Deadly Row to Hoe: A Home Crafting Mystery (Book 6) (Home Crafting Mystery, #6)

by Cricket McRae

Harvest time in Cadyville, Washington, finds Sophie Mae Ambrose volunteering at the local organic farm - and trying to make a little sprout of her own with Barr, her police detective husband. But a dead body discovered in the farm's compost heap is enough to cast dark clouds over Sophie Mae's sunny mood. When Barr's boss lets her know they need help identifying the body, a reluctant Sophie Mae presses her network of friends and neighbors into action. Now Sophie Mae and Barr must root out a killer before another victim is squashed.

• ISBN10: 0738733083
• ISBN13: 9780738733081
• Publish Date: 8 November 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 7 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Midnight Ink
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 264
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

Excellent read. I found myself starting and finishing it in one sitting; revisiting old "friends" and enjoying the evolution of family dynamics in this series.

It's refreshing to read an established series where the characters evolve together, instead of constantly banging their heads against the same brick walls in every book. Ms. McRae could have followed the very established pattern set forth in many other cozy series, where the protagonist and her romantic interest constantly bicker and argue about her involvement in solving the mystery - and I'll admit that there is a place for that; it is a good device to establish romantic tension. But I really appreciate that Ms. McRae chose not to beat that device to death, and instead, create a partnership between Sophie Mae and her husband, the police detective.

While I suspected the murderer right away, I can't say why, as I had no real reason to suspect the character of anything and I could have easily easily been wrong. It was a good, solid plot with a lot of interesting information unfolding as the book went on and I liked the ending - again, Ms. McRae could have followed a well worn path and chose not to in favor of something just a bit different, though not radically so.

As always, I love reading about all the ways Sophie Mae and her family are self-sufficient - always informative and never preachy, it makes me want to run out and start canning or baking something. :)

Can't wait for the next one.