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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
Murder Most Fowl by Edith Maxwell is the fourth book in A Local Foods Mystery series. It is March in Westbury. Cameron “Cam” Flaherty owns Attic Hill Farm. She used to visit her Great Uncle Albert and Great Aunt Marie when she was younger at Attic Hill Farm. When Albert was ready to retire (he now lives in a local assisted living facility), he offered the farm to Cam. She is two years into the three-year organic farm certification. Spring is a busy time on the farm. Cam is planting new seedlings, pruning trees, and taking care of a new batch of baby chicks. Then she hears that neighbor, Wayne Laitinen had his farm vandalized by a local animal rights group called ARF (Animal Rights Front). They painted a saying on the side of his barn in red paint and opened up his barn where his chickens live (he is a chicken farmer). Thankfully, the chickens know to stay inside where it is warm. Wayne is also having trouble with a neighbor. Judith Patterson wants to buy some of Wayne’s land for a stable (her daughter is wild about horses). Wayne does not wish to sell. On Sunday, Wayne is found dead at his breakfast table. Cam’s fiancé, Detective Peter Pappas is assigned the case. He knows Cam will not keep her nose out of the investigation (she just cannot help herself). Will Cam be able to find the killer and avoid getting herself in the line of fire? In addition, Cam has to contend with ARF (unfortunate acronym). They visited her farm during the night and set loose her baby chicks (into the cold barn) as well as vandalism to the barn (red paint). Will they be able to find the culprit (ringleader) behind ARF before he does more damage? You will have to read Murder Most Fowl to find out!
Murder Most Fowl was an enjoyable cozy mystery. The characters are interesting, friendly, and likeable. The information provided about the farm is interesting and engaging (planting seedlings, farm animals, perils of foxes on chickens, compost). The book is easy to read and can be finished in just a few hours. The mystery was easy to solve, but the writer did a good job at misdirection (she had me doubting myself). After I read about the murder, I decided upon the killer and wrote it down. When the killer was revealed, I was right. Though the writer could have taken it into two other directions (her misdirection). There is one sad part with the baby chicks (poor little things). I give Murder Most Fowl 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I look forward to reading the next book in A Local Foods Mystery series.
I received a complimentary copy of Murder Most Fowl from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
Murder Most Fowl was an enjoyable cozy mystery. The characters are interesting, friendly, and likeable. The information provided about the farm is interesting and engaging (planting seedlings, farm animals, perils of foxes on chickens, compost). The book is easy to read and can be finished in just a few hours. The mystery was easy to solve, but the writer did a good job at misdirection (she had me doubting myself). After I read about the murder, I decided upon the killer and wrote it down. When the killer was revealed, I was right. Though the writer could have taken it into two other directions (her misdirection). There is one sad part with the baby chicks (poor little things). I give Murder Most Fowl 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I look forward to reading the next book in A Local Foods Mystery series.
I received a complimentary copy of Murder Most Fowl from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
kimdavishb's review
5.0
MURDER MOST FOWL, the fourth book in the Local Food Mystery series by Edith Maxwell, was a delightful read! While I have not read any of the previous books in the series (and I will be remedying that) I found it easy to follow the story and felt like I knew the realistic characters. The plot had plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing and I enjoyed how there were strong sub-plots and a mini-mystery. The small-town location was quaint with extremely creative, fun names for the local roads and farms which made me feel like I was traveling the countryside. The farming information was nicely woven into the story so it didn’t feel forced…in fact, it made me want to try my hand at growing a vegetable garden again! The author also includes several farm-fresh recipes at the back of the book and I tried her recipe for Alexandra's Carrot Muffins. They were amazingly delicious and I appreciated how healthy the recipe was.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a fair and honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a fair and honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.
morticia32's review
4.0
Book 4 in a series.
While this was book 4 in the series, I have to say that I never felt lost, having not read books 1-3. The main characters feel well developed, and most important, likable. The main character, Cam, is smart enough to save her own fanny as well, and I really like that.
The story was tight and fun, while still having some suspense about who is behind the vandalizing of local farmer's animal enclosures and who killed Cam's neighbor. I got so engrossed in this book that I read it straight through to the end.
Now I have to go find books 1-3, haha.
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
While this was book 4 in the series, I have to say that I never felt lost, having not read books 1-3. The main characters feel well developed, and most important, likable. The main character, Cam, is smart enough to save her own fanny as well, and I really like that.
The story was tight and fun, while still having some suspense about who is behind the vandalizing of local farmer's animal enclosures and who killed Cam's neighbor. I got so engrossed in this book that I read it straight through to the end.
Now I have to go find books 1-3, haha.
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
lunifur's review
4.0
**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**
I loved this book, but I had such a hard time getting into the story until about halfway through. It felt like it was following Cam's day-to-day life rather than her investigating the murder. There were quite a few parts where I wondered what the point of an entire chapter was. But one thing that I absolutely loved about this book was that there wasn't even a hint of a love triangle in it. Love triangles are so overdone in books that it was great to be able to not read about one.
I loved this book, but I had such a hard time getting into the story until about halfway through. It felt like it was following Cam's day-to-day life rather than her investigating the murder. There were quite a few parts where I wondered what the point of an entire chapter was. But one thing that I absolutely loved about this book was that there wasn't even a hint of a love triangle in it. Love triangles are so overdone in books that it was great to be able to not read about one.
pugmomsbookblog's review
5.0
This 4th book in the Local Foods Mystery series was as enjoyable as the previous installments. I enjoyed learning about Cam's farm and the old/new mysteries in the story were intriguing and kept my interest. If you have enjoyed the previous books in the series then this latest will not disappoint!
jenndian's review
5.0
I received this book in exchange for a review. This is the fourth in a series. Normally I have to start a series from the beginning, but I had no problem figuring out the relationships between the characters. I'm looking forward to reading the previous and future books in this charming series. This book seems to be following the trend of linking an event from the past to the current crime, in this case, murder. I really enjoyed the twists and turns and the characters are cleverly written. The organic farming tips and information was masterfully woven throughout the story, but it didn't weigh down the plot or seem contrived.
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