DEATH BY A HONEYBEE (Josiah Reynolds #1) by Abigail Keam

(I downloaded this book for free during a promotion.)

BLURB:
Josiah Reynolds is a beekeeper trying to stay financially afloat by selling honey at the Farmers' Market. She finds her world turned upside down when a man is found dead in her beeyard, only to discover that the victim is her nemesis.

The police are calling the brutal death murder and Josiah is the number one suspect! Josiah makes the rounds of quirky characters that can only be found in the lush Bluegrass horse country. Fighting an unknown enemy in the glamorous world of Thoroughbreds, oak-cured bourbon and antebellum mansions, Josiah struggles to uncover the truth in a land that keeps its secrets well.

REVIEW:
This was a charming little cozy-style murder mystery with something special - a 50 year old heroine. It was SO refreshing to read a book about someone in my age range.  That being said, it was quite annoying that Josiah kept referring to herself as old.  She speaks and acts like a geriatric woman ready for a nursing home. She took a VERY early retirement from her university professor position, and is now a cash-poor beekeeper living in a multimillion dollar home filled with valuable artwork, on over a hundred acres of prime property.  She lives on the verge of poverty, refusing to move forward after a painful event, contentedly wallowing in her painful past.
Also intriguing was the fact that Josiah is a very petty, mean, self-absorbed woman, in addition to her many worthy characteristics.  When her husband left her for a younger woman she refused to give him a divorce unless he gave her everything.  Three years later, the husband and the younger woman are still together and pregnant, when he has a heart attack and lands in the hospital.  Josiah is still legally his wife, and she refuses his dying request to see the other woman.  Remember, it's been three years since they separated.  Talk about holding a grudge, refusing the deathbed request from the father of your child!

So why on earth do I love this book?  Two reasons - the mystery was really well-developed, and Josiah is so real to me I'm still mad at her behavior!  When Josiah is framed for the murder of a bee-charmer on her property, she's forced to come out of her self-created exile and deal with reality.  Josiah has spent the last few years absorbed in her passion for bee-keeping, selling her honey at the weekend farmer's market, and not fully dealing with reality. 
I really loved Josiah - she was complicated, petty, brave, self-absorbed, generous, kind and has a lot of love to give.  Her best friend/companion is a gorgeous gay man half her age, and he and his partner, together with the shark-lawyer hybrid sent by her daughter, end up creating a family for Josiah.  They rally around her prickly self, and are able to see through that to her soft, squishy center. Sprinkled throughout the story are mysterious references to Josiah's adult daughter and at the very end we meet her, albeit briefly.  I can't wait to read the second story just to learn more about her as well.
I enjoyed this book so much I bought the 2nd one in the series.



Read about the book on Goodreads.
Check out the author's website HERE.

       

The Grilling Season (Culinary Mystery Series #7) by Diane Mott Davidson

(I bought this book.)

Back of the Book Blurb:
A chilly reception....

Caterer Goldy Schulz has been hired to host a hockey party. But the proceedings won't be all fun and games. Unfortunately, her client won't be satisfied until Goldy adds a hefty serving of revenge.

An ex-husband from hell....

Patricia McCracken is certain that her obstetrician and her penny-pinching HMO are responsible for the loss of her baby. Now she is suing both, and she wants Goldy's advice on coming out on top. For Dr. John Richard Korman, aka the Jerk, is none other than Goldy's abusive ex-husband. Goldy knows all about John Richard's secret life--but even she is shocked when he's arrested for the murder of his latest girlfriend.

A dish best served cold....

As much as Goldy would like to see her ex get his just desserts, could he really be a killer? Soon she will find herself sifting through a spicy mix of sizzling gossip for clues to a mystery that threatens her catering deadline, her relationship with her son and new husband... and even her life.

Review:
Over the years I've read several books in Diane Mott Davidson's delightful Culinary Mystery Series, but somehow missed this one.  Published in 1998, this is the 7th book in the series about caterer Goldy Schulz and it is as delightful and fun as the rest of the series.  If Nancy Drew grew up and became a foodie, she might be Goldy.  As always, Goldy is juggling her catering gigs (recipes are included!), demanding clients, and the dead bodies she constantly stumbles over.  Although I find her nosiness and willingness to ask  incredibly snoopy questions to be a bit much, the solidly crafted mysteries, intricate small-town relationships and inter-mingled histories make such a wonderful tapestry of plot it is easy to overlook.
The Grilling Season give the reader much more of the backstory about Goldy's first, abusive marriage with the handsome and scummy John Richard.  The abuse is not sugar-coated or related in euphemisms, and it provides a gritty sense of reality to the current murder Goldy is caught up in.  Her friendship with The Jerk's second ex-wife is solid and funny and supportive, providing comic relief.  Goldy's husband Tom is strong and supportive as always, grounding Goldy.  But, as with the other books in the series, Goldy is always struggling with her ability to remain in the present, to remember she  is strong and resilient and a survivor.  And I think that is one of the most appealing aspects to Goldy and this series (well, that and the really lovingly and deliciously described foods!) - Goldy feels real and that makes me care about her.
When she discovers the beaten body of her husband's current girlfriend, her past crashes down on her.  But that is not enough to stifle Goldy's natural curiosity.  Add to that the fact that her son begs her to help prove that John Richard is innocent of murder, and Goldy is back in action.  A quick, fun and satisfying read!





Here is a list of the Culinary Mystery Series from Wikipedia:

1. Catering to Nobody (1990)
2. Dying for Chocolate (1993)
3. The Cereal Murders (1994)
4. The Last Suppers (1995)
5. Killer Pancake (1996)
6. The Main Corpse (1997)
7. The Grilling Season (1998)
8. Prime Cut (2000)
9. Tough Cookie (2001)
10. Sticks and Scones (2002)
11. Chopping Spree (2003)
12. Double Shot (2005)
13. Dark Tort (2007)
14. Sweet Revenge (2008)
15. Fatally Flaky (2009)
16. Crunch Time (2011)