Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Book Review: A Call for Kelp by Bree Baker

Everly Swan is busy as a bee running her beachside iced tea shop, and the small island of Charm, North Carolina is abuzz—Mitzi Calgon, an iconic Hollywood actress, is in town! Everly's great-aunts are making a documentary about beekeeping and Mitzi has agreed to help. Aunt Clara and Aunt Fran are determined to save endangered honeybees but soon find themselves in a bind when Mitzi turns up dead. Soon, reporters and fans swarm the island, muddying the water and disrupting the peaceful lives of the townspeople.

Everly's never been good at minding her own beeswax, so she starts following her own leads and combing through the evidence. Then there's the mystery of Detective Hays—ever since their kiss under the mistletoe, he's been acting distant. And he's annoyingly determined to keep Everly away from the case. With her beekeeping aunts' reputations on the line, the sleuth will stop at nothing to crack the case. But when she receives a cryptic warning to "Bee Careful", Everly realizes that she's gotten herself into a really sticky situation...[summary via Amazon]

I'm back reading cozy mysteries and the first one on my list is the latest Seaside Cafe Mystery, A Call for Kelp. I always enjoy catching up with Everly and her aunts and seeing what is happening in the picturesque town of Charm.

In this adventure Everly's great-aunts have a few visitors in town to help with the documentary they are making about beekeeping. One visitor is a friend of Everly's grandmother, Mitzi Calgon. When Mitzi turns up dead, all evidence points to someone close to Everly and she must do all she can to find the real killer.

The Seaside Cafe Mysteries never disappoint and I'm so glad I picked this one up! The mystery itself was very intriguing, as I tried to solve it alongside Everly. Beyond the mystery, Everly manages to untangle some mysteries surrounding folks in Charm as well. It's these characters with such depth that has me coming back again and again. 

While I'm not an avid beekeeper (beyond enjoying honey!) I like that there is more than just the tea shop to interest readers. I'm definitely learning a lot reading this series.. well enough to know I don't want to tangle with a bee!

If you enjoy a light-hearted, intriguing mystery, with enough charming characters to fill a cozy town, then this series is for you. The absolutely icing on the cake (or lemon slice in your tea!) is the delectable delights that Everly cooks up. I absolutely can't wait to visit Charm again!

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