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Bluebell Cafe #1
A Friend In Knead
Harriet Pickles is living her dream, one mishap at a time.
It is springtime in Vermont, and Harriet’s life is finally on a roll. The Bluebell Café, her pride and joy, is a success, and someday soon it may even be solvent. In her scant free time she ghost writes her gran’s wildly popular advice column and tends to her beloved one-eyed, cross dressing, English Bulldog.
But then Sevenoaks experiences its first murder in as long as anyone can remember, and the police investigation hits way too close to home. In order to save her café, Harriet and her best friend, Claire, are forced to conduct their own search for the killer.
To further complicate matters, Harriet’s long-ago boyfriend – the love of her life – has moved back to town, and if her legs would just stop wobbling every time the two of them are together it would be easier to pretend she’s completely over him.
A Friend in Knead is a cozy mystery full of tasty food, lots of laughs and a hit of romance.
Includes some of The Bluebell Café’s most-loved recipes.
It is springtime in Vermont, and Harriet’s life is finally on a roll. The Bluebell Café, her pride and joy, is a success, and someday soon it may even be solvent. In her scant free time she ghost writes her gran’s wildly popular advice column and tends to her beloved one-eyed, cross dressing, English Bulldog.
But then Sevenoaks experiences its first murder in as long as anyone can remember, and the police investigation hits way too close to home. In order to save her café, Harriet and her best friend, Claire, are forced to conduct their own search for the killer.
To further complicate matters, Harriet’s long-ago boyfriend – the love of her life – has moved back to town, and if her legs would just stop wobbling every time the two of them are together it would be easier to pretend she’s completely over him.
A Friend in Knead is a cozy mystery full of tasty food, lots of laughs and a hit of romance.
Includes some of The Bluebell Café’s most-loved recipes.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 8, 2018
393 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
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May 23, 2020
Harriet Pickles is thrilled to own her own cafe in her hometown of Sevenoaks, Vermont. Together with her best friend Claire, they serve up soups, salads, sandwiches and delicious baked goods for the community and the tourists. Sure, business is a little slow when tourists aren't in town but it will pick up right? Well, there's nothing like a little competition and a murder to ruin a cafe owner's hopes and dreams! Harriet is furious to discover her high school mean girls and the town clerk/jerk are opening a new cafe, excuse me, classy French Bistro, right next door to hers. When Harriet goes to confront them about ruining Claire's herb garden, she overhears an angry argument next door. The next thing she knows, the police are closing her cafe and accusing her cook Wally of murder. Wally may have a short fuse but he'd never actually kill someone. Harriet knows this in her heart. Somehow, the police don't believe her and are positive Wally had the motive, means and opportunity. A mysterious scratch on his face doesn't help much. With the police zeroing in and the townspeople avoiding her cafe, Harriet knows she has to solve the mystery FAST before all her dreams go down the drain. The problem isn't finding out who would want Everly dead, but which one would actually do the deed?
The mystery was pretty solid. I really never guessed who or why until the moment Harriet figured things out. OK so she was alone and I was 85% into the book but plotwise, the story kept me reading until late in the night. The writing needs some work though. First, let's review basic grammar: Parent's house refers to mom or dad's house (apostrophe s). Parents' house refers to the house where BOTH parents live. This is a common mistake and drives me crazy. I also can not stand the use of "alright" instead of "all right." People, get a style guide The Elements of Style before you click publish! I learned these rules in grade school. The other major thing that really bothered me was the introduction of waaayyy too many names without explanation. Suddenly they're going to someone's baby shower and this person is hosting, that one's doing IVF, she's pregnant, etc. Who are all these people? They're randomly name dropped and it's impossible to know which, if any, of the characters are going to play an important role in the story. I was also thrown off by the third person narration but it works for me. I loved the cute dog on the cover and was disappointed he's hardly in the book!
