Animal, Vegetable, Murder

by Judy Dailey

Sunny Day Burnett juggles geriatric chickens, corpses, and a cranky Scottish policeman in this charming mystery set on an urban farm in Seattle.

Gathering eggs for breakfast, Sunny discovers a neighbor face down and dead in a patch of Swiss chard. Worse yet, the murdered man is clutching a photograph of Sunny’s recently deceased husband wearing little more than a pink feather boa and red stilettos. Stunned, Sunny hides the picture—and her husband’s appalling fashion sense—from the police, but she can’t hide herself from a killer more voracious than a gray garden slug.

Soon long-buried secrets are popping up like dandelions. Sunny must resolve her past if she wants a future. But time is running out and the day of harvest is near.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Humor

252 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2013

Reviews

[Edith Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunny Day Burnett fills her urban lawn and garden with vegetables, fruit trees and chickens. She's just beginning to get used to her life as a recent widow when a body shows up in her Swiss chard. Judy Dailey writes with a humorous voice about Sunny's wacky neighbors, including retired Scottish police officer Mac next door and amorous Ace across the street, a possible suspect in the murder. I loved the level of detail Dailey brings in about the urban farm, right down to the care and feeding of baby chicks and using compost tea as a weapon. The story includes cross-dressing poker players, a neighborhood association that frowns on Sunny's unconventional yard, and questions about Sunny's husband's death three months earlier. Dailey alternates between Sunny's and Mac's points of view, keeping each voice distinct. It's a very fun read and hopefully the first in a long-running urban farming series.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable cozy mystery! It combines rich people with Scottish, computers, detectives, explosives and family life!

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This highly readable story is the first in a series about Sunny Day Burnett, widow and urban farmer. She inherited her grandmother's house in the excuslive gated community in the outskirts of Seattle. Having been laid off from her lucrative banking job, Sunny and her husband had started a small urban farm in their yard, much to the astonishment and disapproval of their too-interested neighbors. Her husband was killed in an accident, and Sunny is gardening on.

She finds a neighbor, dead in her garden clutching a picture of her husband dressed in drag. She hides the photo and calls the police. This murder is followed swiftly by an explosion of a neighbor's house. What is going on? Sunny with the help of the other outcasts of the community, try to solve the mystery and the murders and uncover slimy secrets and astonishing situations.

Good solid mystery with interesting and ecdentric characters.

[Sandybear76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sunny, a young widow, is still grieving for her husband, who died 3 months ago in a car accident. Sunny is not the typical homeowner in Laurelmere as she has chickens near her garage and vegetables growing in her backyard. But then Sunny finds a dead guy in her garden and finds herself in a bunch of trouble that her husband Ken started.

Funny characters. 2 points of view. murder and explosions. I will be waiting for the next Sunny adventure.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Widowed, broke and pregnant, Sunny is desperate to hang onto her inherited house in an upper-class enclave of Seattle. But her job is made harder when a neighbor is found shot in her yard and her other neighbor's house explodes. She's not exactly a suspect, but the police know she's concealing some things from them. Fortunately, next door is a retired Scottish policeman who lives with his rich techie son, and who is only too happy to help Sunny solve the problem.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, I finished it in two days. The story line moves along at a good pace and keeps your attention. I like the use of first person for the main character and an occasional chapter using third person for the second point of view. This gives the reader added insight into the story without confusion.
A very good read.

[Mercedes Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I won an ARC of this book in a giveaway**
Okay, so this was such a great story. I'm a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum series, and I have to say this story had me cracking up just as much as them.
Yes, it is a serious mystery that will keep you on your toes and guessing who the murdered is until literally the last couple of chapters. But you'll also laugh, get mad and, in my case, tear up a little.
The characters are funny, real, and honest. The plot is amazing, and the story makes sense. It's not so fictional that it's completely impossible; although I doubt any gated community would allow an urban farm in it's ranks. But i mean, the murders, the Poker Club, the reason? It's something you'd see in a newspaper or on the news.
It's a short, fun read that I do recommend. I hope there's a sequel because I want to know what happens to Sunny, the baby, Teudel, and even Ace & Mac. I loved this story & I hope you'll give it a chance

[Elizabeth (NC) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave my last book I read two stars as well--but that one was much better than this one. I felt like I was reading a parody of a Janet Evanovich or Sue Grafton novel. The characters fell flat and the mystery was not so mysterious. The misdirection of the cross-dressing poker club felt forced. I would not recommend--even for a quick beach mystery read.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute mystery written by the aunt of a friend of mine! A quick read with some twists and cute characters.

