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Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm #14
Stray from the Fold
Stray From the Fold
is the fourteenth book in the Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm Series.
Harriet Bailey can’t wait to marry Pastor Will Knight in just one month. But planning a wedding on top of tending her veterinary practice keeps her hopping—so much so that her Aunt Jinny prescribes a new hobby to lower knitting. Yet another challenge confronts her when local farmer Alfred Ramshaw brings a sick goat to her veterinary clinic.
Is there any truth to Alfred’s claim that his neighbor and rival, Arlene Pendergraf, is responsible for the mysterious ailment? Harriet cannot believe the sweet older woman would harm someone’s livestock, but she is struggling to find any other solution.
The mystery takes an even more interesting turn when Harriet finds clues that lead her to investigate a famous pilot who disappeared in 1910 on his flight to Dover.
Could the secrets of the past give Harriet the answers she needs before more goats get sick—or worse?
About the Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm Series
Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm brings you everything you want in a great cozy page-turning plots, hidden secrets from the past, faith-filled characters, clean, wholesome stories, and the heartwarming, fun antics of animals with a knack for sniffing out—and digging up—clues!
When veterinarian Harriet Bailey’s grandfather passes away, she accepts his bequest and follows her heart—with God’s gentle guidance—across the ocean to the charming town of White Church Bay in Yorkshire, England. Old Doc Bailey left Harriet not only a sprawling historic estate but also the Cobble Hill Farm Vet Clinic in the hope that she would continue his legacy. You will be captivated, just like Harriet, as she takes long walks along country paths, marvels at the gardens surrounding each cottage, and wanders through the ruins of old stone castles. Through the caring locals she meets and the precious animals in her care, she confirms that she is right where she belongs—especially when people and pets alike bring her mysteries from today and yesterday to solve!
Harriet Bailey can’t wait to marry Pastor Will Knight in just one month. But planning a wedding on top of tending her veterinary practice keeps her hopping—so much so that her Aunt Jinny prescribes a new hobby to lower knitting. Yet another challenge confronts her when local farmer Alfred Ramshaw brings a sick goat to her veterinary clinic.
Is there any truth to Alfred’s claim that his neighbor and rival, Arlene Pendergraf, is responsible for the mysterious ailment? Harriet cannot believe the sweet older woman would harm someone’s livestock, but she is struggling to find any other solution.
The mystery takes an even more interesting turn when Harriet finds clues that lead her to investigate a famous pilot who disappeared in 1910 on his flight to Dover.
Could the secrets of the past give Harriet the answers she needs before more goats get sick—or worse?
About the Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm Series
Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm brings you everything you want in a great cozy page-turning plots, hidden secrets from the past, faith-filled characters, clean, wholesome stories, and the heartwarming, fun antics of animals with a knack for sniffing out—and digging up—clues!
When veterinarian Harriet Bailey’s grandfather passes away, she accepts his bequest and follows her heart—with God’s gentle guidance—across the ocean to the charming town of White Church Bay in Yorkshire, England. Old Doc Bailey left Harriet not only a sprawling historic estate but also the Cobble Hill Farm Vet Clinic in the hope that she would continue his legacy. You will be captivated, just like Harriet, as she takes long walks along country paths, marvels at the gardens surrounding each cottage, and wanders through the ruins of old stone castles. Through the caring locals she meets and the precious animals in her care, she confirms that she is right where she belongs—especially when people and pets alike bring her mysteries from today and yesterday to solve!
- GenresMystery
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2025
30 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Ruchti
38 books972 followersCynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed-in-Hope through her novels and novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals, and through speaking for women's and writers' events. Her books have been recognized by many top industry readers', reviewers', library, retailer, and other honors. Cynthia is the Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and a literary agent with Books & Such Literary Management. She and her plot-tweaking husband live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five (to date) grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 8, 2025
3 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - Cozy Mystery
About this book:
“Harriet Bailey can’t wait to marry Pastor Will Knight in just one month. But planning a wedding on top of tending her veterinary practice keeps her hopping—so much so that her Aunt Jinny prescribes a new hobby to lower knitting. Yet another challenge confronts her when local farmer Alfred Ramshaw brings a sick goat to her veterinary clinic.
Is there any truth to Alfred’s claim that his neighbor and rival, Arlene Pendergraf, is responsible for the mysterious ailment? Harriet cannot believe the sweet older woman would harm someone’s livestock, but she is struggling to find any other solution.
The mystery takes an even more interesting turn when Harriet finds clues that lead her to investigate a famous pilot who disappeared in 1910 on his flight to Dover.
Could the secrets of the past give Harriet the answers she needs before more goats get sick—or worse?”
Series: Book #14 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Click on the numbers to be taken to the prior books’ reviews: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #9, Book #10, Book #11, Book #12, and Book #13!
Spiritual Content- Luke 15:6 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned, read, & quoted; Prayers; ’H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, services, pastors, sermons, a Sunday School class, & a prayer meeting; Mentions of a missionary organization; A few mentions of Bibles & Bible studies; A couple mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of a godsend; A mention of the Holy Grail;
*Note: A mention of meditation; A mention of the Bronze Age.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two forms of ‘idiot’ and three forms of ‘stupid’; Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Trespassing and being held at rifle-point (barely-above-not-detailed); All about & many mentions of injured animals & Harriet’s veterinary clinic treatments (including vaccinations, goats being very sick and near death, a cat that was rescued from a burning trash bin, a dog that was hit by a car and paralyzed, a puppy that is malnourished, a chipmunk being very ill, & conditions like tumors, brain swelling and bleeding, seizures, infections, surgeries, fractures, bleeding, scars/stitches, & pain (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Many mentions of possible poison & someone harming animals; Mentions of deaths from cancer and plane crashes, a body not being found, & grief (including a husband grieving his wife & wife grieving her husband); Mentions of thieves, stealing, a possible robbery, & crimes; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, being tipsy, & a puppy possibly getting into alcohol; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of being struck by lightning; A mention of a pub;
*Note: A man recalls his father’s harsh words (including implying that he was worthless and his parents not seeing anything good in him); A quote from Hamlet; Mentions of Jane Austen, books, movies, & a quote; Mentions of historical figures (Orville and Wilbur Wright); Mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of therapy & a therapist; A mention of a mental disorder; A mention of panic attacks; A mention of horror movies; A mention of brand name items (android phones).
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss; A few mentions of couples sharing kisses & an embrace; A few mentions of broken engagements & broken hearts; A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of blushes; A mention of an engaged couple going to be falling asleep side by side soon; A mention of the wedding garter tradition at weddings (which Harriet is happy that has faded in popularity); Light love, being in love, & the emotions.
-Harriet Bailey, age 35/36 (?)
P.O.V. switches between them
Mostly contemporary, but also five scenes from 1910
288 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
I honestly don’t have too much to say about this cozy mystery! It was definitely one of the more animal focused mysteries of this series (a handful of them are more like 50% of the book is one mystery and the other 50% is an animal-based mystery) so I liked that part of this book, even if it felt a little slow at times (probably because I’m not a goat lover or really have an interest in them). I did find the handful of historical chapters to be completely random (until the end when everything was connected) which made me kind of ignore those were even there to begin with. The ending result felt a little far-fetched, but it was overall fine, I suppose.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“Harriet Bailey can’t wait to marry Pastor Will Knight in just one month. But planning a wedding on top of tending her veterinary practice keeps her hopping—so much so that her Aunt Jinny prescribes a new hobby to lower knitting. Yet another challenge confronts her when local farmer Alfred Ramshaw brings a sick goat to her veterinary clinic.
Is there any truth to Alfred’s claim that his neighbor and rival, Arlene Pendergraf, is responsible for the mysterious ailment? Harriet cannot believe the sweet older woman would harm someone’s livestock, but she is struggling to find any other solution.
The mystery takes an even more interesting turn when Harriet finds clues that lead her to investigate a famous pilot who disappeared in 1910 on his flight to Dover.
Could the secrets of the past give Harriet the answers she needs before more goats get sick—or worse?”
Series: Book #14 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Click on the numbers to be taken to the prior books’ reviews: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, Book #5, Book #6, Book #7, Book #8, Book #9, Book #10, Book #11, Book #12, and Book #13!
Spiritual Content- Luke 15:6 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned, read, & quoted; Prayers; ’H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, services, pastors, sermons, a Sunday School class, & a prayer meeting; Mentions of a missionary organization; A few mentions of Bibles & Bible studies; A couple mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of a godsend; A mention of the Holy Grail;
*Note: A mention of meditation; A mention of the Bronze Age.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two forms of ‘idiot’ and three forms of ‘stupid’; Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Trespassing and being held at rifle-point (barely-above-not-detailed); All about & many mentions of injured animals & Harriet’s veterinary clinic treatments (including vaccinations, goats being very sick and near death, a cat that was rescued from a burning trash bin, a dog that was hit by a car and paralyzed, a puppy that is malnourished, a chipmunk being very ill, & conditions like tumors, brain swelling and bleeding, seizures, infections, surgeries, fractures, bleeding, scars/stitches, & pain (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Many mentions of possible poison & someone harming animals; Mentions of deaths from cancer and plane crashes, a body not being found, & grief (including a husband grieving his wife & wife grieving her husband); Mentions of thieves, stealing, a possible robbery, & crimes; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, being tipsy, & a puppy possibly getting into alcohol; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of being struck by lightning; A mention of a pub;
*Note: A man recalls his father’s harsh words (including implying that he was worthless and his parents not seeing anything good in him); A quote from Hamlet; Mentions of Jane Austen, books, movies, & a quote; Mentions of historical figures (Orville and Wilbur Wright); Mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of therapy & a therapist; A mention of a mental disorder; A mention of panic attacks; A mention of horror movies; A mention of brand name items (android phones).
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss; A few mentions of couples sharing kisses & an embrace; A few mentions of broken engagements & broken hearts; A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of blushes; A mention of an engaged couple going to be falling asleep side by side soon; A mention of the wedding garter tradition at weddings (which Harriet is happy that has faded in popularity); Light love, being in love, & the emotions.
-Harriet Bailey, age 35/36 (?)
P.O.V. switches between them
Mostly contemporary, but also five scenes from 1910
288 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
I honestly don’t have too much to say about this cozy mystery! It was definitely one of the more animal focused mysteries of this series (a handful of them are more like 50% of the book is one mystery and the other 50% is an animal-based mystery) so I liked that part of this book, even if it felt a little slow at times (probably because I’m not a goat lover or really have an interest in them). I did find the handful of historical chapters to be completely random (until the end when everything was connected) which made me kind of ignore those were even there to begin with. The ending result felt a little far-fetched, but it was overall fine, I suppose.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
July 24, 2025
This is #14 in a series of quaint stories of a female veterinarian who inherited her grandfather's house that has an animal hospital attached. Luckily her Aunt lives next door in the dowage cottage and she is a human's Dr. Each book has a new mystery case that Harriet seems to get involved with as well as sometimes coming across a new species to attend to.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews