Review: Premeditated Peppermint by Amanda Flower

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
E-ARC

Publisher:
Kensington

Release Date:
September 25, 2018









Synopsis from Goodreads:

Someone’s sweet on revenge . . .

Christmas is Bailey King’s favorite time of year. For her first Yuletide in Harvest, Ohio, the former big-city chocolatier is recreating a cherished holiday treat: peppermint combined with molten white chocolate. But her sugar high plummets when her former boyfriend walks into the candy shop she now runs with her Amish grandmother. New York celebrity chef Eric Sharp and his TV crew have arrived to film an authentic Amish Christmas. Bailey’s not about to let her beloved town—and Swissmen Sweets—be turned into a sound bite. Unfortunately, she gets more publicity than she bargained for when Eric’s executive producer is found strangled to death—and Eric’s the prime suspect.

With Bailey’s sheriff deputy boyfriend out to prove Eric’s guilt, her bad-boy ex tries to sweet-talk her into helping him clear his name . . . and rekindle their romance to boost ratings for his show. Now, between a surplus of suspects and a victim who wasn’t who she seemed, Bailey’s edging dangerously close to a killer who isn’t looking to bring joy to the world—or to Bailey—this deadly Noel . . .

My Review

It’s Christmas time in the small town of Harvest in Ohio. Bailey King and her Amish grandmother are busy in their Swissmen Sweets shop. It’s a busy time of year for the candy business. It hasn’t been that long since Bailey left her job and her ex-boyfriend in New York City for the small town life. She is shocked when her ex-boyfriend shows up in Harvest. He wants to film his TV show in the shop and reunite with his former girlfriend. Bailey wants none of that, but Eric isn’t backing off.

When Eric’s executive producer is murdered, all eyes turn in his direction. He begs Bailey to help prove his innocence. However, Bailey isn’t so sure he *is* innocent and neither is her new boyfriend, who happens to be the sheriff deputy investigating the homicide.

As Bailey does her own investigating, she begins to realize that the victim had quite a few secrets. This leads to quite a few suspects with more reason to kill than Eric. Bailey is determined to get to the bottom of this murder mystery.

This is the third book in the series. I haven’t read the first two books and I was a little worried about jumping into the middle of it. I had no reason to worry. There’s more than enough information included throughout the book so I didn’t feel lost at all. In fact, for me, it was just the opposite. I felt like I already knew Bailey.

The cast of characters are well rounded and very likeable. The setting is perfect for a cozy mystery. The author painted a vivid picture and I can still smell the peppermint through the pages. I like the mix of Amish and Englisch ways. We learn a bit about the Amish customs as we read this one. It felt authentic to me and brought me right into the story from the beginning.

The storyline is fast-paced. I didn’t figure out whodunnit until Bailey did towards the end. As all the facts unfolded, I realized what happened. It is a well-written mystery.

This can easily become a “must read” series for me. I do need to go back and read the first two, but I will. I’m looking forward to book #4.




For reading challenges:
Craving for the Cozies Reading Challenge 2018

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.