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A Candy Holliday Mystery #6
Town in a Sweet Pickle
In the quiet coastal community of Cape Willington, Maine, Candy Holliday is a local farmer who dutifully tends to her blueberry fields—and steps in to solve the occasional murder . . .
When Candy organizes a cooking event for her local newspaper, the town’s most prominent citizens turn out to witness the popular cookbook author Julia von Fleming serve as a guest judge. But when Julia comes close to consuming a poisoned pickle, she begins to suspect someone in Cape Willington is trying to kill her—and Candy is completely jarred to be among the suspects.
But the first taste was just a sample, and soon more jars of poisoned pickles begin to pop up around town. In the face of a pickled poisoning spree, Candy will have to track down the culprit to make sure her own name stays well-preserved. Along the way, she’ll pull the lid off a briny barrel of blackmail, thievery, and revenge that’s been souring their seaside hometown for years…
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!
When Candy organizes a cooking event for her local newspaper, the town’s most prominent citizens turn out to witness the popular cookbook author Julia von Fleming serve as a guest judge. But when Julia comes close to consuming a poisoned pickle, she begins to suspect someone in Cape Willington is trying to kill her—and Candy is completely jarred to be among the suspects.
But the first taste was just a sample, and soon more jars of poisoned pickles begin to pop up around town. In the face of a pickled poisoning spree, Candy will have to track down the culprit to make sure her own name stays well-preserved. Along the way, she’ll pull the lid off a briny barrel of blackmail, thievery, and revenge that’s been souring their seaside hometown for years…
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 3, 2015
39 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
B.B. Haywood
9 books217 followersB. B. Haywood is a pseudonym of writing team Beth Feeman and Robert Feeman. They conceived the idea for the Candy Holliday mysteries while driving around the Maine countryside, stopping at different small towns throughout the state.
Series:
* Candy Holliday
Series:
* Candy Holliday
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
October 1, 2018
In book six, Candy Holliday finds herself questioning the balance between working as interm editor of the newspaper and working the blueberry farm with her dad. Candy and her arch nemesis and co-worker Wanda have organized an event for the local amateur cooks to show off their talent. They were even able to snag a popular cookbook author to be a guest judge. As Wanda goes around helping collect the goodies for the event she finds herself on the wrong end of a tasting. As she recovers, Candy is left to handle the event on her own. Things turn worse when a local favorite drops dead at the event consuming a pickle. Is someone targeting the event or all of Cape Willington?
I continue to enjoy this series the more I read it. Candy is so down to earth that you cannot help but like her. Her love for her dad and the farm is a beautiful addition to the story. Family plays a great role in cozies and this series highlights that wonderfully. The blueberry farm has very little role in this book and I did miss it.
I was saddened by the death of a particular character. I won't mention who but if you have kept up with the series you will be saddened as well. There is a funeral in this book that will have you laughing and wondering do such things really happen?
Several recipes are included at the end of the book and I cannot wait to bake the Harvest Cookies for my hubby.
I continue to enjoy this series the more I read it. Candy is so down to earth that you cannot help but like her. Her love for her dad and the farm is a beautiful addition to the story. Family plays a great role in cozies and this series highlights that wonderfully. The blueberry farm has very little role in this book and I did miss it.
I was saddened by the death of a particular character. I won't mention who but if you have kept up with the series you will be saddened as well. There is a funeral in this book that will have you laughing and wondering do such things really happen?
Several recipes are included at the end of the book and I cannot wait to bake the Harvest Cookies for my hubby.
September 18, 2022
Town in a Sweet Pickle by B.B. Haywood is the 6th book in the Candy Holliday Mystery series. Poisoned pickle jars linked to a previously closed deli start turning up in the town of Cape Willington during a cooking event to celebrate the local newspapers 200th birthday. An enjoyable and interesting mystery. Candy is kind, smart and tenacious and I love the way the goat Cleopatra's death and funeral was handled showing the closeness of the town community. Recipes are included.
May 11, 2015
slow moving
February 21, 2021
The Sweet Pickle Deli in town closed over 5 years ago, and everyone misses the pickles, but not the grumpy owner. When a jar of said pickles appears at a local cook-off, locals are excited to taste them again, but soon a goat and a man are dead, and Candy's co-worker Wanda is in the hospital, all poisoned by the jar of pickles. Has Maurice Soufflé, the owner who disappeared years ago, be back in town seeking revenge?
Candy figures out who the poisoner has to be rather quickly, and the last third of the book just deals with how trick the murdered into confessing. I kind of miss the surprise reveal at the end, but it was an enjoyable mystery anyway.
Candy figures out who the poisoner has to be rather quickly, and the last third of the book just deals with how trick the murdered into confessing. I kind of miss the surprise reveal at the end, but it was an enjoyable mystery anyway.
May 2, 2025
Good entry in the series. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery. It wasn’t a cold case but it did tie in past events which I enjoy.
February 5, 2015
Its the bicentennial edition of interim editor, Candy Holliday's news paper in the town of Cape Willington, Maine. All this farming town is abuzz with excitement for a cook off that Candy and her Community Correspondent, Wanda are organizing and putting on. All the villagers are very anxious to see celebrity cookbook chef, Julia von Fleming be a judge at the event and appear at a book signing for her cookbook.
The Community Cook off begins and there's a jar of pickles on one of the tasting tables and it seems out of place because there is a label on it and the entries are not allowed to be labeled. Since the label is from the Sweet Pickle Deli a deli that has since closed down. Everyone thinks that the pickles the the best thing since sliced bread and can't get enough of them .
Not being able to resist Candy's father's friend, Ned eats one of the pickles and soon falls to his death. Other jars of pickles begin showing up around town and it claims another victim and makes others sick. Julia is convinced someone is out to get her after she almost comes close to biting the deadly pickle. The town in convinced that Candy will solve the mystery to find out who is behind the perished pickles and suspects and the towns secrets start to emerge even after Candy becomes a suspect herself.
This mystery is filled with small town charm. It was my first taste of this series and it had me craving these pickles, deadly or not. The Community Cook off had me as a self professed foodie hooked into the story. I loved the inside look into all the characters that live in this town that have made their farms their life and the country feel but not all of the residents lived peaceful, quiet happy lives as a few did have secrets that also made this a page turner to also wonder who the killer among them would be. I hope Candy will be organizing many of the towns festivities and hopefully all relating to food for many, many books to come in this gratifying series.
February 2, 2015
From the cozy coastal charm, to the delightful cast of characters (More Herr Georg, please B.B.!), the Candy Holliday Mystery series has been one of my go to series since I started reading cozy mysteries several years ago. I was an instant fan with the first book, TOWN IN A BLUEBERRY JAM, and I have read every book in the series since.
TOWN IN A SWEET PICKLE is the sixth installment and one of my favorites (after the first two). It was filled with action and fast paced chapters. So much happened in this story, it made my head spin (in a good way)!
I also love all the celebrations Cape Willington is famous for. This time it was a cooking contest which was a lot of fun, well it was until poisoned pickles turned up. While bad for the characters, it was a good thing for us readers because it led to a great mystery.
Author Haywood also brings out a continuing sub-story that has been building since the first book.
Readers will also enjoy the delicious recipes and helpful canning tips that are included.
I really enjoyed my time with Candy, her father, and friends and look forward to my next visit to Cape Willington.
TOWN IN A SWEET PICKLE is the sixth installment and one of my favorites (after the first two). It was filled with action and fast paced chapters. So much happened in this story, it made my head spin (in a good way)!
I also love all the celebrations Cape Willington is famous for. This time it was a cooking contest which was a lot of fun, well it was until poisoned pickles turned up. While bad for the characters, it was a good thing for us readers because it led to a great mystery.
Author Haywood also brings out a continuing sub-story that has been building since the first book.
Readers will also enjoy the delicious recipes and helpful canning tips that are included.
I really enjoyed my time with Candy, her father, and friends and look forward to my next visit to Cape Willington.
April 4, 2015
This is the 6th installment in the Candy Holliday series. I've enjoyed getting to know Candy, her Dad and fellow townsmen and trying to solve this mystery and trap the killer unites the entire cast of characters. Others have written the storyline before me in their reviews so I'll skip a repeat - if you love pickles your mouth will be watering for them by the time you turn the last page.
While Candy is the temporary editor of the local newspaper her heart really lies at home in the blueberry acres she owns with her Dad. Candy is having an inner struggle in this book whether to stay at the paper or go back to the farm to try expanding into veggies and wholesale sales. Since she is hardly ever at the paper and never seems to do any actual writing, I am hoping she will turn the reins over to Wanda and go back to the fields.
