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Delve into this cozy mystery that's buzzing with red herrings!

A series of man-made fires has the small mountain town of Carolan Springs on edge. When drug dealer Ray Lawrence is found murdered in the Bennett's burned-out greenhouse, all signs lead to someone called The Bull. A mysterious woman’s arrival in town has Anne suspecting that Deputy Ruiz and the newcomer are hiding something. Anne’s determined to find out what is going on between them.

When beekeeper Bill Connor is attacked in his greenhouse, Anne starts to wonder if there's a connection. After Sheriff Carson is arrested for the fire-bombing of Hope’s Herbal Shoppe, Anne must determine if he’s guilty or innocent. But will Anne’s meddling this time cause more harm than good?

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220 pages, ebook

Published January 31, 2019

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About the author

Vikki Walton

24 books468 followers
Vikki Walton is the best-selling author of the cozy mystery series, A Backyard Farming series. She is also the author of the Taylor Texas series, and Viviane's Adventures series.
In addition to writing cozy mysteries, she is the author of nonfiction books.
Vikki loves spending time either in her garden or visiting gardens on her travels. She loves animals so you'll usually find some animals in most of her stories.
Vikki currently lives in the beautiful state of Colorado.
You can sign up to receive updates and news about new releases, book deals, and giveaways through https://vikkiwalton.com
You can also find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/VikkiWaltonA...

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Community Reviews

5 stars
121 (61%)
4 stars
47 (23%)
3 stars
22 (11%)
2 stars
6 (3%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for James.
Author 20 books4,436 followers
March 30, 2020
Honey Homicide is the third book in Vikki Walton's 'A Backyard Farming Mystery' series. I've read the previous two and wanted to read this one, so I stayed current on the series. I enjoy learning all about beekeeping and other farming activities, so it's a nice change of pace from other books I've been reading.

In this caper, Kandi and Anne are trying to help their friends survive a string of burglaries, fires, and corruption occurring somewhere in the town. It takes place in Colorado, and there are some pot growers who may or may not be behaving properly. When the cops get involved, and a few bodies start showing up, something is definitely out of sorts. Anne tries to manage her friendship with the sheriff only to find he's accused of the crimes this time! Who do you trust? For Anne, she's slowly falling in love with him, so she'll do what's necessary to protect the man.

Walton's characters are cute. She has a nice balance of dialog and narrative to tell the story. I like getting to see the improvements on the inn. And it's great how everyone works together to solve the crime and help each other survive in the town. Of the three so far, the second is my favorite, but this has fun elements with the bees and the police corruption. I'm looking forward to the next one.
7 reviews
February 2, 2019
This book is awesome . The ending was the best and i can not wait to read the next one. I read it in 24 hours .
Profile Image for Krystyna.
5,134 reviews55 followers
February 12, 2019
Bee seeing you

A good read but possibly not as good as the others. Just felt that the plot was a little off target. However the characters kept it together so I still give it a 4* as the romance is going great guns and Kandi might have picked up another brother.
The Inn has settled into a routine regarding guests but the newest one makes her twitchy. Something is off with the young woman. Then her mind is taken up by a series of fire, assaults, drugs and murder. Now not only has a deputy been killed but Carson's house has gone up in flames and he's missing. Having come to terms with the fact that she's in love with him - what can she do to find who is responsible? What is the guest hiding? Why is Spencer behaving oddly? Why kill the deputy?
Profile Image for Sarka B.
452 reviews4 followers
March 10, 2026
This is the 3rd book in Backyard Farming Mystery serie and it is a good book. It is engaging. We get to know here more about Anna's private life and her relationship with Carson. I was surprised by the last chapters and who the culprit was. I will continue to read this serie.
405 reviews
April 26, 2019
The best yet!

I so love these mysteries by Vikki Walton! This book is the best so far. I enjoy the characters who are intelligent, witty and intriguing. Between the character development, descriptive writing, and dialogue, these books take cozy mystery books to a new level. The twists and turns will keep you guessing & I love it when I guess wrong! Shows me that the book is well done. I was floored several times with different clues and situations boggling my mind. The ending was perfect!

I sincerely recommend that you read this series in order to get to know the characters & their history. It's also important when following the sub stories. This could be read by itself, but then you might not understand some of the more humorous & relationship undercurrents. I'm looking forward to reading the next book!
Profile Image for Jerri Cachero.
653 reviews49 followers
February 28, 2019
A fun cozy mystery!

The third book in the series didn't disappoint! I love the development of the characters and the mystery kept me guessing! I can't wait for the next book!
Profile Image for Max Lingwood.
49 reviews
August 13, 2019
A fantastic end of the series.... for now!

Honey Homicide is the third book in the Backyard Farming Mystery series. It is currently the last book in the series (however, I am hopefully Walton will write more). I my opinion, this book is the best in the series yet, really finishing a great set of books.

Coming back to Colarado Springs, everyone was in the same situation from the last book. Anne, Kandi and Hope are still running the Inn and everyone is still ok. The group start off by meeting Bill whilst learning about bees. The farming side of these books are always so interesting and fun! 😊

However, later that day, a dead body is found. It is identified as Ray’s body. Moreover, Bill gets beaten up. Anne puts her detective hat back on to try and figure out why these things are occurring. Bill was apparently growing weed for his wife. This storyline was really sad but yet understandable as you can see where Bill is coming from.

