Cozy Blog Tour: Review, Author Guest Post & Giveaway: Town in a Sweet Pickle (Candy Holliday #6) by B.B. Haywood

In the quiet coastal community of Cape Willington, Maine, Candy Holliday is a local farmer who dutifully tends to her blueberry fields—and steps in to solve the occasional murder . . .

When Candy organizes a cooking event for her local newspaper, the town’s most prominent citizens turn out to witness the popular cookbook author Julia von Fleming serve as a guest judge. But when Julia comes close to consuming a poisoned pickle, she begins to suspect someone in Cape Willington is trying to kill her—and Candy is completely jarred to be among the suspects.

But the first taste was just a sample, and soon more jars of poisoned pickles begin to pop up around town. In the face of a pickled poisoning spree, Candy will have to track down the culprit to make sure her own name stays well-preserved. Along the way, she’ll pull the lid off a briny barrel of blackmail, thievery, and revenge that’s been souring their seaside hometown for years…

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES!

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Poisoning by Pickles

or

Cleopatra’s Demise

by Cleopatra Sylvetina Evangeline Curiosity Longfellow (2008-2015)

as translated by B.B. Haywood

Translator’s Note: The latest Candy Holliday Murder Mystery, “Town in a Sweet Pickle,” recounts the unfortunate demise of a certain beloved goat named Cleopatra Longfellow. Below, we present the final moments of Cleopatra’s life, as told from her unique perspective.

I was happily chewing on the fallen crabapples in the front yard of our house on Gleason Street in Cape Willington, Maine, when a car sped towards me down the driveway. My goat instincts screamed, “Block this mad driver from trespassing in my yard!” I am rather territorial, after all, just like my owner, who wasn’t around at the moment to protect our place. So I ran over and stood my ground to block the driveway. The woman behind the wheel hit the brakes and beeped on the car horn until I couldn’t bear the loud sound. Clearly my hearing is more delicate than hers, so I moved off to the side, out of the way.

I recognized this woman when she leaped out of her car like a goat. I think my owner, Sally Ann Longfellow, calls her Wanda Boyle. She is a boisterous human for certain. I watched her run up the side steps of the house and bang on the door. “Sally Ann isn’t home,” I yelled, but Wanda didn’t seem to understand me. She then looked down at a jar Sally Ann had left out on the porch for reasons unknown to me. I heard Wanda mumble something like, “That doesn’ look right.” “Hey Wanda!” I bleated. “That’s shiny and looks edible! I’m sure it was meant for me.” But again, she didn’t understand me. Silly woman.

I watched Wanda walk down off the porch and around to the side of the steps so she could get a better look at the jar from ground level, since she didn’t want to bend over too far in her rather tight pants. She looked annoyed, impatient, and a bit confused by it. Her eyes closed, then popped wide open like she’d seen a ghost. I wanted to see the ghost too! I ran over and gave Wanda a butt in the backside, knocking her to the ground. That got her out of the way, so I could climb the steps myself and knock over the jar with my nose, sending it flying in the air until it crashed on the walkway and broke open. Ah yes! It was filled with deliciousness! Pickles, I think they were called. Wonderful pickles. They tasted a little funny but I didn’t care. I’ll eat anything. I had several, although that annoying lady Wanda got her big hands on one of them.

The commotion brought my sister Guinevere nosing her way over.  I let her know this is my prize, my ghost to eat. I quickly gobbled as many of the green spears as I could. That’s when the burning and dizziness started. My belly rumbled. I felt very strange. Before I knew what was happening, my legs collapsed underneath me. The sight of Wanda’s horrified expression was the last thing I remember.

I didn’t know at the time that I was the first of two murders to take place in Cape Willington that day. But I do believe I had the better funeral!

Sally Ann Longfellow’s Obituary for Cleopatra Longfellow

Published in the Cape Crier, the local newspaper for Cape Willington, Maine

A Remembrance of Cleopatra

by Sally Ann Longfellow

Curiosity killed Cleopatra the goat.

Why oh why did you have to be so greedy and eat the pickles?

You were my friend, my child, my companion, and sister to Guinevere.

I will miss you walking by my side,

Miss your ever-present annoying nosing in on everything,

Miss your ever-present love.

My beautiful Cleopatra, rest in peace.

NOTE: Town in a Sweet Pickle will be published on Feb. 3, 2015, by Berkeley Prime Crime, and available in both print and as a digital book. Other titles in the New York Times bestselling series include Town in a Strawberry Swirl, Town in a Pumpkin Bash, and Town in a Blueberry Jam. Large print editions of all the books and an audiobook of Town in a Blueberry Jam are also available. For more information on the series, visit www.hollidaysblueberryacres.com.

END

Check out instagram.com/capewillington

B. B. Haywood is a pseudonym of writing team Beth Feeman and Robert Feeman. They conceived the idea for the Candy Holliday mysteries while driving around the Maine countryside, stopping at different small towns throughout the state.

What I Liked: 

*The Setting - There is nothing like a small cozy town set on/near the coast.  It's like a hidden gem just waiting to be discovered and explored. It makes it feel like somewhere I can't wait to be!  

*The Food - Enough said. Any of the cozies with food has me sold.  And this one using pickles... yes! Who doesn't love pickles?! :) 

*The Pacing - I love a story that keeps up a steady pace. Town in a Sweet Pickle has a wonderful pace.  The story moves along beautifully and kept me thoroughly engaged.  

*The Characters - Candy is a great cozy heroine with a lot of tenacity. The friends and family she surrounds herself with add depth, wit and charm.  

What I Didn't Like:  

*The Heroine's Impulsivity - While I very much enjoy Candy and her tenacity, she has a tendency of getting herself caught in precarious situations because she acts impulsively and doesn't really think things through.  While this can help her at times, it becomes tiring to think that someone that comes across as being so smart would make such silly decisions.  

Overall: 

I really liked Town in a Sweet Pickle. The author does a tremendous job of keeping the cozy feel of the story, and yet brings a light thrill to the storyline.  Being the sixth book in this series, it sure does show a lot of promise for the future books yet to come.  I'll be eagerly awaiting those!  

Rating: 4 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All conclusions reached are my own. 

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