Barn Burner

by Ellie Ballard

Someone's in for a shock

Summer is officially here with the opening of the Clear Springs Farmers' Market.

But the town is in a tizzy when a new vendor upsets the apple cart. And when Marnie Tipton discovers his body behind the stall he stole from a prominent local farmer, all hell breaks loose in the small midwestern town.

All eyes are on Orville, the farmers' unofficial leader, but he's not the only one who had a bone to pick with Brother Stutzman. And it's up to Marnie to clear her friend's less than squeaky-clean name.

With her best friend Dina and her worst enemy both by her side, she's got to uncover a lot of secrets to catch the real killer. The farmers' market is the life of the Clear Springs summer, but will it lead Marnie down a deadly path?

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2022

About the author

There are only a few things Ellie Ballard will go to war for: The corner brownie, the middle lasagne, and Castle. All the rest is open for debate.

Ellie hails from a midwest town not so different from Clear Springs, feeds a cat not so different from TC, and would never be caught dead with slice-and-bake cookies.

You can learn more and find Ellie’s books at ellieballard.com

Reviews

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fun read. It had a strong female protagonist, Marnie Tipton, a small town Indiana restaurant owner and amateur sleuth. Marnie discovers the burned body of Shawn Stutzman, an Amish man who ran a stall at the local farmer's produce market. Stutzman was unpopular with other vendors as he undercut their prices and offered items to sell that weren't supposed to be allowed at the venue. Marnie discovers that the other vendors weren't the only people to have a grudge against Stutzman. Who killed him? Marnie attempts to find out. I highly recommend this very enthralling book. I received an ARC of this book, and the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

[Shannon M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marnie is still trying to move on with her life after the death of her almost fiancee, Stu, but she is getting a handle on running the Pumphouse, the restaurant Stu owned and left to her. When she comes across the dead body of an Amish farmer, Marnie once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. I liked learning about the Amish and some of their customs and I really love the small town of Clear Springs and its quirky residents. I highly recommend this series and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Happy Reading!

* I received an ARC from the author but this review is my honest opinion.

[Dave Measner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marnie Tipton is owner manager of the Pumphouse restaurant in Clear Springs. It's 8 monthes since her boyfriend Stu was murdered and things are starting to get back to normal. It's market day and many farmers are up in arms about Shawn Stutzman, a new salesman at the frmers market. Poor quality food and price undercutting send Orville off to confront the new guy. When Marnie goes to stop him she stumbles over Stutzman's body.
The sheriff immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion and a revlving door of suspects are under scrutiny from near and far. It's up to Marnie to clear her friends and get to the bottom of the murder.
A well plotted mystery with many a red herring and good character development from the first book make this a strong followup to Fairly Frozen.
I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Anne Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marnie once again gets caught up in a murder investigation! Breakfast at the restaurant is interrupted by Orville storming out to tell a farmer from another village not to behave the way he was. Marnie chases after him & comes across both Orville & said farmer together! One big snag, the farmer is dead and, of course, the local Sheriff immediately says Orville is the murderer. The farmer was from an Amish village and it was interesting to see how their lives are different from “the English” ways & how Marnie comes to remember learning things at school! A very interesting book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.

It didn't quite hit the mark for me. Not my usual type of book.
Did it keep my attention? Maybe 50% of the time. I kept falling asleep.
Was it an easy read & flow smoothly? Somewhat
Will I buy it when it's released? No, but then I don't buy any books I use Kindle Unlimited.
However, I probably would not re-read this book.
I would recommend to those who like this genre.

[Dwayne Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marnie finds a dead body at the Clear Springs Farmer’s Market. The dead man wasn’t well liked so there are plenty of suspects. Join Marnie as she investigates. A solid mystery in this second in a series.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

each one is a little better

Book 2 starts 8 months after Stu’s death. Marnie is running the restaurant and of course sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Oh she solves another murder. Of course she does it before Sheriff Best can figure it out.

[Jennifer Rosenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

[Julie Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read, Marnie is at it again, love some of the characters from the cafe.

[Sandy T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marnie is back in the middle of another murder mystery much to her dismay. She feels obligated to help her friends who are the suspects since she has little faith in her local sheriff's abilities. This story takes her to Amish country where she is not really welcomed. The story moves along quickly and is entertaining. Although this is one in a series each book is a stand alone. I do enjoy all the diners' regular customers characters. Read with pleasure.