Killer Jam (A Dewberry Farm Mystery)
By: Karen MacInerney
Rating: 5 of 5
“Killer Jam” is the first in the new Dewberry Farm mystery series by Karen MacInerney. This is the book I have read by Ms. MacInerney. It does well as an introduction to a new series, which by its nature, is a little more involved than sequels. We are being introduced to all of the characters and that takes some time and explanation which in turn takes time and pages away from the rest of the story.
The author is able to pull this off really well and so we get to know our sleuth, Lucy Resnick quite well. Lucy is an ex-newspaper journalist from Houston who was downsized out of her job (print newspaper) and decides to put her savings into following her dream. She buys Dewberry Farm, which is her old family home which appears to be somewhere between Houston and Austin (her grandparents Vogel owned it until it was sold to the current owner.)
Lucy is learning all about homesteading and selling her homemade wares. This part is really interesting to have put into the middle of a cozy mystery. We get to learn, along with her, how to make candles, cottage cheese, and more. I hope that in ensuing books in this series, there is more like information. It’s always nice to pick up a little education while having a fun read, too. There are a number of recipes for food and non-food items that will be interesting to try.
There are bad guys and good guys. Friends are made and friends are lost. Lucy ends up being the prime suspect when the murder occurs (this is pretty much how most cozy mystery series are introduced, so this was pretty much what I expected.) There are family rivalries, ethnic rivalries (Czech and German), and more. There is even the lightest touch of a paranormal influence. This worked as a plot prompt and allowed Lucy to get information and progress the story, so while I normally don’t read paranormal stories, this was okay and did its job well in the story.
I loved the description of the flowers and terrain in Texas. I live in Texas, having moved to the north of Dallas after living close to a decade in Austin. Lucy is farming in the hot weather in Texas, so while she is currently growing cooler weather crops, I will be interested to know what she will be growing during the hot days of summer (okra, maybe?) If so, I hope the author includes some good okra recipes.
There are relationships being formed and it looks as if this new series is off to a great start. By the end of the book, I was ready to read more about Lucy (and her cute little dog and cantankerous cow.) I am looking forward to more books in this series in the future.
I received a digital ARC copy of this book from the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, via Netgalley.