It’s been seven months since Brie Hooker, a vegan, moved to Udderly Kidding Dairy to live with her feisty Aunt Eva, a confirmed carnivore. But tonight there’ll be no family feud over dinner entrees. Udderly’s hosting a campaign fundraiser for Eva’s best friend, who hopes to be South Carolina’s next governor. The candidate’s son, a pro quarterback, is flying home for the wingding. And Brie’s eager … eager to get a close-up view of the cute tush she’s admired on TV, even though she’s reluctantly sworn off even more tempting local beefcake. The campaign fundraiser promises to be a huge success until a pitchfork attack turns the goat farm into a crime scene-again. To protect her friends, Brie puts her sleuthing skills to work. Will she live long enough to find out who’s behind a vicious assault, a kidnapping, blackmail, and murder?
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If you’re looking for a fun Southern mystery, try Linda Lovely’s newest book, Picked Off. It’s filled with quirky characters and a mystery that kept me guessing.
In this second book of the series we meet Carol who is Eva’s friend and a state senator. Carol is running for governor and Brie along with her Aunt are getting the farm ready for a get together where she will speak about her running points. Brie along with Andy and Paint are setting up the Udderly Haunted Barn of Horrors to help raise money to put towards Carols campaign. Carols famous footballer player son, Zack, will be joining the party to help promote his mother and catch up with old friends. When Zack is found in the Barn of Horrors knocked out and stabbed it doesn’t look good. Follow along as Brie and her friends delve into who would want to hurt Zack and why. When Carol goes missing things seem to go from bad to worse. Is Carol alive? Why was she taken? Will they be able to find her? Is what happen to Zack and Carol connected? With long ago issues, a reporter who is always out to make the family look bad, and a security duo on the take will Brie be able to sort through it all? This was a great read that I couldn’t put down and had me laughing the whole way through. I had my suspicions on who the culprit was but was surprised in the end. I can’t wait to see what happens next!!!
PICKED OFF by Linda Lovely
The Second Brie Hooker Mystery
A Halloween themed political fundraiser for Eva’s friend, Carol Strong, turns frightening when people start running from the haunted barn. The cause is not the scary decorations, but rather the bloody body of Carol’s son, Zach, star quarterback of the Las Vegas Aces. With Zack in a coma, Brie tries to puzzle out who attacked him. Was it one of the local enemies from his past? Did it come from a disgruntled football fan or someone from his team? Or was the attack politically motivated, a way to bring down his mother and stop her running for governor? While Eva comforts Carol, Brie, along with Mollye, Andy, and Paint search for the truth.
Lies, deception, and trust are at the heart of this second Brie Hooker mystery. Who is telling the truth? Who can you trust? There are lots of characters with ulterior motives and plenty of suspects and I, for one, wasn’t trusting anyone! The mystery was cleverly plotted with plenty of action and lots of humor. My favorite bits included scenes with Duncan and Rita! I could picture their antics as well as their heroics perfectly! Although not a fan of love triangles in mystery series, I do like the underlying friendship and camaraderie of all three characters. Indeed family and friendship is at the heart of this series.
PICKED OFF is a fun mystery that celebrates friends and family while providing plenty of action and laughs.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The South Carolina Governor’s race is heating up and Udderly Kidding Dairy Farm is hosting a fundraiser for Senator Carol Strong. A Halloween themed costume party has been set up on the grounds and people have come from all over. The Senator’s son has even flown in from Las Vegas. Zack is the starting quarterback for the Aces. Brie who has told Paint and Andy she values their friendship too much to date them decides she may like to get to know Zack a little better. Before she has the chance he is attacked by someone with a pitchfork in the barn. He survives his injuries but has a long recovery ahead of him. Since it happened on at Udderly and Eva and Carol are best friends, Eva decides Brie needs to find the culprit that brought the party to a complete halt. Was it someone from nearby or did someone follow him from Vegas to make sure the quarterback has thrown his last pass?
This is a very exciting story. Gambling, greed, fame, revenge, jealousy, all play a part in the wonderfully written tale. The first victim is just seriously hurt, then another victim is kidnapped, and then a murder is uncovered. Twists, turns, spins, this story has it all.
The attack of pro quarterback Zack Stone brings not only a lot of press to the area but it also brings the owners of his team, extra security, and his back up quarterback to town. These additional characters take the story in an unexpected direction and really add dimension to the story. Brie, Eva, Mollye, Andy, and Paint have their hands full taking care of some and avoiding others as they all piece together the clues to find out who did what and why. A certain animal plays a pivotal role in one scene that had me both on the edge of my seat and laughing out loud.
I will say everyone seems to be worried about Brie’s love life including Brie. I was excited to see at one point it looked like she had made a huge decision only to backtrack herself a few chapters later. I know romantic triangles are a big part of cozy mysteries, but this one needs to be decided soon. I don’t think the idea Andy and Paint have come up with is tenable for long in the future. I do appreciate the friendship all the core characters have. It is very believable and real.
Linda Lovely’s plot takes on a serious issue in a very entertaining way. As with the first book, I enjoy the author’s writing style. Her descriptions create fantastic imagery of time and place. The dialogue is spot on. Brie’s meat and cheese curse words always make me smile. Aunt Eva’s cursing is a little stronger, but she is a strong woman. A huge heart but I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.
I had a great time reading the story. Another perfect escape from this author. I can’t wait for book #3!!
