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Pickled & Preserved Mystery #2
License to Dill
From the author of The Pickled Piper comes another Pickled and Preserved Mystery...
Piper Lamb knows how to make fruits and vegetables keep for months. Unfortunately, it’s the people around her who are expiring too soon…
After her fiancé left her, Piper came to Cloverdale to rebuild her life and open up her shop, Piper’s Picklings, to sell pickles and preserves. When her ex decides to drop in for a visit—just as things are heating up between her and a local Christmas tree farmer—Piper finds herself in a jam.
But there are other visitors to worry about…
An Italian soccer team is set to play the Cloverdale All-Stars in an exhibition game. Their manager, Raffaele Conti, was a bitter rival of Piper’s dill supplier, local farmer Gerald Standley. After Conti is found dead in Standley’s field, Piper must work to clear Gerald’s name and find out who relished killing Raffaele before the town is soured by another death.
INCLUDES RECIPES!
Piper Lamb knows how to make fruits and vegetables keep for months. Unfortunately, it’s the people around her who are expiring too soon…
After her fiancé left her, Piper came to Cloverdale to rebuild her life and open up her shop, Piper’s Picklings, to sell pickles and preserves. When her ex decides to drop in for a visit—just as things are heating up between her and a local Christmas tree farmer—Piper finds herself in a jam.
But there are other visitors to worry about…
An Italian soccer team is set to play the Cloverdale All-Stars in an exhibition game. Their manager, Raffaele Conti, was a bitter rival of Piper’s dill supplier, local farmer Gerald Standley. After Conti is found dead in Standley’s field, Piper must work to clear Gerald’s name and find out who relished killing Raffaele before the town is soured by another death.
INCLUDES RECIPES!
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 3, 2015
13 people are currently reading
733 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
March 8, 2015
Piper Lamb is back for a second cozy mystery, this time drawn into investigating the murder of the owner of a visiting Italian soccer team. In spite of the obligatory warnings from the county sheriff to leave the investigation to the professionals, Piper, the owner of pickling supplies business, gets involved because the prime suspect is a family friend (and the farmer who supplies the dill she uses in her shop). What makes the story so enjoyable is that Piper does her sleuthing using little more than her emotional intelligence, some social engineering, and clear-headed common sense--she doesn't suddenly become an expert in crime scene analysis or forensic psychology, or catch a lucky break finding a clue. The reader gets the feeling that Piper is simply good at reading people as well as noticing details and how they fit into a bigger picture. Even though she finds herself in danger as a result of pursuing her investigation, it is fun to watch her use the small-town gossips and busybodies to gather information, without really manipulating them. The supporting characters are more well-rounded compared to the first entry in the series, probably as a result of relationships having time to develop and more back story being added. Great fun to read--couldn't put it down!
February 19, 2021
This is an enjoyable series. While you could tell who the victim was going to be, I was totally surprised at the killer in this one. I like Piper and her pickling shop. I think canning things is something I enjoy reading about more than I would actually enjoy doing. There are recipes included at the end and it seems like a lot. Cloverdale is a charming little town and I look forward to visiting again.
March 4, 2015
I really hope the author does not continue with a lovers triangle. It's not fun to read about, and it's overdone. If you're with someone, and you start to have feelings for someone else, then you should not be with the original person you're with. If your eye wanders, then it means that you weren't happy in the first place. Will deserves much better than this.
January 16, 2016
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I knew that darn Scott was going to be trouble when he appeared in Cloverdale at the end of The Pickled Piper and he is sticking around too, renting an office just down the street from Piper’s store. Piper does her best to fully explain to him their relationship is over, but Scott does not give up. Thankfully Will is a patient man but Scott just keeps popping up everywhere, even at the exhibition soccer game where he wedges himself into the seat closest to Piper. When the manager of the Italian team is killed he even tries to help Piper catch the killer. Piper truly has herself in a pickle as she tries to clear her friend’s name and make it clear to Scott she has moved on.
I love Piper, she is really making herself at home in Cloverdale. She still visits her Uncle Frank and Aunt Judy often but is branching out making new friends and her relationship with Will was moving at a nice pace. She made me laugh out loud several times and caused me to worry about her too as she finds herself in more than a bit of trouble.