I like Harriet a lot but not her investigative technique. I admire how hard she's working to keep the cafe open and live her dream. I like her moonlighting job as an advice columnist and how she fell in love with a rescue bulldog in need of TLC. She had a good heart. I can relate to how she was bullied in school, however, this New Englander doesn't get Hairy out of Harriet. Hat not Hair. However, they seem to be located closer to New York than Boston so perhaps accents are different out that way? My heart went out to young Harriet. Her name really is awful! I did not like Harriet sticking her nose into the investigation. She's very naive and behaves stupidly. To be fair, Claire is worse and could get them both killed. I like how they're both still great friends even though they're no longer the awkward, bullied teens they were in high school. Claire is tough, take no prisoners, bold, direct, knows what she wants. She's also an amazing baker! I love how close they are so that when Harriet gets into trouble, Claire is aware Harriet has given her a cry for help. These two are real friends.
Unlike Rachel and Everly. Mean girls in high school, they remain awful and bullying. I rather think the shoe is on the other foot now. Harriet and Claire are successful (sort of) businesswomen. Everly is the mayor's Executive Assistant and Rachel seems independently wealthy or mooching off her brother more likely. Rachel and Everly are NOT sisters in spite of the name of their cafe, Doux Soeurs. Rachel is clearly the Queen Bee and Everly is her worker bee. Rachel would stab Everly in the back given the opportunity. This is shown a few times but never really brought up in the story. Rachel's brother Philip, town clerk and jerk of all trades, is rude, cheap and arrogant. It must run in the family.
The staff of the Bluebell are like family. Harriet is the mother, looking out for everyone. Wally, the cook, has anger management issues. He gets into arguments with everyone, likes things the way he likes them and can't be persuaded to try anything new. He's devoted to a crazy parrot, breaking health codes for his pet. I love Ringo! Like Wally, Ringo is rough and crusty. He tosses of rude British slang at any slight provocation, saying what humans are thinking. Given Wally's devotion to the animal no one else likes, I don't think he's a murderer. Plus his actions following the murder show how upset he is and worried about going to jail. The killer always remains calm and slips back into society with no one the wiser. Denise is a loyal waitress. She's rough, tough talking but a good friend. Personally, if I ran a cafe, I wouldn't hire a smoker. That's gross but I grew to like Denise for her loyalty. Ron, the delivery boy, is a typical snotty teenager. He's selfish and rude at times but he does his job.
There are several suspects and 8 million townspeople populating this novel. #1 suspect should be Rachel. If Rachel and Everly weren't arguing over the cafe, I'd be surprised, especially since Rachel wanted to name it after herself. What an ego! Suspect #2 should be Philip. He's awful enough but is he brave enough to even lash out in anger? Maybe. Suspect #3 is Mayor Bixby with whom Everly was said to be having an affair. He's fat, lazy and not too bright but maybe Everly was blackmailing him about the affair. Suspect #4 is Suzannah Bixby, the mayor's wife. She's formidable! I wouldn't put it past her to off her husband's mistress. Tricia, an old friend of Harriet's from school, is also a gossip. She runs on and on about inconsequential things. I feel sorry for her because her husband, Jason, is a cranky jerk. He's awful to her and seems to have anger management issues. I put him on my suspect list. He certainly has the personality for murder.
Chief Spofford isn't too interested in solving the case. He's close to retirement and the state police are taking over so he is content to let them handle the investigation. I feel like he could have done a better job than state because he knows the townspeople and their personalities. Detective Adam Heller from the state police has a history with Claire. He's tough and looks at the basic surface evidence but doesn't think outside the box. Claire was right when she said he lacked imagination. He's convinced Wally is guilty and isn't looking at other suspects.
The townspeople include Harriet's Gran, a crusty octogenarian with more get up and go than Harriet. She says what she thinks and hints about what she means. Gran has a job as an advice columnist and everyone loves her caustic wit. I love her advice too! She's devoted to Chester, Harriet's cross-dressing rescue bulldog. Chester is a lazy boy and not in the story much. He sounds adorable and so sweet. David, town treasurer and accountant, is mild-mannered and kind. His wife Amy is scary. She's a "type A" personality and very, very determined to have her own way. There's Nick Petty, Harriet's first love. She's still into him but I don't see why. He's clueless and she hasn't seen him in years. Seamus, the elderly man who lived in the apartment over the other side of the building, is crazy. He's always drunk, mooching food from the cafe without paying and denies backing up Harriet's story about his turtle, making her look suspicious. I did not like him at all but I didn't want him to be a murderer. Gran's friend Marlene is mentioned but never seen. She sounds like the town gossip. I hate old ladies who have nothing better to do than be nosy and spread gossip about their neighbors. Beth-Ann, a pregnant friend, seems nice. Her husband, Roger Wyatt, is a sweet guy but neither of them have the guts to stand up to Amy. Melissa, Sevenoaks’ Jill of all trades, seems nice but a little too gung-ho about pushing veganism on people. I TOTALLY agree about eating animals but if someone hires you to work in their cafe and they serve animal products, you cook what they serve and don't lecture their customers about how lovely pigs are. Claire seems to be related to half the townspeople, pretty typical of New England!
