When a honey producer's premium varieties are exposed as deadly counterfeits at Heron Bay's Honey Festival, innkeeper Olivia Parker must uncover a sophisticated fraud network before the killer eliminates every witness to their crimes.
Six months after solving a coffee fraud case, Olivia Parker is looking forward to a peaceful summer running the Tidewater Inn with Detective Ben Morgan. But when Heron Bay's inaugural Honey Festival turns deadly, she's drawn into her most complex investigation yet. Walter Brennan, the demanding honey producer who dominated the local market, is found dead in his honey house after consuming his own premium Tupelo honey—now revealed to contain lethal cyanide.
What appears to be a targeted attack on one man quickly reveals itself as murder designed to protect a multi-state honey fraud operation. Walter wasn't just a victim—he was a dedicated investigator who had discovered a network importing cheap Chinese honey and selling it as premium Maine varieties, threatening to expose criminals who were defrauding consumers across New England.
As suspects emerge from Walter's bitter business rivalries and failed marriage, Olivia realizes the killer had intimate knowledge of Walter's quality-testing routine and access to his private honey reserves. With Ben and the local beekeeping community, she must untangle a web of authentic producers, desperate fraudsters, and sophisticated criminals who will kill to protect their profitable deception.
But when the mastermind begins eliminating potential witnesses, Olivia discovers that some people will murder to preserve their reputation—and that her investigation has made her the next target for someone who views killing as just another business expense.
A cozy mystery perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs, featuring authentic honey production, small-town rivalries, and a community's fight against deadly fraud.
Genre: Mystery
Six months after solving a coffee fraud case, Olivia Parker is looking forward to a peaceful summer running the Tidewater Inn with Detective Ben Morgan. But when Heron Bay's inaugural Honey Festival turns deadly, she's drawn into her most complex investigation yet. Walter Brennan, the demanding honey producer who dominated the local market, is found dead in his honey house after consuming his own premium Tupelo honey—now revealed to contain lethal cyanide.
What appears to be a targeted attack on one man quickly reveals itself as murder designed to protect a multi-state honey fraud operation. Walter wasn't just a victim—he was a dedicated investigator who had discovered a network importing cheap Chinese honey and selling it as premium Maine varieties, threatening to expose criminals who were defrauding consumers across New England.
As suspects emerge from Walter's bitter business rivalries and failed marriage, Olivia realizes the killer had intimate knowledge of Walter's quality-testing routine and access to his private honey reserves. With Ben and the local beekeeping community, she must untangle a web of authentic producers, desperate fraudsters, and sophisticated criminals who will kill to protect their profitable deception.
But when the mastermind begins eliminating potential witnesses, Olivia discovers that some people will murder to preserve their reputation—and that her investigation has made her the next target for someone who views killing as just another business expense.
A cozy mystery perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs, featuring authentic honey production, small-town rivalries, and a community's fight against deadly fraud.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Emily Brewster's Honeyed Lies