Thanks to Goodreads for sending this First Reads book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

This is what's considered a cozy mystery - a story wherein (usually) a woman "accidentally" becomes an amateur sleuth and solves a murder. The writing style is such that "sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community." Light, simple, not a lot of depth necessarily. Still, I was expecting a tad bit more to this book but kept thinking Reed's writing seemed as amateur as her crime solver. The story is very basic, the plot is thin. Basically while touring the sleuth's bee hives, one of the guests is found dead. Then we enter drama revolving around her boyfriend (with constant references to his looks and sexiness, referring to him as "my man" which feels so juvenile) and peppered in is drama around her relationship with her mother. The sleuth "becomes a prime suspect when the carrot juice she brought with the breakfast fixings is found to contain poison." Predictable, really.

I can point out the flaws - some already mentioned above - including her use of bullet points which were distracting/annoying, and the fact that she has factual errors (acronyms vs initials, carbon dioxide vs carbon monoxide), but I can't really hone in on the great points of the book. I didn't find any.

I did finish it, I found it remotely entertaining, but surely would not recommend or keep a copy of my own. ( )

Beeline To Trouble is the fourth book in the Queen Bee Mystery series. And a honey of a book, too.

Story Fischer and Hunter Wallace have decided to go ahead and move in together, now just to decide whose house. With this major step much on her mind, Story sister, Holly, shows up to rope Story into helping, well helping isn't quite correct. Holly's husband has three of his flavorists staying at his home and Holly wants Story to handle all the meals for them. As much as she would like to refuse, she can't. The first thing on the schedule, after breakfast, is to visit Story at her home a take a tour of her beehives and packaging area. No sooner than they arrive, Nova Campbell one of the flavorists excuses herself from the other guests. A short time later she is found face down on the bank of the river at the back of Story's property.

Suspicion really begins to fall on Holly and Story when it is learned that Nova was poisoned by drinking some bottled carrot juice that came from Story's store. But then there are Holly's housekeeper and handyman. The housekeeper seems to be hiding something and the gardener is forever disappearing.

Then again, there is Patti Dwyre, Story's neighbor and sometime sleuthing helper, whose ex-husband was also married to Nova and makes an appearance in town.

So it is touch and go for a bit, but the mystery gets solved. And Story and Hunter weather their first sleuthing living under the same roof.

Johnny Jay, the police chief continues to be a thorn in Story's side and her mom is her old irritable self.

An enjoyable light and humorous series. ( )

Beeline To Trouble is the fourth book in the Queen Bee Mystery series. And a honey of a book, too.

Story Fischer and Hunter Wallace have decided to go ahead and move in together, now just to decide whose house. With this major step much on her mind, Story sister, Holly, shows up to rope Story into helping, well helping isn't quite correct. Holly's husband has three of his flavorists staying at his home and Holly wants Story to handle all the meals for them. As much as she would like to refuse, she can't. The first thing on the schedule, after breakfast, is to visit Story at her home a take a tour of her beehives and packaging area. No sooner than they arrive, Nova Campbell one of the flavorists excuses herself from the other guests. A short time later she is found face down on the bank of the river at the back of Story's property.

Suspicion really begins to fall on Holly and Story when it is learned that Nova was poisoned by drinking some bottled carrot juice that came from Story's store. But then there are Holly's housekeeper and handyman. The housekeeper seems to be hiding something and the gardener is forever disappearing.

Then again, there is Patti Dwyre, Story's neighbor and sometime sleuthing helper, whose ex-husband was also married to Nova and makes an appearance in town.

So it is touch and go for a bit, but the mystery gets solved. And Story and Hunter weather their first sleuthing living under the same roof.

Johnny Jay, the police chief continues to be a thorn in Story's side and her mom is her old irritable self.

An enjoyable light and humorous series. ( )

Story raises bees and sells lots of honey products in her small grocery store, Wild Clover, in a small town in Wisconsin.

The plots in these books just keep getting better and better. Story has lived in this small town her entire life and has daily interactions with her mother, grandmother, sister Holly and assorted friends and foes.

When Holly's husband Max brings a group from work home for the weekend to relax and bond one of the events they schedule is at rip to Story's bee hives and work area. Then, one of the group ends up face-down in the river behind Holly's property and the hunt is on, who killed Nova and why?

Patti, the nosy next-door neighbor, is deeply involved, as usual.

This is a fascinating look at small town live mixed with big city problems mixed with a romance or three that are working through the series.

Now, looking forward to number five in the series. ( )