[Nan Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Beth Kurth · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a waste of time. The author tries way too hard to be funny and the whole thing is a chaotic mess. I could forgive the poorly written dialog, insipid unlikable characters, and implausible plotlines, but the blatant trans and homophobic sentiments, the racist stereo typing and rampant sexism left me feeling ill. It wasn't cute and charming, it was ignorant and insulting. Just gross.

[Nicola Of Arkham · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I mean I read the whole thing but I guess just not my cup of tea. The main character was an annoying preachy vegan who blamed everything on pregnancy and being a widow. God help that child.

[Amnicon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book from the library because I read somewhere that it was an up and comping series and "laugh out loud funny."

ehhh ...

I can think of one time that I did laugh out loud. But can't remember what I read that was so amusing.

I was left with mixed emotions when I finished reading this book. How can the characters possibly grow and expand. How would a baby fit into all this? Is Sunny's neighbor going to start putting the moves on her? Is so, it seems sort of creepy.

The opportunities to elaborate on how to be more "green" got a bit old after a while. Yes, I realized that I would have to read those philosophies and that was par for the course, but I got to the point where it was like "Really? You had to deviate to tell me that?" Other times it just seemed a bit over the top. All I wanted to do was read about chickens. Chickens are hardly mentioned after the first few pages.

A bit rote at times, certainly formulatic at other times.

I'm curious to see where this series does go, but I don't know if I want to spend the time reading it. When you get down to it, this book wasn't really what I expected it to be.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of mystery so maybe I'm not the best judge for this genre but this book is a bit of a mess. loose ends everywhere, sudden 'exposes' that don't seem to affect anyone as they should and watery characters who are hard to like. The 'farm' aspect (including general environmentalist views), which is why I picked it up to begin with, is minor to the scheme of things and just makes for some very awkward writing: ..."It's only five blocks. I can't believe you want to drive." Says the pregnant woman whose husband was a transgender alcoholic, apparently murdered, to the neighbor whose house has just blown up. Big picture here, please. Fine for mindless summer reading I suppose, but not a great book.

[Trudi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty silly - but okay I was looking for a light read, pure escape, and this did that. Sunny Day Burnett is living in a wealthy suburb of Seattle and raising organic vegetables and chickens in her backyard. She was recently widowed when her husband died in a car crash. Now a man is murdered in Sunny's yard setting off an investigation and introducing us to the neighbors, the police, and a chain of strange events including a house bombing and more murders.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Sunny Day Burnett is on the outs with the HOA in her swanky Seattle neighborhood. She's turned the house she inherited from her grandmother into an urban garden - the front lawn is planted with strawberries and beans and she has chickens in the back yard. Her husband has recently died in a car accident. He was part of a, yup, get this - a cross-dressing poker club. Then the other members start dying, and Sunny is a suspect.

[Lizzytish · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very strange read. The author put every kind of strange character she could in this book. From Chickens to a retired police officer who happens to be Scottish, snoopy neighbors, a boy genius, to Jack Rabbit and a sleazy lawyer. Not to mention the 'special' poker club! Plus she is newly widowed and pregnant. Throw in a few dead bodies and we have a chaotic, amusing story. A great way to escape the winter doldrums, is to spend it with Sunny Day...

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like a single character in this book, even the ones who were dead before it started.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

terrible, terrible, terrible!

[Yvonne Loveday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Can't wait for more.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

A library find. Second read.
Jane 2025.
Disappointing.