This book isn't bad but isn't great either. I'm uncertain I'll read the next two in the series. I did enjoy the recipes and need to go freeze some butter to make raspberry scones!
The mystery was pretty solid. I really never guessed who or why until the moment Harriet figured things out. OK so she was alone and I was 85% into the book but plotwise, the story kept me reading until late in the night. The writing needs some work though. First, let's review basic grammar: Parent's house refers to mom or dad's house (apostrophe s). Parents' house refers to the house where BOTH parents live. This is a common mistake and drives me crazy. I also can not stand the use of "alright" instead of "all right." People, get a style guide The Elements of Style before you click publish! I learned these rules in grade school. The other major thing that really bothered me was the introduction of waaayyy too many names without explanation. Suddenly they're going to someone's baby shower and this person is hosting, that one's doing IVF, she's pregnant, etc. Who are all these people? They're randomly name dropped and it's impossible to know which, if any, of the characters are going to play an important role in the story. I was also thrown off by the third person narration but it works for me. I loved the cute dog on the cover and was disappointed he's hardly in the book!
I like Harriet a lot but not her investigative technique. I admire how hard she's working to keep the cafe open and live her dream. I like her moonlighting job as an advice columnist and how she fell in love with a rescue bulldog in need of TLC. She had a good heart. I can relate to how she was bullied in school, however, this New Englander doesn't get Hairy out of Harriet. Hat not Hair. However, they seem to be located closer to New York than Boston so perhaps accents are different out that way? My heart went out to young Harriet. Her name really is awful! I did not like Harriet sticking her nose into the investigation. She's very naive and behaves stupidly. To be fair, Claire is worse and could get them both killed. I like how they're both still great friends even though they're no longer the awkward, bullied teens they were in high school. Claire is tough, take no prisoners, bold, direct, knows what she wants. She's also an amazing baker! I love how close they are so that when Harriet gets into trouble, Claire is aware Harriet has given her a cry for help. These two are real friends.
Unlike Rachel and Everly. Mean girls in high school, they remain awful and bullying. I rather think the shoe is on the other foot now. Harriet and Claire are successful (sort of) businesswomen. Everly is the mayor's Executive Assistant and Rachel seems independently wealthy or mooching off her brother more likely. Rachel and Everly are NOT sisters in spite of the name of their cafe, Doux Soeurs. Rachel is clearly the Queen Bee and Everly is her worker bee. Rachel would stab Everly in the back given the opportunity. This is shown a few times but never really brought up in the story. Rachel's brother Philip, town clerk and jerk of all trades, is rude, cheap and arrogant. It must run in the family.
The staff of the Bluebell are like family. Harriet is the mother, looking out for everyone. Wally, the cook, has anger management issues. He gets into arguments with everyone, likes things the way he likes them and can't be persuaded to try anything new. He's devoted to a crazy parrot, breaking health codes for his pet. I love Ringo! Like Wally, Ringo is rough and crusty. He tosses of rude British slang at any slight provocation, saying what humans are thinking. Given Wally's devotion to the animal no one else likes, I don't think he's a murderer. Plus his actions following the murder show how upset he is and worried about going to jail. The killer always remains calm and slips back into society with no one the wiser. Denise is a loyal waitress. She's rough, tough talking but a good friend. Personally, if I ran a cafe, I wouldn't hire a smoker. That's gross but I grew to like Denise for her loyalty. Ron, the delivery boy, is a typical snotty teenager. He's selfish and rude at times but he does his job.
