Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower

Peanut Butter Panic

Book Summary

Thanksgiving is Bailey King’s busiest holiday weekend. This year promises to be even more hectic, since Bailey’s candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, is providing desserts for Harvest, Ohio’s first village-wide Thanksgiving celebration. Yet, even with a guest list close to seven hundred people—Amish and English alike—the event’s organizer, Margot Rawlings, is unfazed . . . until she discovers her mother, former judge Zara Bevan, will be in attendance.

Zara’s reputation as a harsh critic is matched only by her infamy as a judge who has actively harmed the Amish community. So, no one is prepared when Zara arrives with much younger boyfriend Blaze Smith and reveals their impending nuptials at dinner. That should have been the day’s biggest news, except shortly after the announcement, Blaze suffers an allergic reaction to something he’s eaten and dies on the spot.

Now, Bailey’s desserts are prime suspects, along with Margot and nearly everyone who attended the meal. With such a cornucopia of possibilities, Bailey must dig in and get to the bottom of this murder, before the killer goes up for seconds…

My Thoughts

Bailey King along with her grandmother and cousin are preparing the sweets for the dessert table at the townwide Thanksgiving in Harvest, Ohio.  Margot Rawlings has been organizing the event for months.  Margot reminds Bailey of a general preparing her troops for battle.  After Margot takes a phone call, Bailey notices that she looks pale and nervous.  It seems that Margot’s mother, Zara is coming to town. Apparently, Margot has never been able to live up to her mother’s expectations.  Ruth, the bishop’s wife, learns about Zara’s imminent arrival and is an uproar.  Zara was a judge before retiring and she was not kind to the Amish community which includes Ruth’s younger brother.  After the opening prayer at the Thanksgiving meal, Zara rises and states she has an announcement.  She has just become engaged to Blaze Smith, her boyfriend and tennis instructor, who is young enough to be Margot’s son.  During the meal, Blaze begins to turn red and has trouble breathing.  The EMTs arrive but they are not in time to save him.  Blaze was allergic to peanuts, and it seems someone spiked his food with the lethal nut.  Zara asks Bailey to investigate and find the guilty culprit.  With Margot as well as the desserts from Swissmen Sweets in the hot seat, Bailey dives into the case.  Can Bailey serve up the killer?

Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower is the seventh An Amish Candy Shop Mystery.  It can be read as a standalone for those new to this entertaining series.  I like Amanda Flower’s writing style.  It is engaging and lighthearted (makes her stories easy to read).  I love the humor sprinkled throughout the story.  There are great characters in this series.  They are friendly, realistic, and relatable.  Bailey King is too nice.  She ends up watching Jethro way too often.  I like how the pig, cat, and bunny get along (so cute).  The mystery is straightforward.  There is a dead guy, several suspects, a red herring, and curious clues.  While I found the mystery a breeze to solve, I enjoyed following Bailey as she looked into the crime.  Aiden Brody, Bailey’s boyfriend, is in town for BCI and, of course, he gives Bailey the standard warning (which she has no intention of following).  The mystery is wrapped up neatly at the end.  There are delectable, sweet treats that Bailey and her family whip up at Swissmen Sweets.  I like that the author featured buckeyes (peanut butter and chocolate) since I am from Ohio.   I had to laugh when Bailey had to push Jethro about in a stroller.  I could picture the scene in my head thanks to the author’s vivid descriptions.  I am glad that that Millie and Lois (from An Amish Matchmaker Mysteries) were included in the story.  The two friends are a unique pair.  I am looking forward to the next An Amish Candy Shop Mystery.  Peanut Butter Panic is an amusing tale with cuddling critters, a formidable mother, a fine feast, a fatal allergy, relationship despairs, a surprising secret, and a busy Bailey.

Peanut Butter Panic is available from Amazon*.  The other six An Amish Candy Shop Mysteries can be found here.  Amanda Flower has Because I Could Not Stop for Death coming out on September 20.  It is the debut of An Emily Dickinson Mysteries.  Frozen Detective will be out on December 6.  It is the second book in A Piper & Porter Mysteries. On December 27, Amanda has the fourth An Amish Matchmaker Mystery coming out which is Honeymoons can be Hazardous. I am looking forward to reading it because Millie and Lois are entertaining.  If you follow Amanda Flower on Amazon, you will receive an email when she has a new book release.  

Here are some of the other novels that were released today:  Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold by Traci Wilton, An Amish Marriage of Convenience by Rachel J. Good, Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley, The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais, Amish Jane Doe by Shelley Shepard Gray, The Amish Matchmaking Dilemma by Patricia Johns, A Search for Redemption by Jo Ann Brown, Hiding in Plain Sight by Laura Scott, and A Widow's Hope by Vannetta Chapman which is included in A Path to Forgiveness. (re-release).  I appreciate you stopping by today.  I will return tomorrow with my thoughts on Amish Jane Doe by Shelley Shepard Gray.  I hope that you have a sweet day.  Take care, stay cool, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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