First in a new series called the Henny Penny Farmette
Mystery series, this intriguing title drew me right away. A
BEELINE TO MURDER by Meera Lester does what it says on the
pack.
Abigail Mackenzie is able to cope with a swarm of her bees
searching for a new hive, but a chef who buys her garden
honey, Jean-Louis, is a scarier prospect. When she delivers
the goods to his pastry shop, she's shocked to find him lying dead. Abby has
been a police officer in the past and even as she summons
aid she's searching for clues at what might be a crime
scene. Jean-Louis appears to have been interrupted in the
middle of his normal baking routine. Fortunately, the police
arrive swiftly in the form of Officer Katerina Petrovksy.
The two ladies have been friends since they met in the Napa
Police Academy. They puzzle over the suspicious death. Jean-
Louis was temperamental but generous to a fault, and his
business prospered. Who could have wanted to kill him?
Interestingly the shortage of trained staff leads to
experienced Abby being pretty much deputised to help her
friend secure and search the crime scene. This solves the
issue in amateur sleuth stories of how and why the sleuth
is involved in the police work. In some other books the
police are continually telling a sleuth to stay out of the
situation, or refusing to take their theories seriously.
We get some lovely tips on bee management, such as growing
scented herbs and bright flowers near the hive. The young
bees will grow more quickly with food easily at hand, and
the bees will stay nearby to pollinate your fruit. And
lucky us, there are recipes such as honey-almond madelines
and pecan pie.
One aspect I like is that Abby and Kat get together and
talk quite naturally about clothes, shoes, skirt-chasing
men and other aspects of their lives, not just the crime.
We get a real feel for the town's residents, including a
female coroner and lady councillor. To balance the
achievers, there's a homeless person. The late chef, too,
comes across as a big-hearted personality, part of the life
of Main Street.
Abby is putting a lot of time and effort to build up her
farmette to a stage where it can support her. I was
surprised that Abby wants honey made from eucalyptus, as
this tree is poisonous, but maybe the nectar is not
harmful? Anyway, she accepts the job of helping the chef's
brother find out what really happened after the police deem
the matter a suicide. If we didn't know the title was A
BEELINE TO MURDER, we might have been fooled too. With
amusing quips, evocative scents and nature notes, this
lively story by Meera Lester is going to make a lot of
friends. There's even a recipe for making your own dog
biscuits, Now, that's thoughtful.
After an injury forced her to leave the police department, Abigail Mackenzie started a second career as a farmer. Raising chickens, harvesting honey from her bee colony, and growing heirloom vegetables on her farmette in the beautiful Bay Area town of Las Flores, Abby has embraced all the benefits of a peaceful life. But when she attempts to deliver her trademark honey to local pastry chef Jean-Louis Bonheur and finds him dead in his shop, her old investigative instincts kick in. After the coroner rules the death a suicide, the chef’s handsome French-Canadian brother insists on hiring Abby to find out who really killed Jean-Louis. With the patience of a farmer and the industriousness of a bee, Abby sorts through a swarm of suspects, including the chef’s landlord, his protégé, an eccentric homeless woman, loan sharks, and a brawny biker. But as she closes in on the truth, she’ll need more than her beekeeper suit to protect her from a killer’s sting… Includes farming tips and delicious recipes!
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