There are several suspects and 8 million townspeople populating this novel. #1 suspect should be Rachel. If Rachel and Everly weren't arguing over the cafe, I'd be surprised, especially since Rachel wanted to name it after herself. What an ego! Suspect #2 should be Philip. He's awful enough but is he brave enough to even lash out in anger? Maybe. Suspect #3 is Mayor Bixby with whom Everly was said to be having an affair. He's fat, lazy and not too bright but maybe Everly was blackmailing him about the affair. Suspect #4 is Suzannah Bixby, the mayor's wife. She's formidable! I wouldn't put it past her to off her husband's mistress. Tricia, an old friend of Harriet's from school, is also a gossip. She runs on and on about inconsequential things. I feel sorry for her because her husband, Jason, is a cranky jerk. He's awful to her and seems to have anger management issues. I put him on my suspect list. He certainly has the personality for murder.
Chief Spofford isn't too interested in solving the case. He's close to retirement and the state police are taking over so he is content to let them handle the investigation. I feel like he could have done a better job than state because he knows the townspeople and their personalities. Detective Adam Heller from the state police has a history with Claire. He's tough and looks at the basic surface evidence but doesn't think outside the box. Claire was right when she said he lacked imagination. He's convinced Wally is guilty and isn't looking at other suspects.
The townspeople include Harriet's Gran, a crusty octogenarian with more get up and go than Harriet. She says what she thinks and hints about what she means. Gran has a job as an advice columnist and everyone loves her caustic wit. I love her advice too! She's devoted to Chester, Harriet's cross-dressing rescue bulldog. Chester is a lazy boy and not in the story much. He sounds adorable and so sweet. David, town treasurer and accountant, is mild-mannered and kind. His wife Amy is scary. She's a "type A" personality and very, very determined to have her own way. There's Nick Petty, Harriet's first love. She's still into him but I don't see why. He's clueless and she hasn't seen him in years. Seamus, the elderly man who lived in the apartment over the other side of the building, is crazy. He's always drunk, mooching food from the cafe without paying and denies backing up Harriet's story about his turtle, making her look suspicious. I did not like him at all but I didn't want him to be a murderer. Gran's friend Marlene is mentioned but never seen. She sounds like the town gossip. I hate old ladies who have nothing better to do than be nosy and spread gossip about their neighbors. Beth-Ann, a pregnant friend, seems nice. Her husband, Roger Wyatt, is a sweet guy but neither of them have the guts to stand up to Amy. Melissa, Sevenoaks’ Jill of all trades, seems nice but a little too gung-ho about pushing veganism on people. I TOTALLY agree about eating animals but if someone hires you to work in their cafe and they serve animal products, you cook what they serve and don't lecture their customers about how lovely pigs are. Claire seems to be related to half the townspeople, pretty typical of New England!
This book isn't bad but isn't great either. I'm uncertain I'll read the next two in the series. I did enjoy the recipes and need to go freeze some butter to make raspberry scones!
March 12, 2021
Not expected
A fun and entertaining cozy mystery. Harriet opened her dream cafe a year ago but when her High School bully and her friends decided to open a cafe right next door to the Bluebell she knows things can't turn out good.
When Harriet's nemesis is found dead all clues point to the cook from the Bluebell. Believing in his innocence Harriet and her friends seek out answers.
The characters in the book were fun and quirky and include a French Bulldog who loves to wear a tutu and eye patch. The plot is strong and well developed. The characters are true to their personalities and give a lot of fun to the story. There are also some great recipes included at the end of the story.
A fun and entertaining cozy mystery. Harriet opened her dream cafe a year ago but when her High School bully and her friends decided to open a cafe right next door to the Bluebell she knows things can't turn out good.
When Harriet's nemesis is found dead all clues point to the cook from the Bluebell. Believing in his innocence Harriet and her friends seek out answers.
The characters in the book were fun and quirky and include a French Bulldog who loves to wear a tutu and eye patch. The plot is strong and well developed. The characters are true to their personalities and give a lot of fun to the story. There are also some great recipes included at the end of the story.
March 14, 2024
Really cute story. Characters were fun. I didn't find the humor to be funny, but the mystery was pretty interesting.
November 13, 2021
Book 1 Harriet gran had a webpage Aunt Aggie Tells it like it is. A blog where people asks advice and she answers them. Harriet helps her gran. They had one million likes. Harriet owned Blue bell Cafe. Her best friend from school Claire the baker and Wally a older man that Harriet hired a year ago a cook. We're starting to get recognized. Their nemesis from school Rachael and Everly were going to open up a Bistro right across from the street from them. Harriet and Claire had choice words with Rachael Everly and ( Rachael brother) Phillip. And then Harriet found Everly body at the renovations of the bistro. But Wally was number one suspect. His hammer was found outside on Bluebird's side of business. This is a laugh out loud series. I love the always find different Cozy Mystery series on Kindle Unlimited. If you like raunchy but not to bad in books that I pretty funny u will probably like this. At first I thought I would not like it. But give it a try
January 17, 2025
Me ha gustado, y seguramente lea los siguientes libros, pero se me ha hecho largo (irónico porque tiene pocas páginas) y me ha costado seguir leyendo. Pero he amado a los personajes!! un punto a favor
December 20, 2020
Friends To Count On
Harriette feels competition is coming when she heard the plans being made for the space next to her cafe, nothing enough to kill for though.
Harriette feels competition is coming when she heard the plans being made for the space next to her cafe, nothing enough to kill for though.
January 30, 2021
Nice little cozy mystery. Enjoyable reading 📚.
August 26, 2018
Blue bell murder
I loved reading this book. The people seemed so real like I knew them. It will keep the reader entertained.
I loved reading this book. The people seemed so real like I knew them. It will keep the reader entertained.
December 20, 2020
Good book!
Good clean book with an overall interesting theme. I will definitely read more books from this author. This is worth the time.
Good clean book with an overall interesting theme. I will definitely read more books from this author. This is worth the time.
December 19, 2020
Not bad for a cozy mystery; at least the perpetrator isn't blindingly obvious from the start. I didn't find much to set it apart from others in the genre, though.
Harriet's character is no more complex to me at the end than at the beginning, nor is Claire's or Joyce's. The only character who really develops at all is Wally - and in a good way. Other than that, Harriet realizes a dream costs big money, Harriet discovers the body, Harriet is under suspicion, Harriet figures she can investigate better than detectives can, and Harriet gets herself in trouble in finding the murderer, saved just in time. Rather standard cozy mystery fare.
Only a few stupid grammatical errors (an apostrophe NEVER makes a noun plural), including the almost-obligatory use of "waive" for "wave", thankfully. It's a pleasant read.
Harriet's character is no more complex to me at the end than at the beginning, nor is Claire's or Joyce's. The only character who really develops at all is Wally - and in a good way. Other than that, Harriet realizes a dream costs big money, Harriet discovers the body, Harriet is under suspicion, Harriet figures she can investigate better than detectives can, and Harriet gets herself in trouble in finding the murderer, saved just in time. Rather standard cozy mystery fare.
Only a few stupid grammatical errors (an apostrophe NEVER makes a noun plural), including the almost-obligatory use of "waive" for "wave", thankfully. It's a pleasant read.
May 6, 2018
The parrot and the flying bottle
Good read but after reading the blurb I must admit that I expected the dog to have more of a role and for there to be more humour. Her cafe is barely breaking even when she discovers that the empty shop next door is going to be a bistro. To make matters worse, one of the new would be owners is found dead and ouna by her. Who is setting up her and her employees to take the fall? Can she and her sidekick find the real guilty party? The plot was a good one and certainly gave you enough suspects and motives. The characters were well developed but not as funny as I thought they would be. However I did love the advice given by Aunt Aggie.
Good read but after reading the blurb I must admit that I expected the dog to have more of a role and for there to be more humour. Her cafe is barely breaking even when she discovers that the empty shop next door is going to be a bistro. To make matters worse, one of the new would be owners is found dead and ouna by her. Who is setting up her and her employees to take the fall? Can she and her sidekick find the real guilty party? The plot was a good one and certainly gave you enough suspects and motives. The characters were well developed but not as funny as I thought they would be. However I did love the advice given by Aunt Aggie.
