Farm to Trouble by Amanda Flowers: Book Review

Farm to Trouble is the first book in the new cozy mystery series Farm to Table Mysteries by Amanda Flowers. First released in February 2021 by Poisoned Pen Press, Farm to Trouble introduces us to Shiloh Bellamy as she returns to her family farm in Michigan after being in LA for fifteen years.

Synopsis

Shiloh Bellamy left Cherry Glen fifteen years ago to chase a dream and to run from her grief. Now she’s returning to help her dad and rescue her family farm. Low on funds, and before seeing the farm, Shiloh makes a deal with an investor without talking to her dad about it. It seems that her dad, and most of the town, and their new business partner don’t see eye-to-eye. Her cousin and the rest of the town treat her like an outsider, so Shiloh feels like she has nowhere to turn for help.

She has a meeting with the investor at the local farmer’s market, where she discovers his body. Now she not only has to try to save her farm but herself and her father, as both are suspects in the murder.

Positives

Farm to Trouble is an easy read. I managed to read most of it in one day.

I appreciate the fact that Shiloh is in her mid-thirties. So many books have younger protagonists. Then again, in a lot of cozy mysteries, the protagonist tends to be a bit older.

Negatives

There seemed to be a lot of extra side-plots in this story. I know that it is the first book in a series, and as such, it has to work towards establishing the world. It just feels like there’s a lot of extra side-plots that don’t need to be in the first book.

My Opinion

I haven’t read a cozy mystery in a while, and I’m not sure why as I enjoy reading them. Farm to Trouble was a great way for me to re-enter the genre.

Set in a small town on the road to economic recovery is a setting that is one I understand. I have lived in many small towns that have had economic ups and downs, and the residents of these towns work hard for what they have. I feel the residents of Cherry Glen are the same. Shiloh, and many of her classmates, did what many people in those small towns do once they finish school-leave. And eventually, some make their way back for one reason or another.

As I was reading, I found myself trying to figure out who the murderer was. Isn’t that the point of a mystery? In the end, I was half right. I was surprised by who pulled the trigger, but not the story behind it all. I can’t say too much more, or I’ll spoil it. And who wants to read a spoiled book?

I feel Farm to Trouble is a great introduction to the cozy mystery world. And I, for one, can’t wait for Put Out to Pasture, the next book in the series.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.