Pecks and Suspects

Clucks and Clues Cozy Mysteries #5

by Hillary Avis

Which came first, the killer or the egg?
Wedding bells are ringing at Lucky Cluck Farm! Sheriff Eli Ramirez's beloved niece is marrying a hometown hero, but she’s a bride on a budget. Leona offers her chicken farm as the perfect (and free!) springtime venue. The homestead might need a little cleanup before it can host the ceremony and barn dance, but many hands make light work, and the sprawling Ramirez clan certainly has hands to spare.

But there’s a hitch in the wedding plans. A bridesmaid takes a nosedive off the roof at the bachelorette party. And it wasn’t an accident—she was pushed.

What’s worse? When Eli’s kicked off the case due to conflict of interest, the new sheriff in town zeroes in on the bride and groom as the prime suspects in the killing. He thinks they made a murder pact—‘til death do they part.

Now Leona and Eli must untangle the mystery so the happy couple can finally tie the knot under the apple blossoms. But the killer has a bouquet of other plans…

If you like homespun hilarity in your cozy mysteries, Pecks & Suspects will keep you giggling and guessing until you find out whodunnit. No gore, swears, or other yucky stuff. Just good, clean murder.

Genres: Mystery, Romance

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2021

Reviews

[Shawna Shaheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 5. Eli nice Chelsea was getting married to Aaron her boyfriend of 3 months. Everyone thought it was to soon. One Aaron mom Jennifer and Jasmine a woman that worked with Aaron for paramedic job. She was his groomwoman. Drake his best friend and Tasha Aaron cousin did not Aaron to get married either. At the Party bash they were throwing Tasha was screamed by at Chelsea saying she did and Aaron should not be getting married. She said her and Drake should be. Leona and Eli heard this and went to the group and try to break it up. Well after awhile her and Aaron went on the rooftop and something happened up there and Tasha fell to her death. There was catastrophic after that trying to get the wedding in motion. Everyone was not what they appeared to be in Lenora eyes. These are a great series. I like the chicken farm that Leona has and her sweet little chick Boots that she lets live with her in her house.bread reads

[JACKIE K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheriff Eli’s favorite niece, Chelsea, is getting married and Leona has generously offered her farm for the outdoor wedding venue. Aaron and Chelsea have only known each other for a few months and this has stirred up feelings of jealousy and opposition among friends and family, resulting in a tragedy on the night of the bachelor-bachelorette party. However, this is only the beginning of the many occurrences which seem designed to put a damper on their plans. Is someone out to sabotage this wedding or are these just unfortunate accidents? When the groom is accused of murder, Leona can’t help but use her talents to investigate what really happened. Eli and Leona have grown closer as a couple and their relationship illustrates that it is never too late to reunite with a former love. Leona’s chickens are always good for a laugh and there is one scene where they get loose and create much hilarity as family and friends try to herd them back into the coop. I love this series and I’ve discovered a fascination with chickens, following Hillary’s real-life flock in her newsletters. This book can be enjoyed even if you haven’t read the entire series, but my enjoyment was enhanced by having read all the stories. I can’t wait for the next one.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheriff Eli's favorite niece, Chelsea, is getting married and Leona has offered her farm for the wedding venue. What does a flooded farm, a piece of jewelry, a messed up cake, the caterer breaking the contract last minute have in common? What else could go wrong? LOTS! Well besides these nuisances how about the groom being arrested for murdering his cousin? Did Aaron push her off the roof? And although Eli is a sheriff, he can't have anything to do with investigating because of a conflict of interest. But that doesn't stop Leona. Will The wedding finally postponed? Aaron's mother certainly hopes so. Why does she hate Chelsea so much? And what does Aaron's best friend and cousin, boyfriend to the victim have to do with all this? Could a bad argument between them have anything to do with her murder? There are a few very good suspects besides Aaron who would have a motive, but did they have access? I love the closeness between Eli and Leona even though she has major reservations about making their relationship more permanent. This is a fun and fast murder mystery that you will read in one sitting to see if your suspect is the one! I can't wait to see what will happen next! I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Kim Loomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in this series so far. Lenora's farm is the setting for Eli's favorite niece's setting for her wedding to the town's hero and a lot of Eli's family is coming for the wedding. The night of the bachelorette the bridesmade takes a nosedive off the roof of the bar and everyone is wondering if she was pushed or did she jump. The bride's fiance was with her when it happened so trying to figure out what happened puts everyone on edge. This cause a lot of things to have to be changed and adapted to and no one knows if the wedding will get to take place at the end of the week or not. Parts of this story was almost funny and others are rather tragic but over all it was a page turning book that I couldn't get enough of. I ended up staying up all night reading this book because I just couldn't put it down. I really love this series and am anxious to see what the next book will hold.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

