Two witches, one haunted house… and a dash of murder. Will Lucy find the killer in time? Or will she be Buttercup’s next resident ghost?It’s Halloween in Buttercup, Texas, and reporter-turned-farmer Lucy Resnick is up to her ears in more than goats and wayward cows. Not only has her well dried up, but it turns out the old house Lucy recently moved to the farm has a reputation for spooks… and … reputation for spooks… and they are disturbingly active. Then a tarot card reading at a local mead winery foretells death… and minutes later, exotic game ranch owner Bug Wharton goes belly-up. Cause of death? Murder, by a fatal dose of bee venom.
When the dimwitted sheriff fingers local witch and mead winery owner Serafine Alexandre, Lucy gets involved… and soon discovers that all kinds of things are brewing in Buttercup.
And some of them are deadly.
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Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney is a wonderful Halloween read with the right amount of mystery, romance, and suspense.
Will Lucy find the killer before Selena goes to jail for the deed?
Lucy Resnick
Lucy is our sleuth. She is a former investigative reporter turned farmer. Lucy bought Dewberry Farm which used to belong to her grandmother. Now Lucy has chickens, goats, cows, numerous crops, and a ghost or two. The one thing that she is missing is water, her well has run dry. This isn’t bonding well for fall in Texas during a drought. Yet, the well, the animals, and the crops all take a backseat to finding a murderer since her friend Selena has been arrested for killing Bug.
Things that I like:
• Selena’s brewery and how charming she is.
• Quinn’s cafe sounds so wonderfully homey.
• Quinn and Peter are cute together.
• Lucy and Tobias have an adorable blooming relationship.
• The way Lucy gets out there and tracks down leads.
• The town’s name of Buttercup is fabulous. I love it.
• That everyone was seeing and hearing ghosts.
• The German club is so sweet. And they want to help keep their heritage alive by helping Lucy.
• The whole way that Bug Wharton dies was ingenious.
Four Stars
I loved visiting Buttercup, Texas, and meeting Lucy and her friends. The positive feeling that the town puts out even at Halloween and amongst all the murder talk is wonderful. These townsfolk stick together. My rating for Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney is four stars. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
Oh, and don’t forget these yummy fall recipes at the end of the book. There is Mulled Honey Wine, Halloween Pumpkin Bars, Lucy’s Apple Dumplings, and Spiced Pumpkin Butter.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney.
Until the next time,
~Jen
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Buttercup, Texas is ready for fall and residents are kicking Halloween off with a festival at a mead winery to raise money for abandoned and neglected animals. Lucy’s friend Peter has a Tarot card reading that predicts death, but no one expects it to happen before they have their first cup of mead. Exotic game ranch owner Bug Wharton is found suffering from a bee sting and Lucy’s week becomes filled with action.
This is the third book in the Dewberry Farm Mystery series. I love this series and it’s hard not to sit down and binge read all of the books. The characters are well-developed and believable. The setting is lovely. If I had the money to live on a farm and pay someone to do all of the work that is where I’d be. The descriptions of Buttercup remind me of a couple of small towns in my area. The plot moves at a perfect pace and keeps you engaged. I finished the book in two sittings. I look forward to reading the next book. This book could stand alone easily, but the series is too good not to read from the beginning.
Loved it! Also left review on Amazon.
Lucy is trying to deal with a dry well in the middle of October heat. Meanwhile, in town, rumors are flying that there is a mythological creature attacking animals in the area and the house Lucy just moved to her property is haunted. She is looking forward to a night out at the Witches’ Ball, but that doesn’t happen either when a man dies. When it is ruled a homicide, Lucy knows that her friends are going to be the prime suspects. Can she find out the truth?
Obviously, there is a lot going on with the strong mystery and the multiple sub-plots, and that kept the pages turning. One plot point is dropped, but the rest are wrapped up successfully in a great climax. We get some updates on minor characters as well as plenty of time with Lucy and the other leads. The copy I read needed another pass for continuity issues, but they annoyed rather than truly interfere with the mystery.
The Dewberry Farm mysteries is a series that I HAVE TO read as soon as each book is released. And then I am sad having to wait for the next installment – Deadly Brew was no disappointment.
It oozes Halloween elements in different forms all the way through the book and starts with a murder at the Witches’ Ball at Honeyed Moon Mead Winery. Then there is a mysterious four-legged creature attacking the farm animals in the village and a haunted old house on Lucy’s farm. The paranormal elements seem to slowly increase with each installment.
The exotic game hunting ranch was an interesting setting and provided for a good cast of suspects.
I couldn’t put the book down and stuck glued to the couch until I read the final page.
It’s about time for Rooster, the incompetent Sheriff, to retire. He is over the top annoying an dumb.
I am looking forward to the next installment!!!
Fall has arrived in the little town of Buttercup, Texas and once again a killer is loose. Buttercup is the home of novice farm girl Lucy Resnick who is struggling to maintain her grandmother’s farm, now facing a water shortage. While attending the local Witches Ball at the home of Serafine Alexandre, one of the local residents turns up dead after having an argument with the evening’s host. It seems as though Bug Wharton, co-owner of a new exotic game ranch had an enemy or two and Lucy is determined to figure out the mystery and keep her friend Serafine out of jail.
I generally don’t read many mysteries but I thoroughly enjoy all of Karen MacInerney’s cozy mystery series. I especially enjoy her Dewberry Farm Mysteries for the Texas references and setting. I am looking forward to further adventures in Buttercup, Texas.