February 6, 2018
Jackson/a friend in knead
This book by Jackson surprise me it was well written, kept me guessing who did who. I loved the characters ,Harriet,wally,gran,seamus,Claire,denise, nick, Adam and ringo the parrot and vals dog who wear eye patch because he's blind in one eye and gran makes him wear tutu then you got the pig and the cat and the rest of the gang in this tiny Vermont village. This is a good mystery story of who killed one of the meanest citizen in vermont. I would recommend this book you will enjoy it. Congratulation Jackson for a well written story.
This book by Jackson surprise me it was well written, kept me guessing who did who. I loved the characters ,Harriet,wally,gran,seamus,Claire,denise, nick, Adam and ringo the parrot and vals dog who wear eye patch because he's blind in one eye and gran makes him wear tutu then you got the pig and the cat and the rest of the gang in this tiny Vermont village. This is a good mystery story of who killed one of the meanest citizen in vermont. I would recommend this book you will enjoy it. Congratulation Jackson for a well written story.
May 16, 2021
Easy and delightful
Loved the sass in Aunt Aggie's advice and felt motivated by Claire's obsession with exercise, despite the never-ending mentions of delicacies at the cafe.
The story itself was a light read, with captivating descriptions of spaces, people and even the animals like the cute pig, the rescue cats and the turtle and of course, the fancy eye-patch-wearing dog.
My question is - will Claire be experimenting with a vegan selection of her baked goods? ;)
Loved the sass in Aunt Aggie's advice and felt motivated by Claire's obsession with exercise, despite the never-ending mentions of delicacies at the cafe.
The story itself was a light read, with captivating descriptions of spaces, people and even the animals like the cute pig, the rescue cats and the turtle and of course, the fancy eye-patch-wearing dog.
My question is - will Claire be experimenting with a vegan selection of her baked goods? ;)
January 16, 2022
A delightful new series that has friends owning a café together and balancing their careers and friendship in a delightful manner. I love the cast of characters in the series that include multi-generations, fun pets, and interesting co-workers.
Steady pacing made the book seem to fly by, and it was over way too soon, leaving me wanting more. Fortunately more in the series available!
Appealing on so many levels, I am happy I found this series, and am continuing on to book 2!
Steady pacing made the book seem to fly by, and it was over way too soon, leaving me wanting more. Fortunately more in the series available!
Appealing on so many levels, I am happy I found this series, and am continuing on to book 2!
April 1, 2023
enjoyable small town Murder mystery
This is the first book in the series and as such the reader is introduced to a lot of characters. Some are quirky and others annoying- as intended. My only real complaint about the book was my inability to keep track off all these characters, really a minor issue. The mystery is well constructed with clues present that make sense and lead to the guilty party. I look forward to reading more about this little cafe In Vermont
This is the first book in the series and as such the reader is introduced to a lot of characters. Some are quirky and others annoying- as intended. My only real complaint about the book was my inability to keep track off all these characters, really a minor issue. The mystery is well constructed with clues present that make sense and lead to the guilty party. I look forward to reading more about this little cafe In Vermont
December 28, 2020
Cute story
Harriett, owner of The Bluebell Cafe, and her BFF Claire, are accused of murder when a bully and rival is killed next door to the cafe. The girls decide to jump into the investigation to find out who the real killer is. Very cute murder mystery! Excellent recipes are at the end of the book.
Harriett, owner of The Bluebell Cafe, and her BFF Claire, are accused of murder when a bully and rival is killed next door to the cafe. The girls decide to jump into the investigation to find out who the real killer is. Very cute murder mystery! Excellent recipes are at the end of the book.
December 28, 2020
What a hoot!
I am usually pretty ambivalent about cosy mysteries because I've found they tend to read like they were written overnight by a teenager. Today I found an exception. This book is well written, funny as heck and there must have actually been an editing done by someone. Hallelujah!
I am usually pretty ambivalent about cosy mysteries because I've found they tend to read like they were written overnight by a teenager. Today I found an exception. This book is well written, funny as heck and there must have actually been an editing done by someone. Hallelujah!
June 24, 2021
Wonderful Small Town Cozy Mystery!!!