It wedding time for Eli’s niece and Leona has agreed to hold the ceremony at her home. As Leona describes everything she needs to do to prepare her home for the festivities, she not only has to deal with Eli’s family, the wedding party, and the caterer, she also is dealing with a death. The mystery was interesting, the characters were well developed and I really enjoyed the humor of the chickens. This is one of the most adorable cozy mysteries. If you enjoy animals, quirky small-towns and family togetherness, then I recommend not only this book, but the whole series.

I received an ARC copy of this book for free and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sylvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book, full of family fun, hopes and love.

I love to read these stories. There's always something going on in Leona's life...  This time,  nothing goes as planned with Eli's niece wedding week.   From the bachelor/bachelorette's party to the venue, to the wedding day, Leona and Eli have a lot to figure out and fix if they want the wedding to happen. 

Spend some quality time in Honeytree, with amazing characters, a story well written and a murder to solve!

I received this book as part of an ARC team and this is my honest opinion.

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Pecks and Suspects, Chelsea's wedding seems almost cursed. Leona and Eli and his extended family are trying to host Chelsea's wedding on Leona's farm but murder and other catastrophes keep getting in the way. I always enjoy a visit to Leona's farm. Once again she is embroiled in a solving a murder while trying to prepare for this wedding. The bride and groom are chief suspects in the murder - just to complicate matters a little more. Will Chelsea be able to solve the murder and get the wedding back on track? This is another satisfying cozy mystery in the Clucks and Clues series.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love a good cozey murder mystery and this little chick has all the best parts to a good cozey murder mystery characters vibrant with cheek,cheer ,nastiness and mystique. Wedding mishaps and murder isn't going to stop a wedding happening at this little chicken farm. Ms.Avis has spared none of her writing talents in this mystery of mayhem and murder. Once you pick up this egggageing read you won't be able to put it down until you've learned all it's secrets and clucked out it's ending. Acquire "Pecks and Suspects "today so you yourself can enjoy it as much as I have. 😀🥂Kat

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holding a wedding on the farm seems like a good idea until a tragic death and accidents begin to plague the group. Follow the clues as Leona and Eli try to find the individual responsible for all the trouble. Will the wedding still be held? Will it be cancelled? Will Eli propose to Leona? These are just some of the questions posed in this story. You will enjoy the world building, the characters will feel like old friends and the plot is superbly written. Highly recommend this series, it has it all mystery, a touch of romance, and lots of funny situations and moments.

[B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun cozy mystery in the series. This one was focused more on developing the main characters, which was nice. My only frustration with this one was it used the Agatha Christie approach - i.e. you couldn't really figure it out in advance because the characters saw clues that were not explained to the reader, so it wasn't one that allowed you to put the pieces together before or even at the same time as the characters. All in all, though, it was a fun little book and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Robin Blanksguster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a blast reading this book and trying to figure out the murderer before Leona. This was a mystery worth reading with twists and turns and subplots. The characters were wonderfully drawn out with unique personalities. I loved all the antics and camaraderie and the chickens were hilarious! Terrifically, satisfying story.