Mary Ellen Hughes has given readers a nice treat by adding a few hunky Italian soccer players to the story. The way she tied this into the whole plot is very interesting and gives us a barrel full of suspects.
The story has a wonderful mystery, fun characters, a nice romantic subplot and the perfect amount of humor. I am already looking forward to my next visit to Cloverdale!!
July 4, 2021
Piper Lamb walked over to the front window of her shop, piper's Picklings, for about the twentieth time that morning.
This is the second book in the Pickled and Preserved series. Piper is expecting her ex-fiancé to arrive in Coverdale. The town is also waiting on the Italian all star soccer team. Unbeknownst to the locals, a coach for the Italian team is a former Cloverdale exchange student. Piper tries to clear the name of he local dill farmer when the coach is found dead in the farmer's field.
This is an enjoyable series to read, I love the various pickles and preserves. I'm not sure that i am quite ready to expend the time and effort to follow some of the recipes, but I would certainly love to visit Piper's shop.
Scott blows into town just as Piper is settling into a relationship with Will. He is such an annoyance. Apparently he does not understand what no means.
I enjoy the town setting and the various characters. There is just something about this series that does not wow me. I love the subject matter and the interesting tidbits about dill but it does not make me want to rush out for the next book.
Perhaps the potential love triangle put me off. The mystery was good and I suspected several people until the culprit was revealed.
Reading this book was challenge driven. I may hold off on continuing unless I need the subject for another challenge.
This is the second book in the Pickled and Preserved series. Piper is expecting her ex-fiancé to arrive in Coverdale. The town is also waiting on the Italian all star soccer team. Unbeknownst to the locals, a coach for the Italian team is a former Cloverdale exchange student. Piper tries to clear the name of he local dill farmer when the coach is found dead in the farmer's field.
This is an enjoyable series to read, I love the various pickles and preserves. I'm not sure that i am quite ready to expend the time and effort to follow some of the recipes, but I would certainly love to visit Piper's shop.
Scott blows into town just as Piper is settling into a relationship with Will. He is such an annoyance. Apparently he does not understand what no means.
I enjoy the town setting and the various characters. There is just something about this series that does not wow me. I love the subject matter and the interesting tidbits about dill but it does not make me want to rush out for the next book.
Perhaps the potential love triangle put me off. The mystery was good and I suspected several people until the culprit was revealed.
Reading this book was challenge driven. I may hold off on continuing unless I need the subject for another challenge.
January 15, 2015
While reading LICENSE TO DILL, I was reminded of why I loved the first book in this series, THE PICKLED PIPER. Ms. Hughes pens a story that flows at a wonderful pace. Each page makes you want to turn the next. Each chapter excites you for what is to follow.
Being back in Cloverdale was like going on a long awaited vacation. The wonderful cast of characters like old friends I had waited an entire year to see.
This delightful, well written mystery was so fast paced it kept me reading longer into the day that I had planned, completely ignoring my own everyday chores. It was packed with suspense, suspects, and motives that keep me guessing until the surprising reveal.
Also included are two great recipes for canning projects and a fun lesson on dill!
I highly recommend you pre-order your copy for the Feb. 3 release day.
Being back in Cloverdale was like going on a long awaited vacation. The wonderful cast of characters like old friends I had waited an entire year to see.
This delightful, well written mystery was so fast paced it kept me reading longer into the day that I had planned, completely ignoring my own everyday chores. It was packed with suspense, suspects, and motives that keep me guessing until the surprising reveal.
Also included are two great recipes for canning projects and a fun lesson on dill!
I highly recommend you pre-order your copy for the Feb. 3 release day.
August 18, 2017
License to Dill by Mary Ellen Hughes is the second book in a Pickled and Preserved mystery series. A visiting soccer team manager with previous ties to Cloverdale is found murdered in the middle of a dill field. When Pipers dill supplier is accused, she investigates to clear his name. A nice small town mystery with engaging characters and plenty of secrets. We meet Piper's ex-fiance who took off to travel and has returned causing her some problems with her new relationship. An enjoyable, slow paced typical cozy mystery which includes pickling recipes.
September 5, 2020
Piper finds herself frustrated when her ex-fiance shows up and he has forgotten they are no longer a couple. No matter what she says to him Scott doesn’t seem to hear the words. Scott has decided to relocate to Cloverdale and opens up a law office just down the street from Piper’s Pickling’s. At the same time the town is hosting a soccer tournament between the town’s team, the All-Stars and an Italian team. Raffaele Conti, the Italian team’s manager, is no stranger to the town. He previously spent a year in Cloverdale as a foreign exchange student.
When Conti is found murdered, the list of people who had a problem with him grows long with a local farmer as the prime suspect. Piper finds herself gathering clues and working to determine who murdered him.
This is the second book in the Pickled & Preserved Mystery series. It has been a long time since I read the first book. While I enjoyed this book, it was average to me. It took me a long time to read and didn’t keep me engaged. The characters are a bit flat. I was a bit disappointed because I liked the first book and made sure to buy this book right away. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.
When Conti is found murdered, the list of people who had a problem with him grows long with a local farmer as the prime suspect. Piper finds herself gathering clues and working to determine who murdered him.
This is the second book in the Pickled & Preserved Mystery series. It has been a long time since I read the first book. While I enjoyed this book, it was average to me. It took me a long time to read and didn’t keep me engaged. The characters are a bit flat. I was a bit disappointed because I liked the first book and made sure to buy this book right away. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.
December 8, 2014
Pickling can keep fruits and vegetable yummy and preserved for a long time if you can be patient and not eat them all at once. Unfortunately, old boyfriends can't be preserved and spoil quickly when they keep butting into new blossoming love relationships. Piper Lamb moved to Cloverdale when her fiancé, Scott, left her. Now her pickling and preserves shop, Piper's Picklings, is a real success and her love life with tree farmer, Will, is going splendidly, if Scott would just stay out of the recipe.
Piper is pickling all kinds of things with dill and really appreciates the lovely fresh dill from Gerald Stanley's farm, but a dead body in his fields is definitely not a good thing. Worst of all, the corpse is a soccer player from a star Italian Soccer team that's visiting to play against the Cloverdale soccer team. Bad blood between Gerald and the dead man has not preserved into a good relationship. Piper needs to find the real killer to prove her friend's innocence.
I love cozies and this series is so original in it's concept that just thinking about a new one twitters my taste buds. There are great recipes included. Added in the soccer teams is fun because of this up and coming popular sport in our country. In this book, the blunderings between Will, Scott and Piper are a great bit of humor within the frustrations for Piper. The clues were especially good as Piper found and then lost suspects, and I did not figure out the culprit until Piper figured everything out--a sign of a great mystery for me. Nobody wants a fruitcake for a present, but everyone will want seconds of Piper's adventures. (I was blessed to read the ARC of this book, but everything I said constitutes my honest review--comes out 2/3/15)
Piper is pickling all kinds of things with dill and really appreciates the lovely fresh dill from Gerald Stanley's farm, but a dead body in his fields is definitely not a good thing. Worst of all, the corpse is a soccer player from a star Italian Soccer team that's visiting to play against the Cloverdale soccer team. Bad blood between Gerald and the dead man has not preserved into a good relationship. Piper needs to find the real killer to prove her friend's innocence.
I love cozies and this series is so original in it's concept that just thinking about a new one twitters my taste buds. There are great recipes included. Added in the soccer teams is fun because of this up and coming popular sport in our country. In this book, the blunderings between Will, Scott and Piper are a great bit of humor within the frustrations for Piper. The clues were especially good as Piper found and then lost suspects, and I did not figure out the culprit until Piper figured everything out--a sign of a great mystery for me. Nobody wants a fruitcake for a present, but everyone will want seconds of Piper's adventures. (I was blessed to read the ARC of this book, but everything I said constitutes my honest review--comes out 2/3/15)
September 3, 2015
Several weeks ago I read The Pickled Piper which was the first book in this series. I liked the start of the series so I pre-ordered License to Dill. I was not disappointed as I enjoyed this book as much or perhaps a little more than the first book. This is a very good cozy mystery series.
Piper Lamb has returned to Cloverdale where she lived with her aunt and uncle growing up. She has started a pickling and preserving store. A soccer team from Italy arrives in Cloverdale to play the local Cloverdale team. When the Italian team arrives, there is a confrontation between a manager of the Itali4n team and a coach of Colverdale team. The Italian manager had been an exchange student in Cloverdale when he was a teen. He was a favorite of the teen girls in high school but made enemies of some of the male students.
A murder occurs and Piper is asked to help clear the suspicions that has been leveled at a Cloverdale resident. She promises to just listen and find information but finds herself drawn into the solution of the murder.
There were some humorous scenes. There were some scenes that I could feel real danger to Piper. It was an interesting and well plotted mystery. I like how the secondary characters are being developed. There is some romance but it is light and doesn't overpower the mystery. I get a real feel of family and friendship in this series which gives it a cozy feel.It was well paced and for me I never felt that story slowing down. This is a series that I am going to keep up with
Piper Lamb has returned to Cloverdale where she lived with her aunt and uncle growing up. She has started a pickling and preserving store. A soccer team from Italy arrives in Cloverdale to play the local Cloverdale team. When the Italian team arrives, there is a confrontation between a manager of the Itali4n team and a coach of Colverdale team. The Italian manager had been an exchange student in Cloverdale when he was a teen. He was a favorite of the teen girls in high school but made enemies of some of the male students.
A murder occurs and Piper is asked to help clear the suspicions that has been leveled at a Cloverdale resident. She promises to just listen and find information but finds herself drawn into the solution of the murder.
There were some humorous scenes. There were some scenes that I could feel real danger to Piper. It was an interesting and well plotted mystery. I like how the secondary characters are being developed. There is some romance but it is light and doesn't overpower the mystery. I get a real feel of family and friendship in this series which gives it a cozy feel.It was well paced and for me I never felt that story slowing down. This is a series that I am going to keep up with
February 20, 2021
License to Dill, the second book in Mary Ellen Hughes’s Pickled and Preserved Mystery series, is an entertaining cozy mystery, with just the right amount of spice.
Piper Lamb has moved to Cloverdale following the termination of her engagement to Scott Littleton and is establishing her business, Piper’s Picklings, in the town. Just as she is settling in, Scott arrives, announcing that he is giving up his job as prosecutor and moving to Cloverdale to set up a general law practice. Piper is duly annoyed, and more so, as he insinuates himself into her newly created life and endangers her budding relationship with Will Burchett. At the same time, an Italian soccer team has come to town to play the Cloverdale All-Stars. The Italian team manager, Rafaele Conti, once an exchange student in Cloverdale, has a checkered past and long-standing friction with Gerald Standley, who happens to be a coach for the Cloverdale team. When Conti is found dead in the Standley’s dill field, Gerald emerges as the prime suspect. Certain of Gerald’s innocence, and unwilling to lose her dill supplier, Piper sets out to unmask a murderer.
As I mentioned above, License to Dill is the second book in the series. I had hoped to get the first book, as I generally do not read a series out of order, but, alas, there was at least a 2-week hold on the first book, and as I needed it for a challenge, I took a chance. Although I had not read the first book, I had no trouble immersing myself in to the town of Cloverdale and its colorful residents. Piper is a wonderful character. She is smart, sweet, with a nice bit of resourcefulness when needed. I really appreciate how her character grows – especially with respect to her attitude toward Scott – over the course of the book. The other townspeople are charming, each with his or her own perspective. I especially like interplay between Piper and the older “amateur sleuths.” There did, however, seem to be more “friend” characters than necessary, and I could have done without the subplot involving Erin. The mystery itself was fresh and fun. Given Conti’s past reputation, there were several suspects, and the book explored a number of interesting and unique clues. The resolution was excellent. I did not even consider the perpetrator seriously until near the end.
I am very pleased with my selection of License to Dill. It is a fun, light read that flows beautifully from one page to the next. I will certainly be revisiting Cloverdale again in the future.