The book ends with a "teaser" of what may come of Candy's relationship which is enough to get me to tune in to the next in the series.
While Candy is the temporary editor of the local newspaper her heart really lies at home in the blueberry acres she owns with her Dad. Candy is having an inner struggle in this book whether to stay at the paper or go back to the farm to try expanding into veggies and wholesale sales. Since she is hardly ever at the paper and never seems to do any actual writing, I am hoping she will turn the reins over to Wanda and go back to the fields.
The book ends with a "teaser" of what may come of Candy's relationship which is enough to get me to tune in to the next in the series.
January 30, 2015
I read 3-5 cozy mysteries a month, so cliched plots can get repetitive. In terms of overall writing and my liking the characters, this book would get 3.7 stars. But this book hit some of my pet peeves: The heroine has been attacked by suspects before. She's otherwise reasonably smart. Yet in this story, the heroine runs off to a remote location to find a man she believes is a murderer without taking any safety precautions at any point. She also felt justified in trespassing and poking about a stranger's property just because she was curious.
According to cozy cliches, the main suspect is never the real murderer nor are the heroine's friends. Based mostly on a certain lack of cozy-viable suspects, I was able to correctly guess whodunit at about halfway through. So the mystery didn't really engage my mind. Not a bad story, just not what I look for in a mystery.
According to cozy cliches, the main suspect is never the real murderer nor are the heroine's friends. Based mostly on a certain lack of cozy-viable suspects, I was able to correctly guess whodunit at about halfway through. So the mystery didn't really engage my mind. Not a bad story, just not what I look for in a mystery.
March 1, 2015
I have been reading this series since it first started. I really enjoyed the way the town has supported Candy Holliday while she discovers clues to find the murderer. With this addition to the series much of the town becomes involved to trap a murderer who used poisoned pickles as a weapon. It was a fast read with many clues that somehow all came together in the end.
December 7, 2015
Candy Holliday organized a cooking event for her local newspaper. Poisoned pickles at the event causes a death and Candy has to become the sleuth to discover how this mystery came about The book holds one's interest as Candy tracks down the culprit.
February 20, 2015
This is the sixth book in a series about events in a coastal town in Maine. Candy is the main character, and is the editor of the newspaper. This one deals with a community cook-off during which someone dies after eating some pickles.
February 3, 2016
I enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful enough to keep my interest, but not too much. I believe this book may confirm my suspicion that all of the crimes in Cape Willington are connected & are linked to the town & the wealthy Pruitt family.
July 25, 2016
The series of mysteries set in Maine continues with a cooking contest to find the best recipes. Small town at its best there's suddenly drama with a pickled twist. There are some deaths from tainted pickles, a murder and then at the end resolution with perhaps a romance brewing....
July 2, 2016
I have grown MORE than tired of this series and don't know why I had this one when I didn't read the one before it. Skimmed parts of it and won't be reading anymore.
February 20, 2015
As always Candy Holliday, Cape Willington, and Blueberry Acres is a great read.
July 20, 2015
Love small towns!
August 22, 2015
The story was nice and I enjoyed the reading but I would that Candy was more vibrant, less plain, "normal woman", just a bit more of spark of love, sexiness in her personal life.
August 27, 2015
Really enjoy this series. Very well written.
June 25, 2015
This is my favorite one in the series so far. Love the goats and I am really beginning to like Wanda Boyle. Can't wait for the next one.
June 12, 2015
nice relief from my previous reads.
June 12, 2015
Another great story of life in Cape Wellington Maine.
June 28, 2015
Excellent as always. The Goat Funeral still has me laughing. Can't wait for the next adventure for Candy.
July 27, 2015
Sweet mystery involving the whole town to solve.
November 5, 2015
As always Candy has us guessing! I love all the candy Holliday books,
December 5, 2019
This is a serviceable cozy mystery, with a decent plot and reasonable motives for the guilty parties. However, I was really annoyed by the amateur detective, Candy Holliday. [Also, can we please put an embargo on stupid character names? Who in the world, especially in a small conservative New England town, would name their daughter Candy Holliday unless they wanted her to become a stripper?] She is supposed to be a smart woman who previously lived in Boston, but she exercises absolutely zero common sense when it comes to her own personal safety. "I just found at that this person who I know to be a criminal and believe to be involved in a murder lives in a remote abandoned house! I should go there by myself and ask extremely accusatory questions that are bound to make him angry!" Candy, NO. She's also really bad about not keeping the police up to date on everything she's found out and how she knows it. Like damn girl no wonder they're ticked at you.
