Before being slightly upstaged by Karin Kaufman’s Juniper Grove series, my first favorite (now holding a worthy 2nd place) was the Dewberry Farm series by Karen MacInerney.
Former crime reporter Lucy Resnick buys her grandparents’ farm and sets up residence in the town of Buttercup, Texas. As she learns the ropes about raising livestock, planting crops, and making jams, soaps, and candles to sell, she encounters a host of colorful characters at different local events. If there isn’t a murder at one of those events, you can bet there will be one somewhere else in town. Unfortunately, you can also bet that the hopelessly inept sheriff will lazily lock up the wrong person.
Along with her beloved farm and creatively named animals, Lucy is also close to her friend, Quinn, who runs the local cafe and is avoiding her abusive ex, and Tobias, the handsome new vet. Several other supporting characters appear often to help and support Lucy as she tries to piece together the clues that Rooster the sheriff refuses to acknowledge. (I picture him looking and acting like the Sheriff of Nottingham in Disney’s animated Robin Hood.)
Like other successful cozy mysteries (“successful” in my opinion,) the author, Karen MacInerney, has developed a valid reason for the main character to investigate. She also peppers in a hint of the supernatural. Whenever Lucy is in a real jam or closing in on the murderer, she feels her grandmother’s comforting presence and smells her lavender perfume. I love that.
This is a highly enjoyable series. I read the last two books just yesterday and today. The seventh book will be released September 30, 2020. All are included with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
9/10 Stars for the series
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