Picked Off
A Brie Hooker Mystery, Book #2
Linda Lovely
5 Stars
Synopsis:
Udderly Kidding Dairy is hosting a campaign fundraiser for Eva’s best friend, who hopes to be South Carolina’s next governor. The candidate’s son, a pro quarterback, is flying home for the wingding. And Brie’s eager to get a close-up view of the cute tush she’s admired on TV, even though she’s reluctantly sworn off even more tempting local beefcake.
The campaign fundraiser promises to be a huge success until a pitchfork attack turns the goat farm into a crime scene—again. To protect her friends, Brie puts her sleuthing skills to work. Will she live long enough to find out who’s behind a vicious assault, a kidnapping, blackmail, and murder? (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed and well rounded. I like the interactions between Brie, Aunt Eva and Mollye, Brie’s friend. They are sometimes outrageous and always funny. I enjoy spending time with them and seeing what they are up to. I have to say that I wish Brie would make up her mind about her love interests, Paint and Andy. I started getting frustrated with her wishy washy ways. That is only my opinion and others may not feel the same way. I hope the next book settles the issue.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and she created a farm setting that was teeming with some incredible animals, especially one special mule. The mystery had enough suspects and clues to consider and even though I thought I knew who had done the deed, I was wrong. But that is okay with me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. And if you are an animal lover, you should read this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Henery Press, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
Picked Off is another intense, edge-of-your-seat cozy mystery set in the world of a vegan working her family’s goat dairy farm. The South Caroline world of Brie Hooker created by Linda Lovely is spectacularly written and the images of each scene in the book were not only vivid but easy to get immersed in as you read. The world and characters were written well, and I felt like I was there at the farm, on the climbing trails, or in the middle of the scuffles.
Brie’s character is down-to-earth, enjoyable, and a completely likable character. It is no wonder she has two suitors vying for her attention and affection. Paint and Andy, men on complete opposite ends of the spectrum, are well-written and caring, each wanting Brie for themselves. Aunt Eva is a quirky yet strong woman who demonstrates the ability to be independent and self-sufficient. Brie’s friend Mollye (yes, it ends with an “e”) rounds out the character list quite nicely.
Regarding Brie’s love life, the author developed an unusual relationship status for her. The direction the author is taking Brie’s potential love-match is different from most relationships in books and found that I enjoyed the differentiation. Regardless of the outcome, I like both guys, so I am not really rooting for one over the other. I would be fine with whatever direction the author takes. Well, maybe that’s not true. If I were to pick, I would pick Paint, but I like a little bit of bad boy in my men.
The author did a wonderful job weaving everything in this book together. The book contains attempted murder, disappearances, and a tangled web of one disaster after another, carefully explained, envisioned, and played out. Add those elements to simmering romances, secrets, a vegan working on a dairy farm, and one unpredictable mule and you have one spectacular tale in Picked Off. The plot is solid, and I didn’t see the conclusion coming. There were several suspects to choose from and the correct one was camouflaged quite well. Picked Off is a great novel that drew me in, kept me engaged, and continued to pique my curiosity from the very beginning. I can’t wait to see where Linda Lovely takes Brie, Eva, and the rest of the cast in the next book.
Another crazy, fun mystery with Brie Hooker and the gang.
Close to Halloween Aunt Eva hosts a fundraiser event for her friend Carol Strong who is aspiring to become the governor of South Carolina. A haunted barn is set up at the farm for the guests.
Carol’s son Zack, a pro quarterback, who shows up to join the event and support his mother is stabbed in the haunted house with a pitch fork and barely survives.
Brie, Paint, Andy and Mollye are getting into some very precarious situations on their mission to find the perp. A murder, an abduction, a hike in the woods and being shot at just makes them more persistent in finding out who stabbed Zack and why.
I had a great time with this mystery and am looking forward to the next book. I really wonder what is going to happen with Brie’s love triangle. I can’t see her holding Andy and Paint any longer without a decision.
I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Henery Press and the author provided me with an advance copy.
There is trouble at Udderly Kidding Dairy when someone is assaulted during a Halloween themed campaign fundraiser. Brie Hooker thinks the key to the assault may be the victims cell phone but things become a lot more complicated when the victims mother disappears and Brie and her friends discover an interesting video on the cell phone.
Although this is a cozy mystery it is also full of humor and it will have you chuckling over vegan Brie’s wit and her meat and cheese curses such as wiener warts and hairy pork rinds.
This is the second book in the Brie Hooker Mystery series but could easily be read as a stand alone. Thanks to NetGalley and Henery Press for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
*I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
What a great addition to this wonderful cozy mystery series. This time Brie gets wrapped up in the investigation of a pro football player that has been attacked. Her eclectic style mixed with the farm details, vegan bits, and her aunt makes for a comical story line that you can really get hooked on. Add the cheese curses plus a hoot for her best friend to bring on the laughs even more. I have to say that this is very well written cozy that I highly recommend to fans of the genre. I really enjoyed it so I give it 4/5 stars.
Get ready for another madcap adventure with Brie Hooker and her Aunt Eva at the goat farm! It’s close to Halloween and the gang’s been working on a scary haunted barn. Brie is still being courted by best friends, Paint and Andy, and trying to decide who she likes best. Senator Carol Strong’s son, Zack, a pro-quarterback for the Las Vegas Aces, comes home to visit and is attacked and badly injured during the haunted barn event. The sheriff, Brie, Aunt Eva, and Sala Lemmon, owner of the Aces, aim to find out who hurt him and why! The exciting plot deals with the seriousness of gambling addiction. Author Linda Lovely has some surprises for readers and the story is a swift, humorous read! Note: Contains mild adult language.
I reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and Henery Press.