Last, and least, I knew within 2 chapters that the author (in this case actually a team of two) had to be at least 50 years old. Why? Because I had to check the publication date to make sure it wasn't actually published in 1988. Candy is a young woman (probably 20-something? early 30s?) living in 2015 and yet has all the internet research skills of my mother. I lost count of the times I thought "Why doesn't she just use her phone?" The answer is that the authors should really start setting their mysteries back in the 80s.
Last, and least, I knew within 2 chapters that the author (in this case actually a team of two) had to be at least 50 years old. Why? Because I had to check the publication date to make sure it wasn't actually published in 1988. Candy is a young woman (probably 20-something? early 30s?) living in 2015 and yet has all the internet research skills of my mother. I lost count of the times I thought "Why doesn't she just use her phone?" The answer is that the authors should really start setting their mysteries back in the 80s.
September 30, 2019
This is the ideal example of a cozy mystery - a non-violent murder, suspicious activities, and mysterious characters. During a September food festival in Maine some pickle jars are tainted with poison, and a goat as well as a local resident die from eating some pickles. The action takes place from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, during which Candy interviews witnesses around town, drives around the country side looking for suspects, and observes all of the flora and fauna around Maine during the seasonal changes from bright sunny days to dark rainy nights.
The emphasis is on the atmosphere in small-town Maine and the local citizens. The book is 300 pages, and there is a lot of padding, mostly descriptions of the townspeople, their clothing, the foods they eat, and their interactions. The murderer is uncovered with 50 pages left to go, so the final 50 pages are about how they townspeople conspire to unmask the culprit and videotape the confession. It is a lot of fun and you gain a lot of knowledge about Maine.
The emphasis is on the atmosphere in small-town Maine and the local citizens. The book is 300 pages, and there is a lot of padding, mostly descriptions of the townspeople, their clothing, the foods they eat, and their interactions. The murderer is uncovered with 50 pages left to go, so the final 50 pages are about how they townspeople conspire to unmask the culprit and videotape the confession. It is a lot of fun and you gain a lot of knowledge about Maine.
July 29, 2019
Sweet Cozy Mystery
Sometimes summer calls for light, sweet and fun reading. This book is exactly what I needed for a fun July mystery. I accidentally read this book out of order, it’s number 6 in the series. Usually, this would drive me crazy but this one read like a stand alone who dunnit. I’m sure there are nuances of shared storylines through the series that I missed but overall it didn’t detract from the book knowing some history has happened between the characters.
I really enjoyed the plot and the description of the quirky but lovable villagers was delightful.
Not sure what to do now..... keep going forward in series or start with book one?
Sometimes summer calls for light, sweet and fun reading. This book is exactly what I needed for a fun July mystery. I accidentally read this book out of order, it’s number 6 in the series. Usually, this would drive me crazy but this one read like a stand alone who dunnit. I’m sure there are nuances of shared storylines through the series that I missed but overall it didn’t detract from the book knowing some history has happened between the characters.
I really enjoyed the plot and the description of the quirky but lovable villagers was delightful.
Not sure what to do now..... keep going forward in series or start with book one?
February 19, 2021
Someone is poisoning the citizens of Cape Willington with pickles. Yes, you read that right with pickles. Back before Candy moved to the town, there was a deli called Sweet Pickle Deli known for their delicious pickles. All of the sudden jars of those delicious pickles are popping up throughout the town. Could the owner of the deli be the reason for the appearance of the pickles?
I enjoyed this book especially Sally Ann and her 2 goats. I wish there was more about her in the book. I also wished there was more information about Wanda who also works at the newspaper office with Candy.
I enjoyed this book especially Sally Ann and her 2 goats. I wish there was more about her in the book. I also wished there was more information about Wanda who also works at the newspaper office with Candy.
August 29, 2017
Poisoned pickles and old grudges make for an intrigueing mystery, especially when Candy Holliday's fingerprints are found on a jar of containing deadly pickles at an event that she organized. Candy must put together all of the clues she finds to help track down the culprit before anyone else becomes ill or dies.
Candy has some interesting helpers, but she is the one who, at her peril, puts together the final clues and confronts the culprit.
Candy has some interesting helpers, but she is the one who, at her peril, puts together the final clues and confronts the culprit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews