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Book Review of Town in a Blueberry Jam (Candy Holliday, Bk 1)

Town in a Blueberry Jam (Candy Holliday, Bk 1)
reviewed on + 330 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


Ending my Cozy Mystery Challenge for 2011, I decided on Town in a Blueberry Jam by B. B. Haywood since this was a new author for me - I had no idea what I was getting into. Apparently, B. B. stands for the writing team of Beth and Robert (I assume Bob) Haywood but then again Haywood is not their real last name either. Ok, maybe that does not matter, but with the ever-ongoing use of pseudonyms in the writing world, I always want to know if a new author is actually new or an old author with a new name.

Hope I have not lost you yet.

This is the first book in a brand new series set in the seaside village of Cape Willington, Maine. Candy Holliday has returned home to her father, Doc, and has decided to help run the Blueberry farm until she can decide what it is that she wants s to do with her life. Having given up a demanding career in Boston, Candy has returned home to figure out what her next steps should be. That is until not one, but two unexplained deaths have occurred in this tiny hamlet and wanting to clear the name of a local handyman, Candy finds herself and her good friend in the middle of a jam (ok, I wanted to say pickle, but that wouldnt fit) and with the killer having them trapped on the roof of city hall all seems doomed, that is until an apparent invisible neighbor comes to their aid. OK, that last part was a bit of a stretch, but it does open up an interesting potential for future books.

The book has a couple stutter starts - feeling as if the writing team had put down their laptops and wanted to know now what direction do we go in. What I did come away with was the hope that this series will take off. The first book spends a great deal of time introducing attention-grabbing characters and with any luck, they will be given their own center stage in the future.

This is fun brain candy and sometimes that is just what an afternoon calls for.