Wren Johnson runs the boutique, Let It Bee, selling honey and

accessories that feature in the Oregon Honeycomb Mystery

series. Life is far from quiet, and minding her beeswax turns

out to be A MATTER OF HIVE AND DEATH. Law officer Jim Hampton

asks Wren not to investigate, but you’ll know how far that

gets him.

Oceanview, Oregon seems like a lovely town most weeks. Wren

has been in business for two years, and her store’s hive is

thriving. She makes good sales from candles and face creams as

well as golden honey. A UFO festival in town might bring new

shoppers. But problems arise that aren’t caused by aliens.

Wren takes her friendly Havana Brown cat, Everett, on his

harness and lead to visit Elias Brentwood, the main supplier

of local fruit tree blossom honey. He’s lying in the grass and

his bees are zooming around looking angry. The hives seem to

be damaged. Poor Wren has to call 911 and get help, then call

a different beekeeper to manage the swarms of homeless bees.

Turns out the local bee world was aware that someone unknown

was destroying the beehives of the local farmers. Some were just

slightly vandalised, but the damage has escalated, and now a

beekeeper has been assaulted. The beekeepers call a meeting.

Aunt Eloise, who breeds Havana Brown cats and runs a rescue

for them as well, is on hand to be supportive, and she tries

to set Wren up with a polite young man. Travis is someone she

knew from college, and it’s a bit awkward. There’s a young

lady called Porsche who works in the shop, and this name kept

throwing me out of the story as I imagined it was a car every

time. Lest you think this is a cute story, there are a lot of

crime scenes, and Wren has a knack for walking in just as the

crime is occurring. I kid you not. This is dangerous.

Recipes using honey appear before several chapters, and some

of them sound scrumptious. Honey and apple cake might be a

winner in this house. Nancy CoCo is a long-established writer

of amateur sleuth stories, and I will definitely be reading

more in this series. A MATTER OF HIVE AND DEATH kept my full

attention, and I definitely wanted to know whodunit and why.

Up-to-date tech combined with the best of crafts makes this

series a winner.