It’s peak tourist season in Oriole Point, Michigan—the blueberry buckle of the fruit belt. Nothing draws the crowds quite like their annual carnival. And nothing turns it sour faster than murder . . . The Blueberry Blow Out festival has begun and it’s time for Marlee Jacob, owner of The Berry Basket, to shine. Unfortunately it’s also bringing out the worst in her fiancé Ryan Zeller. Ryan’s … Zeller. Ryan’s rivalry with Porter Gale, owner of Blueberry Hill Farm, spills over into a very public and very ugly fight. And after they compete in the pie-eating contest and a raucous tug of war, their orchard blood feud takes a deadly turn . . .
The death of the king of Blueberry Hill is a shock but not too surprising—he was a diabetic whose last pig out meal was deliciously fatal. But when authorities discover that someone tampered with Porter’s insulin, a tragic accident is looking like murder—and Ryan is the key ingredient. Now Marlee’s investigation to clear his name is taking her deep into the Gale family secrets, and she’s being shadowed every step of the way by a killer whose sweet revenge is just beginning . . .
Includes Berry Recipes!
more
Summer may be winding down, but Oriole Point, Michigan, is getting in one more berry inspired festival to bring in the tourists. The Blueberry Blow Out Festival includes carnival games, booths, and friendly competition between the various berry growers in the area. At least it is supposed to be friendly. Marlee Jacobs is shocked when she witnesses a fight between her fiance, Ryan Zeller, and Porter Gale, the owner of one of the biggest blueberry farms in the country. Yes, there is bad blood between the two families, but this went much further than a rivalry normally would. When Porter dies a few hours later, people think it is complications from his diabetes. However, the police believe it is something more, and they are looking at Ryan as a suspect. Can Marlee clear him?
I love this series, and this book is another example of why. The characters are strong. The series regulars are fun, and a couple even made me laugh, but we spend more time with the suspects, and they actually felt better developed to me than the regulars. Not that I’m complaining. The strong suspects helped drive a complex plot where the red herrings provided their own complications, not just as a distraction from figuring out who the killer is. I enjoyed the book the entire way through, but the final third got so compelling I really didn’t want to put the book down. Throw in a few blueberry infused recipes, and you’ve got a fantastic book.
Marlee’s getting ready for the Blueberry Blow Out festival as it has begun. She has to make sure The Berry Basket shines throughout the festival. Ryan, her fiancé decides she is going to be in the pie eating contest. Thank goodness she is hungry and just might win. She needs to according to Ryan as Porter Gale, owner of Blueberry Hill Farm, won the men’s round and he is also rivals with Ryan’s family farm. Marlee does win to everyone’s delight but now she learns she will be in the tug of war contest. Again, Ryan volunteered her.
The rivalry gets worse as Ryan’s team loses to Porter and he accuses him of cheating. A piece of glass was found on Ryan’s side. All hell breaks loose and Ryan attacks Porter. Marlee is disgusted by this behavior and storms off. When later that night Porter dies on one of the rides that is named after his farm. Was it because he was a diabetic and ate anything in sight? Or did someone at the festival kill him?
Marlee has to decide what to do about her fiancé and the marriage but Kit comes back into the picture. Why was Ryan seen in a different place then where he was supposed to be fishing? What else has Ryan lied about? What will happen? Who killed Porter and why?
Loved this book in the series it has to be my favorite so far. There are so many twists and turns and suspects you will be kept guessing until the end. I loved all the characters you hated some and loved the others. Marlee and Minnie are a hoot.
The recipes at the end look great and especially the Baked Blueberry French Toast which reminds Marlee of Emeril’s recipe.
Thank you to Kensington and the author or an arc to read for my honest opinion.
Killed on Blueberry Hill takes place at another berry related event. This time the competition involves Marlee’s future in laws and their business rivals. Seems a bit crazy to Marlee, but I think we’ve all met people like that. Marlee continues to wonder about her relationship with Ryan. I wonder why the author chose this tack.
The story line doesn’t really have one of those mysteries that the reader is privy to enough information that he/she can deduce who the killer is, though there is enough given that you can have suspicions, actually, lots of suspicions. there are definitely several candidates for killer.
Would love to see Natasha play more of a role in Marlee’s next adventure. She may be a caricature, but she’s a lot of fun.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Fun cozy mystery that kept me guessing. Quiky characters. Have loved the whole series
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. Interesting, entertaining light reading. Fun characters to enhance it.
Good read. Interesting, quirky characters. Love her Russian friend who’s a ‘shark shooter’. Made me hungry for blueberries.
This series is really entertaining- well written, likeable characters, solid story line
Welcome back to Oriole Point, Michigan–the blueberry buckle of the fruit belt and where murder could happen to the most unlikely citizens.
This is the third in the series and just as enjoyable as the first two. All the usual characters are back with a few new faces.
A lot more happens in this book then just solving a murder (or two). There is also Marlee’s relationship with her fiance Ryan. She has had doubts all along but red flags keep flying high and she seriously reconsiders continuing her relationship with him. This is not a bad thing because if I saw all those red flags I would be questioning my relationship with him too.
The victim in this book is Porter, the owner of Blueberry Hill. His farm is a direct competitor to Ryan’s so many thing that happen are not unexpected as it seems likely that Ryan could be involved in the murder. There are some other factors that come into play that also tie into Marlee’s apprehension in marrying him. Because of her natural inclination to investigate, Marlee finds herself knee deep in clues, killers and blueberries. Her sidekick is Natasha, a former Russian pageant contestant. I will say that Natasha doesn’t have all of our slang down and there were several times I burst out laughing at her phraseology such as “shark” shooter instead of sharp shooter.