Red Robin

I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[blueyed_cntry_girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What could possible go wrong with a farm wedding? Well besides the caterer backing out at the last minute and oh the groom being arrested for his cousin’s murder! I mean that is just two of the many things. Will Leona be able to help get Aaron (the groom) off or did he really do it? Will the wedding be postponed. Love love the chickens!! This was a cute murder mystery.

I received this as an arc and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eli's niece is getting married and they are having the wedding at Leona's farm. Murder and mahem ensure with laughs and misunderstanding's galore. Eli has a large boisterous family and they are almost all there. Leona will need to solve this murder to ensure the wedding goes through. What a fun and delightful series. This story entertains all the way to the end. 

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with each of the other books in this series, I really enjoyed it. Leona and Eli are a great couple and I enjoyed the family dynamics in this book. He has an interesting and large family. I will admit that I did figure out who dun it and why well before the end, but the details still made it a good read. How much better does it get than family dynamics, weddings, and murder.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend since childhood pitches a fit at the bachelor/ bachelorette party of one of her closest gal pals - then ginds herself suddenly dead. Was murderous jealousy at play? Or a bevy of other drives?

Twisted connections and cranky family-zillas combine to make a lethal wedding party

Action, drama, remorse and regret

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice, joyous time for family and friends ends up with someone from the wedding party dead. How could that be? Leona and Eli's family is trying to get her farm ready for the big event, but during the pre-wedding party things get rather heated and someone ends up dead. You won't believe the why! I have enjoyed every story in this series!!! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clicking goodl

I have learned more about chickens from this series than I could ever have imagined! Leona is definitely a role model for women who are finding themselves. Her knack for sleuthing has helped solve more than murder cases as shown in this latest book that I could not out down. I eagerly await the next book in this excellent series!

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chickens and Weddings

What another enjoyable book by Hillary Avis! I love this entire set of books. Having grown up on a large farm myself, I am aware of the huge amount of work it can be. When trying to help out friends and family with a wedding , a murder is committed. Who did it?? Why do they do it. Good fun and good reading. A great combination.

[Carol Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nary a disappointment!

Once again., we admire Hilary Davis's ability to capture and hold our attention with suc
h great characters who could compare to quirky friends, and family we have known! I have fallen in love with most of them
and I want to be a part of small town America! I don't want these tales to end!

[David Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review. Leona is letting her farm be a venue for a wedding and if things could go wrong, they did. I love this series and can't wait for the next one. I recommend this book to everyone.

[Janet Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, Cozy, Farm-Based Mystery
This is a cute and cozy mystery. A wedding is being set up at the farm and everything seems to be going wrong. Our heroes need to find the culprit so the wedding can happen. The story is cute and clean. The plot is rather simple, but it is carried out very well.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an arc reader. I really enjoyed this book. There were so many twists and turns. But along with mystery there is always humor, love, affection, caring, respect, and most important the chickens.

[Teri Griffis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hillary Avis can write a mystery that will keep you in your seat but also make you laugh and smile at the antics contained within the plot. Great read!

I was given a copy by the author and this is my voluntary, honest review.

[Pamela Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pecks and Suspects

I read this book in one day. I good not put it down. It had plenty of action and mystery. I enjoyed all the characters. Once again the chickens p,ayes there part. I am looking forward to the next book.

[Rita Pierrottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This series continues he's to have creative plots and interesting characters. I love the small town country setting and the humor the author brings in with her chicken farm.

[Inger Cierniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wedding Jitters

Having read the series in order, this was an anticipated joy. I got to 55% of the way but crime and mishap got too tedious since I had figured it out after the murder. So I skipped to the wedding and enjoyed the dress and reception. A delightful read.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting cozy mystery. Interesting, quirky and complex characters. Lots of twists and turns make this a must read! I received an arc copy and this is my honest opinion.

[Terry Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wedding is in the works at Leona's chicken farm. With all the setbacks, will the wedding continue? It's up to Leona and Eli to save the day.

I received a free copy of this book.

[Beverly Calhoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marriage

They are already married in heart. They don’t need papers to show it. It shows in their eyes. So sweet!