from her others which are set in Amish country. This book still has the outsider who is thrown into the role of the detective while trying to help someone she cares about. Unlike the Amish cozies this features Shiloh Bellamy who has returned to help her father resurrect the family farm. Unfortunately things are worse than she expected, not just with the farm but also with her choice of investors. Shiloh quickly learns that Althusser grew up in this northern Michigan town, the locals view her as no soggy from a fudgie and trust her the same. The story is a good mix of plots, drama- family and small town history varieties, and characters. The relationships are layered and full of simmering tensions similar to real life. The mystery keeps the reader guessing and has a great twist or two at the end. Cannot wait to read more in the series
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Challenge Prompts
The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:
- Library Love #LibraryLoveChallenge Book #101
- Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021 Book #109
- Back List Reader #Backlistreader Book #123
- Calendar of Crime #CalendarOfCrime2021
- Cruisin thru Cozies Free choice #70
- Cloak & Dagger #CloakDaggerChal Book #104
- Craving for Cozies Book #88
- Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
- Beachcomber Challenge
- Crime Scenes
- Row 5
- Garden, park, gazebo
- Weapons
- Row 5
- Rifle or shotgun
- Detectives- Shiloh Bellamy
- Victims-Jefferson Crocker
- Six Shooter Challenge Target #6 Shot #5
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