Piper Lamb has moved to Cloverdale following the termination of her engagement to Scott Littleton and is establishing her business, Piper’s Picklings, in the town. Just as she is settling in, Scott arrives, announcing that he is giving up his job as prosecutor and moving to Cloverdale to set up a general law practice. Piper is duly annoyed, and more so, as he insinuates himself into her newly created life and endangers her budding relationship with Will Burchett. At the same time, an Italian soccer team has come to town to play the Cloverdale All-Stars. The Italian team manager, Rafaele Conti, once an exchange student in Cloverdale, has a checkered past and long-standing friction with Gerald Standley, who happens to be a coach for the Cloverdale team. When Conti is found dead in the Standley’s dill field, Gerald emerges as the prime suspect. Certain of Gerald’s innocence, and unwilling to lose her dill supplier, Piper sets out to unmask a murderer.
As I mentioned above, License to Dill is the second book in the series. I had hoped to get the first book, as I generally do not read a series out of order, but, alas, there was at least a 2-week hold on the first book, and as I needed it for a challenge, I took a chance. Although I had not read the first book, I had no trouble immersing myself in to the town of Cloverdale and its colorful residents. Piper is a wonderful character. She is smart, sweet, with a nice bit of resourcefulness when needed. I really appreciate how her character grows – especially with respect to her attitude toward Scott – over the course of the book. The other townspeople are charming, each with his or her own perspective. I especially like interplay between Piper and the older “amateur sleuths.” There did, however, seem to be more “friend” characters than necessary, and I could have done without the subplot involving Erin. The mystery itself was fresh and fun. Given Conti’s past reputation, there were several suspects, and the book explored a number of interesting and unique clues. The resolution was excellent. I did not even consider the perpetrator seriously until near the end.
I am very pleased with my selection of License to Dill. It is a fun, light read that flows beautifully from one page to the next. I will certainly be revisiting Cloverdale again in the future.
May 31, 2024
I hate when I leave so long between books in a series. I saw that I read the book before this, the first book in the series in 2018! No wonder I was having trouble remembering the characters and back story. I pretty much had to read this one as my first foray into the series so maybe some of the nuances of the story passed me by. I also read my review for the previous book and I didn't seem to like it very much. Funny how time can change your perspective or the author got more into her stride when it came to the characters and story because I liked this one better. It was odd that an Italian soccer team would choose to have exhibition soccer matches in a small, nowhere type of town but you do find out the possible reasons for that due to the owners past history with the town. So that didn't become too much of a hurdle. I still don't think that pickled products would sell well enough to make much of a living in a small town that doesn't seem to rely on a large volume of tourists or have any sort of natural or cultural draw. In this book, though, we do see that Piper has branched out and sells spices and gadgets and preserving instruments so that's a good thing. I liked the mystery and did figure out who did it, just because it seemed almost unlikely that it was who it was. The only thing I'm not too sure of is how I'm going to feel about the love triangle the author has introduced. Right now I'm not too sure but we'll have to see. I will read the next book because I did enjoy this one.
March 22, 2018
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more, as the first book in the series. We got to know some of the characters more and the plot was pretty interesting. I appreciated that it was a bit different than your typical cozy mystery plot.
I felt Piper wasn't as strong of a character in this book and it would have been nice to see her be a bit tougher with Scott. Although I felt for her in that he is clearly borderline stupid when it comes to relationships and none of her supposed friends and family really backed Piper up in distancing herself from Scott. I hope the love triangle doesn't continue for forever (along the lines of the Hannah Swensen books). To me, Scott's actions and lack of respect for personal boundaries would have pushed me even more towards Will, who has been nothing but supportive.
Also, one character that we know almost nothing about is Sheriff Carlyle. I wish he was flushed out more as a character. It's very unclear if he isn't solving these mysteries because he's inept or just doesn't care as much, or because he is bound by police procedure, which sometimes means not being able to interrogate people out of the blue like some of the other characters.
None of those issues significantly detracted from my enjoyment of the book. With an interesting, fast moving plot and mostly likable characters, I had a good time reading the book and will definitely be picking up #3.
I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more, as the first book in the series. We got to know some of the characters more and the plot was pretty interesting. I appreciated that it was a bit different than your typical cozy mystery plot.
I felt Piper wasn't as strong of a character in this book and it would have been nice to see her be a bit tougher with Scott. Although I felt for her in that he is clearly borderline stupid when it comes to relationships and none of her supposed friends and family really backed Piper up in distancing herself from Scott. I hope the love triangle doesn't continue for forever (along the lines of the Hannah Swensen books). To me, Scott's actions and lack of respect for personal boundaries would have pushed me even more towards Will, who has been nothing but supportive.
Also, one character that we know almost nothing about is Sheriff Carlyle. I wish he was flushed out more as a character. It's very unclear if he isn't solving these mysteries because he's inept or just doesn't care as much, or because he is bound by police procedure, which sometimes means not being able to interrogate people out of the blue like some of the other characters.
None of those issues significantly detracted from my enjoyment of the book. With an interesting, fast moving plot and mostly likable characters, I had a good time reading the book and will definitely be picking up #3.
February 27, 2021
What I liked about this cozy:
Love Piper's shop. It sounds like an interesting place to browse for jars, jams, spices and plenty of homemade pickled and preserved inspiration. I am a pickled veggie fan. My fav is cauliflower!! I like how the locals come in eager to gather ingredients to test out new recipes or select goods to make culinary treats.
I liked that this book included a touch of soccer. You don't find sports mentioned too often in cozies. Being a soccer fan myself, I enjoyed the town coming together to excitedly cheer on their hometown team.
My dislikes:
I just couldn't connect to any of the main characters. I'm not sure if it was just bad timing - it has been a stressful couple weeks going through and recovering from the Texas Snovid disaster. I'm worn out and I know my focus wasn't the best. This story seemed to have a ton of characters too and I'm usually great at keeping everyone straight, but I struggled. Because to these factors, I wasn't invested in the mystery part. There were plenty of red herrings and once the culprit was revealed I was surprised.
There's also a love triangle brewing. Which I don't mind, but I wasn't a fan of Scott (the ex) and his actions throughout this story. No means no and pushy guys are a huge put off for me.
Book does conclude with two recipes and some info about Dill.
Love Piper's shop. It sounds like an interesting place to browse for jars, jams, spices and plenty of homemade pickled and preserved inspiration. I am a pickled veggie fan. My fav is cauliflower!! I like how the locals come in eager to gather ingredients to test out new recipes or select goods to make culinary treats.
I liked that this book included a touch of soccer. You don't find sports mentioned too often in cozies. Being a soccer fan myself, I enjoyed the town coming together to excitedly cheer on their hometown team.
My dislikes:
I just couldn't connect to any of the main characters. I'm not sure if it was just bad timing - it has been a stressful couple weeks going through and recovering from the Texas Snovid disaster. I'm worn out and I know my focus wasn't the best. This story seemed to have a ton of characters too and I'm usually great at keeping everyone straight, but I struggled. Because to these factors, I wasn't invested in the mystery part. There were plenty of red herrings and once the culprit was revealed I was surprised.
There's also a love triangle brewing. Which I don't mind, but I wasn't a fan of Scott (the ex) and his actions throughout this story. No means no and pushy guys are a huge put off for me.
Book does conclude with two recipes and some info about Dill.
February 22, 2020
Well this 2nd in the series was another fun read, and I've already ordered the 3rd from Amazon.
An Italian soccer team comes to Cloverdale to do a few exhibition games; too bad the team's manager/half owner is not a very nice guy, and that's putting it mildly. He once attended the local high school as an exchange student, and put a bad taste into many a local's mouth.
There's a murder, an attempted murder; then, of course, Piper Lamb gets involved in investigating on the sly, and she's being threatened. To make matters worse, her ex-fiance has decided to move into town and set up business as well. Let's just say that he does not understand the meaning of breaking up, and just remaining friends.
An Italian soccer team comes to Cloverdale to do a few exhibition games; too bad the team's manager/half owner is not a very nice guy, and that's putting it mildly. He once attended the local high school as an exchange student, and put a bad taste into many a local's mouth.
There's a murder, an attempted murder; then, of course, Piper Lamb gets involved in investigating on the sly, and she's being threatened. To make matters worse, her ex-fiance has decided to move into town and set up business as well. Let's just say that he does not understand the meaning of breaking up, and just remaining friends.
September 27, 2024
2.5 I guess
Considering what I said about the first book it was funny how they tried to focus more on outsiders than their neighbors this time haha. Of course Some stuff like the Ben-Amy lookalike-Erin subplot were terrbile but the worst offender was Will barely having any screen time in favor of Scott who somehow is back in the run? Uh pretty disrepsectful if you ask me. Not only his behavior was such a turn-off but the first book went out of its way to make it clear where Piper stood so this sudden change is also a turn-off. In other words girl bye!
Considering what I said about the first book it was funny how they tried to focus more on outsiders than their neighbors this time haha. Of course Some stuff like the Ben-Amy lookalike-Erin subplot were terrbile but the worst offender was Will barely having any screen time in favor of Scott who somehow is back in the run? Uh pretty disrepsectful if you ask me. Not only his behavior was such a turn-off but the first book went out of its way to make it clear where Piper stood so this sudden change is also a turn-off. In other words girl bye!
June 26, 2018
Really frustrated at the ending choice for the romance threads in this one. Her ex-fiance, Scott, while perhaps nice, was selfish and manipulative about getting married very much like an evil ex of my own. The fact that she's even considering spending time trying to figure out how nice to be to him is infuriating. Will is unreasonably nice to let her "figure things out" as she takes the time to decide between two men, one of which should be an immediate NO. Don't tread back to past relationships that went on for many years and failed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2018
Piper has her hands full with her ex-fiancé, Scott, showing up while she is now dating Will. In the meantime there is a soccer tournament and a group from Italy comes to play. Competition heats up when the Coach from Italy turns up dead in his rival's pickle yard late at night. It is a little long but the ending has an unexpected twist when Piper figures out who is after the soccer player in the hospital.
January 4, 2018
Another cozy mystery to enjoy. The amateur sleuth in this story owns a store for people who like to pickle or preserve foods. It has the predictable conflict between a current boyfriend and a former one. Even with that it was a very entertaining book.
November 20, 2024
This is a pretty good series and I like the pickling recipes at the end. I may never use those recipes but they are fun to read.
I sort of thought I knew who the killer was but I didn't know the motive. So it was a very interesting ending.
I sort of thought I knew who the killer was but I didn't know the motive. So it was a very interesting ending.
January 18, 2025
An okay story…I like that I didn’t figure out who did it till right before the end. I hadn’t read the first one in the series, but this story tracked okay…hard to see how someone could have a business of just pickling items & jams, but it was a nice backdrop.
November 5, 2018
Near Rochester, NY
July 16, 2021
One obnoxious character not used from book one but the 'old boyfriend' shows up and it too over the top. Will go one more before deciding whether to try more or not.
October 12, 2023
Yep I have found another one
February 10, 2024
This was fine but nothing very memorable.
November 22, 2024
It is rare I haven't figured out the murderer by 3/4 finished. I really didn't get it until the end. Great plotting with enjoyable characters. Good, fast read.
February 21, 2025
I enjoyed this series.
December 3, 2014
“Piper Lamb knows how to make fruits and vegetables keep for months. Unfortunately, it’s the people around her who are expiring too soon…
After her fiancé left her, Piper came to Cloverdale to rebuild her life and open up her shop, Piper’s Picklings, to sell pickles and preserves. When her ex decides to drop in for a visit—just as things are heating up between her and a local Christmas tree farmer—Piper finds herself in a jam.
But there are other visitors to worry about…
An Italian soccer team is set to play the Cloverdale All-Stars in an exhibition game. Their manager, Raffaele Conti, was a bitter rival of Piper’s dill supplier, local farmer Gerald Standley. After Conti is found dead in Standley’s field, Piper must work to clear Gerald’s name and find out who relished killing Raffaele before the town is soured by another death. INCLUDES RECIPES!”
I enjoyed this book. The characters are normal human beings with all the little quirks and kinks that people have, the story interesting, well written, flows nicely with a surprise ending. I liked the ending – made me smile. Should be an interesting series although I can’t believe that that many people go through so many spices or that she could be pickling, spicing and canning on a daily basis. I also liked how the author explained so much about “dill” at the end of the book with the dill recipes. I used to can a long time ago and just enjoyed the story --- any homemaker would probably be interested in this really nice cozy!
After her fiancé left her, Piper came to Cloverdale to rebuild her life and open up her shop, Piper’s Picklings, to sell pickles and preserves. When her ex decides to drop in for a visit—just as things are heating up between her and a local Christmas tree farmer—Piper finds herself in a jam.
But there are other visitors to worry about…
An Italian soccer team is set to play the Cloverdale All-Stars in an exhibition game. Their manager, Raffaele Conti, was a bitter rival of Piper’s dill supplier, local farmer Gerald Standley. After Conti is found dead in Standley’s field, Piper must work to clear Gerald’s name and find out who relished killing Raffaele before the town is soured by another death. INCLUDES RECIPES!”
I enjoyed this book. The characters are normal human beings with all the little quirks and kinks that people have, the story interesting, well written, flows nicely with a surprise ending. I liked the ending – made me smile. Should be an interesting series although I can’t believe that that many people go through so many spices or that she could be pickling, spicing and canning on a daily basis. I also liked how the author explained so much about “dill” at the end of the book with the dill recipes. I used to can a long time ago and just enjoyed the story --- any homemaker would probably be interested in this really nice cozy!
April 21, 2015
Twice as good
I like to reserve judgement on a series until the second book. I have found that some first in a series are great, but go downhill from there. This is definitely not the case with this series. I enjoyed the first, and the second is even better. This is a series I will be following for quite a while. Piper, her aunt and uncle, Will, and her friends in town are all back. We do get to meet others as well, and Piper has to deal with someone from her past. Add in a semi-pro Italian soccer team for additional color, and you start to get the feel of the book. The mystery is well crafted, and I was left guessing who was the murderer till the very end. Further, I really like dill. I grow it, and bring in the flowers to decorate and scent my kitchen in the summer months. I like to use it as seasoning in my food preparations. And I am still trying to perfect my pickles. So a book featuring dill as a spice was bound to get my attention. All in all, this book and this series is a perfect cozy read. In fact, I plan to suggest it for my culinary book club.
I like to reserve judgement on a series until the second book. I have found that some first in a series are great, but go downhill from there. This is definitely not the case with this series. I enjoyed the first, and the second is even better. This is a series I will be following for quite a while. Piper, her aunt and uncle, Will, and her friends in town are all back. We do get to meet others as well, and Piper has to deal with someone from her past. Add in a semi-pro Italian soccer team for additional color, and you start to get the feel of the book. The mystery is well crafted, and I was left guessing who was the murderer till the very end. Further, I really like dill. I grow it, and bring in the flowers to decorate and scent my kitchen in the summer months. I like to use it as seasoning in my food preparations. And I am still trying to perfect my pickles. So a book featuring dill as a spice was bound to get my attention. All in all, this book and this series is a perfect cozy read. In fact, I plan to suggest it for my culinary book club.
February 3, 2015
Piper’s ex-fiancee arrives in town hoping to get back together even though she has told him repeated they are over. However, the attention soon turns to the soccer team visiting from Italy and the mini-tournament against a team of locals. The Italian team’s manager was an exchange student when he was in high school, and his reappearance has opened old wounds from back then. When he is murdered, it becomes a question of which of those deeds from the past came back to haunt him in the present?
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were just as fun and charming as they were in the first in the series. The plot was wonderful with so many suspects and twists to the story I had a hard time putting it down. Yet things came together for a logical climax.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were just as fun and charming as they were in the first in the series. The plot was wonderful with so many suspects and twists to the story I had a hard time putting it down. Yet things came together for a logical climax.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
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