I really loved this book... It kept you guessing whodunnit right up to the end ... Great location (reminded me of the small town I grew up in), great characters, Great story... Good, clean read that I would recommend to anyone loving a good mystery... Great recipes at the end also... 5 Stars from me... 😄
I really loved this book... It kept you guessing whodunnit right up to the end ... Great location (reminded me of the small town I grew up in), great characters, Great story... Good, clean read that I would recommend to anyone loving a good mystery... Great recipes at the end also... 5 Stars from me... 😄
October 4, 2021
Cafe mystery
I like a cozy mystery. Harriet and Claire own a cafe, and 2 employees. One a cook and the other a waitress. When a few people she knows buys a building next door to have a cafe. One was there at night painting and gets killed. Its time to find a killer. Nice read see how it ends
I like a cozy mystery. Harriet and Claire own a cafe, and 2 employees. One a cook and the other a waitress. When a few people she knows buys a building next door to have a cafe. One was there at night painting and gets killed. Its time to find a killer. Nice read see how it ends
April 23, 2023
This was a fun read. I liked the letters to aunt Aggie element. Lots of great characters with interesting personalities. I’ll look at the second in the series. Harriett’s Blue Bell cafe is fun and charming. I’m interested to see if she and Nick get together in the next book. Love Chester the bulldog who wears tutus.
December 16, 2020
Amazing
Wow. What a fantastic combination of awesome humor with an absolute thriller! Gran is such a splendid character. I am in love with Harriet and Claire's sleauthing with friendly teasing.
Very hilarious as well as interesting. An adorable cozy mystery.
Wow. What a fantastic combination of awesome humor with an absolute thriller! Gran is such a splendid character. I am in love with Harriet and Claire's sleauthing with friendly teasing.
Very hilarious as well as interesting. An adorable cozy mystery.
January 3, 2021
Excellent
Intense, full of humor, and well written. The characters were well developed and there was no clue was to the ending. I would recommend and I would like to read more by this author.
Intense, full of humor, and well written. The characters were well developed and there was no clue was to the ending. I would recommend and I would like to read more by this author.
May 20, 2021
Fun and drama.
I enjoyed reading about Harriet and her feisty grandmother, Joyce. They are funny and believable characters. The setting of a cafe and the staff combine to create an interesting location.
I enjoyed reading about Harriet and her feisty grandmother, Joyce. They are funny and believable characters. The setting of a cafe and the staff combine to create an interesting location.
May 27, 2021
Save the recipes!
Try to keep track of the characters...Too many get into situations you wouldn't. Don't think I will follow the author further. But I have way too many more books to get through and my kindle needs replacing!
Try to keep track of the characters...Too many get into situations you wouldn't. Don't think I will follow the author further. But I have way too many more books to get through and my kindle needs replacing!
August 18, 2021
Great read even for a murder mystery.
Very well written. Good story flow. It was e ash to picture of incision the characters and places. Love the animal tales. A good fun easy read.
Very well written. Good story flow. It was e ash to picture of incision the characters and places. Love the animal tales. A good fun easy read.
July 8, 2022
If you love small town cozy mysteries, you will like this book. Don’t read the book while you are hungry though because all the food will make you binge on unhealthy snacks.
Aunt Aggie’s advice is cryptic and on point.
Aunt Aggie’s advice is cryptic and on point.
December 21, 2023
Some parts were so hilarious, I had to stop reading because I was laughing so hard. Wish there had been a cast of characters. So many in the town showed up, I was having some trouble keeping track of who was who. Great mystery with plenty of suspects. Wonderful characters. Already started book 2.
July 20, 2019
There are plenty of red herrings in this that keep you guessing.
December 23, 2020
excellent
this was one of the best cozy mysteries i have read in a while. not too mushy, not too wonky, well written, and a genuine mystery to solve. i loved it.
this was one of the best cozy mysteries i have read in a while. not too mushy, not too wonky, well written, and a genuine mystery to solve. i loved it.
January 1, 2021
A New Cozy
Harriet's Bluebell Cafe hasn't been open long and is not yet making enough profit to support her. Three people who ruined her childhood and adolescence announce that they are opening a French style cafe right next door. The next day Harriet discovers Everly's body next door. She is at the top of the suspect list...
Harriet's Bluebell Cafe hasn't been open long and is not yet making enough profit to support her. Three people who ruined her childhood and adolescence announce that they are opening a French style cafe right next door. The next day Harriet discovers Everly's body next door. She is at the top of the suspect list...
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