Shade Grown (Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery)
by Heather Day Gilbert
About Shade Grown
Shade Grown (Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – West Virginia
WoodHaven Press (December 11, 2023)
Paperback : 190 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8987556955
Digital ASIN : B0BPQ8KHZR
BOOK EIGHT in the Award-winning BARKS & BEANS CAFE cozy mystery series!!
Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java…and where murder sometimes pays a visit.
During Lewisburg’s popular summer home and garden tour, Macy and her brother Bo discover new aspects of their hometown’s history. One of the last homes they visit features a lush commemorative shade garden marking where a Civil War soldier’s bones were buried. As Macy pauses to admire a bed of blue hostas, she glimpses a shadowy shape lying beneath the dinner-plate leaves. It turns out to be the body of famed movie star Cody Franklin, who’d purchased the garden house as a quiet country retreat.
Back at the cafe, Macy speaks with Cody’s distraught sister, who lets slip that she’s afraid her brother’s killer will target her next. Macy’s heart goes out to the bereaved sibling, and she agrees to speak with Cody’s local acquaintances in hopes she’ll uncover some helpful backstory.
But someone powerful is lurking behind the scenes, and Macy has to zoom in on the killer before everything fades to black.
Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown…with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Macy Hatfield and her brother Bo have taken some time off from their Barks & Beans Cafe to enjoy Lewisburg’s annual summer home and garden tour. They arrive at a property now owned by movie star Cody Franklin. His yard features a commemorative shade garden that marks where the bones of a Civil War soldier are buried. While looking at a bed of blue hostas Macy noticed a body beneath the large leaves. The famous new owner of this home and garden is dead and it is not from natural causes.
Mr. Franklin’s sister shows up at the cafe and she wants Macy’s help to find her brother’s killer who she thinks is coming after her next. Macy can’t say no and agrees to ask some questions of the involved parties but she feels there is more to the story of Cody Frankin’s death. Something shady is going on. She just hopes she can get to the facts before the killer strikes again.
Heather Day Gilbert has created a cast of strong and engaging characters. Bo and Macy have a wonderful brother/sister bond. They are close and always have each other’s back. They can work together, do fun things together, and sometimes solve a murder together. They each are in romantic relationships with great people. Summer runs the animal shelter that provides dogs for the Barks portion of the cafe. She and Bo are now engaged. Titan McCoy is a six-foot-five FBI Agent who is usually on a secret assignment but always finds time for Macy, more so when has gotten herself involved in another murder. She has created some lovable animal characters too in Macy’s Great Dane, Coal, Bo’s kitty, Stormy, and Vera’s dog Waffles. Vera lives next to Macy’s and the cafe and keeps her eyes on the neighborhood. These core characters are surrounded by a great supporting cast too. All the characters continue to evolve and develop as the series continues. It is truly like visiting old friends every time I open a Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery.
The author has written a complex mystery too. With a celebrity victim there are some interesting suspects but mix in the small-town drama, some mysterious strangers lurking about, old secrets and lies, twists and turns, and a good deed gone wrong and you have a splendid mystery brewing. Macy has a way of getting people to talk and has Bo and Titan come in at the right time with important assistance. I was totally gobsmacked by the way this story played out. It was so well-plotted that I fell for each point of misdirection right up until the very end.
I really enjoy the way this author tells a story. I escape right into them with such ease and am always entertained. She also knows how to set up a fantastic cliffhanger that will have her readers yearning for the next book in this series to be released. Knight Brew will his stores on November 18, 2024.
Shade Grown is a marvelous addition to this series. Well-developed characters wrapped up in a top-notch mystery add up to a Perfect Escape in my book. I can’t wait to return to the Barks & Beans Cafe!
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About Heather Day Gilbert
HEATHER DAY GILBERT, an RWA Daphne du Maurier Award-winning author and 2-time ECPA Christy Award finalist, enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with unpredictable twists, much like the Agatha Christie books she read growing up. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren’t afraid to protect those they love. Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com.
Author Links
Author Website Facebook Page Twitter/X Instagram Goodreads Bookbub
Purchase Link
Amazon
The Rest of the Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery Series
The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series in order:
Book 1: No Filter
Book 2: Iced Over
Book 3: Fair Trade
Book 4: Spilled Milk
Book 5: Trouble Brewing
Book 6: Cold Drip
Book 7: Roast Date
Book 8: Shade Grown
Book 9: Knight Brew Coming November 18, 2024
Standalone Novella: House Blend
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January 9 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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January 9 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
January 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
January 10 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
January 10 – Nadaness In Motion – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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January 11 – CelticLady Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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January 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
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January 13 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Sounds like a book I will like.
Captivating, intriguing and unique.
What an intriguing mystery! Great cover too.
This looks like a good one!!!
This looks like a fun series. Thanks for the giveaway!
This sounds like a fun mystery to unravel! I would enjoy reading it.
Sounds like another great recommendation