Review – The Wiles of Watermelon

I have a confession to make: I’m a cozy mystery addict. Yup; they’re like Lays Potato Chips-I can’t read just one! Some of my favorites are Heartsong Presents Mysteries, and Lynette Sowell tops my list of Christian cozy authors.

In her second novel in her “A Scents of Murder” series, Lynette brings back Andromeda (Andi), proprietor of Tennessee River Soaps. Change has come into Andi’s life since we last saw her in “A Suspicion Of Strawberries”.

For one, she’s married now to lifelong love, Ben Hartley. Second, she and Ben now live on a watermelon farm (do they call them farms, or just patches?). And third…well, I suppose this isn’t all that different…

…she’s found another dead body-this time in her very own watermelon patch. Buried for at least a decade, who is it? Could it be a homeless person, killed and buried, never to be missed?

Or could the person be much closer to Andi and her family? With Ben working so many long hours at Honey’s Diner, Andi is not quite up to investigating this case on her own.

Until Ben’s boss and the owner of the diner turns up dead…choked by watermelon rind. Coincidence? Not if you’ve read as many of these tasty little novels as I have!

Who wanted Honey dead? Was it the disgruntled ex-employee, or the ex-lover trying to keep his affair secret? Surely the police don’t suspect Andi’s husband, Ben…could the chief investigator, Ben’s brother and Andi’s friend suspect his own kin?

You’ll be surprised to find out how everything ends up falling into place, and you may never crave pickled watermelon rind again-assuming you do now! Lynette Sowell has a knack for injecting humor into her stories of murder and mayhem, and her characters are lively and easy to love.

I’m giving “The Wiles of Watermelon” four out of five bookmarks, with a Mason jar as a charm-put your favorite summertime fruit in it-I’m kind of OFF of watermelon right about now:-)