Farmers Market Mysteries Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Farmers' Market Mysteries Books
Farm Fresh Murder | (2010) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Fruit of All Evil | (2011) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Crops and Robbers | (2011) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
A Killer Maize | (2012) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Red Hot Deadly Peppers | (2012) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Merry Market Murder | (2013) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bushel Full of Murder / Wound Up in Murder | (2015) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
The Farmers Market Mystery is a series whose setting is South Carolina. The main character is Becca Robins who owns a farm that produces berries and pumpkins before making jam and preserving and selling them at Farmers’ Markets. The first book in this series is called “Farm Fresh Murder”. In this story, there’s a murder in Becca’s quaint little town, which leads her to put herself in the line of fire to defend her friend’s innocence-and goes from making jam to being in one.
The suspect in this murder is Becca’s pal and fellow merchant, a man called Abner Justen who treats her like his own daughter. Now the victim is Matt Simonsen, an old friend of Abner’s, with whom she fell out with and now they are longtime enemies. As Becca begins with her own investigations, she inadvertently starts a flurry of activities among her fellow vendors, which leads one to believe that this was not a one-man job and that more people may be involved. The investigations uncover a secret, which was only revealed through an accidental encounter between two people. You can find out who these two people are when you read this book because that’s a major spoiler.
Things are not looking too good for Abner because first of all he has disappeared, and now Becca has resolved to stop making her jams until she uncovers the hidden clues that will help her find the real murderer. This first installment of the Farmers Market Mystery series introduces the reader to handmade and homegrown treasures. The murder itself involves unlocking numerous past secrets while the cast itself consists of interesting characters. Take Becca for instance, who is very interesting and not just because she’s the leading character, but only because she is flawed.
For starters, she’s too focused and self-absorbed to the extent that she only socializes with her fellow colleagues at the Farmers’ Market. In addition, she has no idea where the majority of her buddies live. She only once invited her friends to her home just because she required help with some work. In the course of conducting her investigations, she gets to learn some home truths. As a reader, you’ll be eager to find out whether she has really learnt her lesson or whether she will keep making the same mistake time after time.
Abner is another interesting character because he’s a cranky old man. We also have Jeanine, who never made any effort to become friendly but she was not rude. The setting of the book is excellent, and the author has done a good job in coming up with a riveting murder series. The set of characters also go a long way in making the story interesting. You will enjoy the book because it’s a fun and fast read that features an amateur sleuth trying to prove the innocence of a man who’s a father figure to her. You will also love how the author focuses on food, and the intricate workings of the Farmers’ Market.
The second book in the Farmers Market Mystery cozy mystery is called “Fruit of All Evil”. In this story, we find Becca still continuing with her trade of selling farm-made jams at her local market. But when a local beauty decides to get married at the same market, someone else decides to make a killing. As a person who churns out sweet spreads for a living, Becca should by now have become used to getting her hands covered in some sticky situations. When her best pal and fellow merchant, Linda, chooses her to be the best maid at her nuptials, Becca figures that she will be able to handle the additional duties.
In her mind she’s thinking that arranging a wedding would be a simple task for her, and she even wants to borrow a theme from her farmers’ market. However, Linda’s potential mother-in-law shows up dead before she can even say “I do”, and now both the ceremony and the destiny of a local merchant gone missing are up in the air. The only person with the local know-how to stop a clever killer is Becca, and that’s where the real story begins.
Becca is back where she was in the first installment-right in the thick of things. Another crime has been committed and she is called upon to put her sleuthing skills to good use. Once again the author doesn’t disappoint and the unfolding events will give you goose bumps and send chills up your spine. Becca’s friend Linda is planning to wed her fiancé before he goes overseas for military duty. Madeline Forsyth, her future mother-in-law had made arrangements for a spontaneous dinner party, but then she is late to her own party. The reason soon becomes apparent when her dead body is discovered in her home.
It seems like Madeline was a feared woman and this draws the interest of our local sleuth. Things take an interesting turn when Becca discovers some shocking truths down at the local bank. Linda’s fiancé, Drew, also has some family secrets that would be best left uncovered. So the question becomes whether Becca will manage to solve this murder mystery and still continue planning for the wedding ceremony before Drew leaves town. We also learn of Ian, Becca’s love interest, and we wait to see whether all these preparations for the wedding will deepen their relationship. There’s also a policeman who is foolhardy enough and decides to confront a killer, and he now needs to be rescued.
When Becca meets Drew’s relatives, it suddenly occurs to her that there are a bunch of undesirables among them. It is possible that one these crazy relatives might be responsible for killing the family’s designated matriarch. In Fruit of All Evil, we see Becca becoming even more focused, and she wants to do everything in her power to ensure that the nuptials go ahead as planned. But maybe she’s a victim of circumstance because there’s a groom who must travel abroad to go and fight in a war. Either way, it is good to see that the author has continued from where she left off, and she is off to a good start with these first two books.
Book Series In Order » Characters »