There are quite a few surprise twists in the story and not everyone is who they appear. There are a few clues in the book but to me these clues were more musings than clues so I didn’t read more into them, but I should have but I wouldn’t have know the “why” behind the killer’s actions until the end when all was revealed.
I have read the first two books in this series and really enjoyed them so I was really looking forward to this book. I love Marlee and the town of Oriole Point, Michigan. In the latest installment they are celebrating the Blueberry Blow Out week right before the Labor Day hoilday. This is a big week for the town and many events are planned including a carnival. The Berry Basket has a booth at the carnival along with Marlee and her employees helping out with taking ride tickets keeping them all very busy. All of the local farms are also involved in the carnival. There were many things going on in this book, not only the mystery, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I had a range of emotions while reading this book and was so surprised by what happened at the end. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Another intriguing book in the Berry Basket series! In this latest book, the town is having a Blueberry Blow Out Festival. Marlee’s fiancé, Ryan, gets into an ugly fight with the owner of a rival orchard, Porter Gale of Blueberry Hill. When Porter dies, it is discovered he was murdered and Ryan is the prime suspect. This book was full of secrets and intrigue. I felt like up until now we have mostly scene a decent side of Ryan. In this book, we see a much uglier side of him. I felt with Marlee and was right there with her as she questioned how well she really knew Ryan and if she should still marry him. I’d love to see more books in this series and see Marlee move on from Ryan and develop a relationship with Kit. I feel he is a much better guy for her. Hope to see more of these great characters and the Berry Basket!
“Killed on Blueberry Hill” earns 4/5 Blueberry Stains…Clever and Hard to Put
Down!
I enjoyed Sharon Farrow’s “Killed on Blueberry Hill,” the third book in her Berry Basket Mystery series. Easily read by newbies since she revisited enough background and character connections to keep the reader engaged, but fans won’t feel it’s too much already known info. The mystery follows a traditional cozy formula, but Sharon’s first-person writing style with vivid descriptions and entertaining banter make this a favorite. Accidental death determined not so accidental; boyfriend has motive enough to be suspected; efforts to clear his name turn up suspicions; secrets uncovered; karma wins the day! I recommend the series and this book is a “delicious” place to start.
My two favorite words…no, not “it’s Murder!” but “Recipes Included!” I love berries and all the references in this book, and blueberries are tops! Now I have three different, easy-to-follow recipes to enjoy them: Blueberry Coffee Cake, Baked Blueberry French Toast, and Blueberry Muffins.
Marlee is making the most of the Blueberry Blow Out to bring in business to The Berry Basket. Between her two young helpers, the shy baker, and herself the store and the booth at the festival are going strong. What should be a great and fun time is marred by the competition between the Zellers and Gales, with both families determined to win every competition. Engaged to Ryan Zeller, Marlee is volunteered for the women’s blueberry pie eating contest. Only it seems, Ryan wants to make a lot of decisions for Marlee and that’s an added layer of conflict. Add to that the ugly fight between Ryan and Porter, a less than heartfelt apology, and then Porter is dead.
Many of the towns people talk about the hostility and the tug of war incident, only Ryan has conveniently left to go fishing with his buddy. In between finishing out the festival, Marlee is busy trying to prove that Ryan didn’t kill Porter. The more she tries to understand, the more secrets she uncovers and the more comfortable she is about the whole situation. Unfortunately, uncovering secrets is not always good for one’s health, Marlee’s or Ryan’s included.
The story is well-paced and the ending isn’t obvious, though believable. I liked Marlee and the Berry Basket crew. The story has a small town feel with feuding families, yet not immune to more big city problems. Although this is the third in the series, it’s the first I’ve read. It can be easily read as a stand alone. If you enjoy a cozy mystery, you’ll enjoy Killed on Blueberry Hill.
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.
This is a tasty murder mystery with blueberry recipes thrown in along the way. You are spellbound wondering if Marlee can defend her fiance Ryan from murder when the berries are pilled against him. This is a wonderful series with amazing characters that keep you hooked wanting the correct murderer caught.
In this next book of the series the Blueberry Blow Out festival has started and Marlee is excited to have a booth to show off what The Berry Basket has to offer. All looks good I told her fiance Ryan signs her up for a pie eating contest without telling her. She reluctantly agrees and actually wins but is noticing that Ryan seems to do things all the time without asking her opinion. Things start to go down hill when Ryan gets into a fight with his rival during the tug-of-war competition. Marlee is beginning to see Ryan in a different light, what happened to the man she fell in love with? When Porter, Ryan’s rival, ends up dead on one of the rides it looks like he had a heartache. After it comes to light that he was poisoned Marlee worries that Ryan will be a top suspect and with the way things are going she isn’t sure how to feel about it all. She realizes that she can’t just sit by and do nothing so she starts her own investigation. During her search for answers she comes across several secrets that the dead mans family had hidden away. With so many suspects to choose from Marlee doesn’t know if she’ll find the answers she seeks. What about Ryan? Can she trust and marry a man that has been acting crazy and been caught in a lie? Follow along as Marlee digs deep to come up with the an explanation for who the killer is and why. This is a fantastic series that will having you craving berries!!!
Concerned about her upcoming wedding Marlee Jacob feels fiance Ryan Zeller is becoming more and more controlling but when she sees him almost kill a man her concern turns to trepidation. When that man is later murdered Ryan becomes a top suspect. Marlee thinks he must be innocent but as the facts unravel she soon discovers she does not know the real Ryan.
I enjoyed all the different facets of the story which made it a fun challenge to try and figure out the real murderer. With an interesting twist at the end all was revealed. Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange to a fair and honest review. I look forward to book #4 in A Berry Basket Mystery series.