Carson tells Anne to stay out of this mystery as it’s the worse one yet! But... she never listens! Afterwards, Hope’s Shop gets burnt down and Carson gets chuck into prison! 👮‍♂️

However, when he is let out, Carson asks Anne for her help. Together, they pretend to date to find the El Toro Bull. During this time, they start to realise they do actually like each other!!!! I was so excited! 😆

After another death, they finally capture the killer. I won’t spoil who it is, but you will not see this one coming if you are a fan of the series! 🐓

I really loved how the characters developed in this book. I also extremely liked Anne and Carson as I knew they’d get together!

My only complaints would be that I wasn’t a fan of the youth storyline. However, the drugs and corrupt society parts were fantastic!

4/5 Stars

Quick Note: Do not leave this series now! I need more 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1,247 reviews11 followers
August 19, 2021
Marijuana and mystery!

This is the third book in the series but the second one I’ve read. Somehow I skipped the second in the series and I’ll have to remedy that! I have really grown to love the small town of Carolan and it’s sometimes quirky residents. Kandi’s twin brothers come to visit and are a little on the wild side! But there is something sinister going on in town these days. And as Anne begins to check it out, she becomes suspicious that even the police or sheriff departments are involved. When Mary Smith (really?!) arrives and seems to be everywhere and always watchful, Anne adds her to the suspect list. It seems there is too much marijuana around, even if it is legal in Colorado. A fascinating story that will keep you guessing until the end!
Profile Image for Valerie Irwin.
332 reviews6 followers
April 25, 2022
The Birds, The Bees and the Bull

A great 3rd book in this series! Lots of action and character development here. The characters are becoming like friends I would like to know to be sure! There is mystery, intrigue and a surprise ending to make you smile!!! I would have given a full 5 star rating, but the "Valley Girl" impersonation Kandi keeps giving with "like" in every sentence is both annoying and distracting in the story. I try to skip through it, but each time, I lose a bit of the excitement of the story. Other than that...it's a great story!!!!
Profile Image for Julian Coleman.
Author 7 books27 followers
August 27, 2019
This was my first time reading a mystery by Vikki Walton. I read this book as a standalone, so I was a bit lost at the beginning. This is a cozy mystery with likeable characters and sort of reminded me of the feel of the Murder She Wrote series. Because I tagged along for the fictional ride starting with this book, it was hard for me to differentiate between the characters. Overall, I found this book well written, entertaining and delightful.
Profile Image for Mildred Pace.
70 reviews
November 16, 2020
A New Author and a new series.

Had never heard of this author and her series until looking for a new read. Her characters and location were both delightful and funny in the stories. Read all three books and enjoyed then all. Learned a lot about homesteading also. Looking forward to a new book soon.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
1,495 reviews22 followers
December 2, 2020
Interesting

This could have been an excellent book of there had been some serious editing, mostly in the beginning. I also didn't care for the use of the word "like" in conversation. It's annoying in real life, and it's even worse to have to read it. Otherwise, it is full of suspense, and I did enjoy it!
Profile Image for Eirlys.
1,763 reviews16 followers
February 4, 2025
A not so sweet mystery

A series of arson attacks are seemingly unconnected, but are they?
I liked the way that Ann got involved, especially with her feelings for Connor, the sheriff. It was difficult to know who she should trust after Connor was arrested for arson. Lots of suspects made solving this mystery very difficult.
Profile Image for Cherry London.
Author 1 book85 followers
April 16, 2025
Drugs and kids do not go together. Once this wicked imposter is allowed to infiltrate their naive senses, it brings about changes which, before long, could lead to murder. Now, this is one story to be reckoned with, it had captivation, intrigue, entertainment, excitement, and the thrill factor all wrapped in an enticing, gripping package.
82 reviews2 followers
May 9, 2019
I won this book as part of a giveaway on another website. Many thanks to the author and publisher. This is an honest review.

Although this is not my typical type of read, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the plot twists and surprising ending. A great book.
150 reviews
September 15, 2025
was the first of these books I've read and loved it . good characters and plot. will look for the first 2 to read and for the ones coming after. I like the interactions of the main characters. I recommend it as a good read.
431 reviews2 followers
September 9, 2020
Fun and more fun.

This series just keeps on entertaining. It keeps you guessing who the bad guys are right up to the end all while giving sweet love stories.
547 reviews2 followers
October 28, 2020
Great read

I enjoyed learning about bee keeping aa well as seeing the bad guy put away! The romance is coming along well, too!
Profile Image for Aparna J.
441 reviews5 followers
December 7, 2020
Amazing

I loved it. It is a beautiful thriller with lots of twists and turns and surprises. I would certainly recommend for reading.
43 reviews
Read
May 1, 2021
Busy as a,bee

I really enjoyed reading this story. I didn't know where it was going or who did what. I'm going to recommend this to my niece.
Profile Image for Paula.
1,319 reviews7 followers
June 12, 2023
Lovely mystery in Carolan Springs. All the characters well established. Book 3 in the series. I wouldn’t mind living there with Anne, Kandi, Hope, Carson, Stewart, Spencer and others. Good read!
199 reviews2 followers
March 12, 2019
Good story

In the beginning of the story, I had difficulty with exactly who some of the characters were as I hadn't recently read a previous book. Including reoccurring names in the character list would have been a help. A good story aside from that.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews