About the book:
Bailey King’s in New York wrapping up a six-week shoot on her first cable TV show, Bailey’s Amish Sweets, when she gets a call from her Ohio town’s resident busybody. With Easter around the corner, Bailey’s been recruited to create a giant toffee bunny for the weeklong springtime festival that will also feature live white rabbits. But back home in Harvest, death becomes the main attraction when Stephen Raber keels over from an apparent heart attack–with Bailey and Raber’s pet bunny as witnesses.
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Except it wasn’t Raber’s heart that suddenly gave out–a lethal dose of lily of the valley was mixed into a tasty piece of toffee. Who’d want to poison a jovial rabbit farmer who reminded Bailey of an Amish Santa Claus? To solve the murder, she and her sheriff deputy boyfriend Aiden must uncover a twenty-year-old secret. She’ll need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to keep a healthy distance from toxic people, including one venomous killer . . .
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Amish
Series: Amish Candy Shop Mystery #4
My thoughts:
Three things I’ve learned to expect from an Amanda Flower book are murder, mayhem, and a multitude of animals to fall in love with. I certainly wasn’t disappointed in Toxic Toffee because it offered all these things and more. This book had me smiling (and laughing) from beginning to end.
The small town of Harvest is all abuzz when rabbit farmer Stephen Raber dies of a heart attack (or is it?) right in front of the townspeople. Never fear though because Bailey King is on the case. Much to the dismay of her boyfriend, sheriff deputy Aiden. For as much as he tries to keep Bailey out of the case the more she gets involved. I enjoyed the relationship between these two characters and how it has developed over the course of the series. Aiden is a perfect balance of calm and reason to Bailey’s “go get’em” attitude. Of course Aiden’s mom, Juliet and her ever-present pet pig Jethro always lend a bit of comedic relief when the story gets a bit too serious.
I absolutely love the author’s writing style. She has a gift of being able to draw readers into a story with wit and charm. I love all the quirky characters she creates and I still think she might gift each one with a small piece of her own personality which makes them all seem so realistic and lovable. Her books are easy and fun to read.
Cozy mystery fans are sure to love this latest installment in the Amish Candy Shop series. This book would also be a great introduction to the author’s work. Though it is the fourth book in the series it can absolutely be read as a standalone. Grab a treat and a drink and go visit the fine folks in Harvest. You’ll be glad you did! Happy reading!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and was not required to write a review. All opinions are mine.
About the author: Amanda Flower, a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over twenty-five cozy mystery novels, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. In addition to being an author, Amanda is a former librarian with fifteen years experience in Northeast Ohio .
The Barefoot Bookworm 