Killer Jam

You can see Blossom the cow.  She is an escape artist!

I saw a beautiful cardinal in one of our bird feeders this afternoon. It was the female (colors not as vibrant).  I believe they have a nest nearby.  My mother loves cardinals.  You should see all the different items she has in her room with cardinals on them!  Before I start dinner, I wanted to share this review with you. 

I just finished the first book in a new series called Killer Jam by Karen MacInerney.  The series is called Dewberry Farm Mystery series.  Lucy Resnick has bought Dewberry Farm which used to belong to her grandparents (they had to sell it fifteen years ago).  Lucy was a report in Houston until the paper had to downsize.  Lucy is going to earn money with making candles, jam, making cheese, and selling produce.  She has acquired one cow that she named Blossom.  Blossom is less than cooperative.  She likes to dump full buckets of milk and has turned out to be an escape artist (the seller failed to mention this to Lucy). 

Lucy is using her Grandmother Vogel’s recipe book for making the jam and other delights from her garden (and orchards).  Lucy can swear she smells violets on occasion (which was her grandmother’s scent) but that cannot be possible.  One day Butch Simmons from Lone Star Explorations show up at Dewberry Farms.  Evidently, Lucy does not own the mineral rights to the land (only surface rights).  The real estate agent failed to disclose this to Lucy upon purchase.  The owner is asserting her rights to land (even though she has owned it for fifteen years) and they are going to start digging up Lucy’s new vegetable beds.  The owner of the mineral rights is Nettie Kocurek.  Nettie is a woman who always gets her own way no matter what she has to do.  She has ruled the town and her daughter, Flora with an iron fist. 

They are getting ready to announce the winner of the Founders Day Festival Jam Off when a scream rings out.  Nettie Kocurek is dead in the jam tent with a bratwurst skewer to the heart (you knew she was going to be killed).  Sheriff Rooster Kocurek (he is a relation to Nettie) has decided that Lucy is the killer (without any evidence).  Lucy will have to investigate to prove herself innocent.   Then Lucy stumbles upon another body which provides just the right clue she needs to solve the murders.  If she can just prove it before the sheriff arrests her for both murders.  Lucy would really like to stay out of jail since she has just started dating Dr. Tobias Brandt, the local vet.

Lucy’s friend, Quinn Sloane is experiencing some troubles from her ex-husband.  Jed, the ex-husband, is extremely violent especially when he is drunk.  Can Lucy keep Quinn safe from Jed (you know the sheriff is not going to help)?  Then there is the mystery of an old murder from the 1940’s.  A newspaper blew down from the loft in the barn (there were no open windows and no breeze blowing).  It tells about a murder that was never solved.  Lucy works on finding out what really happened back in 1940 and how it impacts the life of a certain town member.

Lucy is up to her next in trouble!  She will have to work hard to keep herself out of jail and on Dewberry Farm.  Can Grandma Vogel really be haunting Dewberry Farm or is it someone else?  Check out Killer Jam to find out!  I enjoyed Killer Jam (I read it straight through).  The murders (all three of them) were simple to solve (maybe I have read too many mysteries), but I enjoyed following the clues.  I give Killer Jam 5 out of 5 stars.  I liked the characters and the humor in the book.  I also loved the paranormal element (or the possibility of a ghost)!  I look forward to the next book in this series. Killer Jam will be out on Tuesday, July 28 and is available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received a complimentary copy of Killer Jam from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  The review and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my review.  Tomorrow I will share my reviews of In the Drink and Drape Expectations. Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader