Characters that feel like family and a deliciously different setting make Lethal Licorice a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
The small, mostly Amish, town of Harvest, Ohio is finally hosting the annual Amish Confectionery Competition (ACC). Bailey is competing for her grandparent’s Amish Candy Shop, Swissmen Sweets, along with her sous chef Emily. The fact that Bailey is not Amish brings some discord to the competition. Josephine, another competitor and owner of Berlin Candies, angrily denounces Bailey’s inclusion in the contest. One of the judges seems determined that Bailey cannot win the competition. When one of them is found dead and stuffed in the back of the church’s grand organ, Bailey must defend her cousin from murder charges by solving the crime herself. Besides competing in the ACC and solving a murder, Bailey is helping locate a prized pet pig who disappeared shortly before the ACC began. She is also trying to limit the expectations of family and friends about her pairing up with handsome Deputy Sheriff, Aiden.
This is the second entry in the Amish Candy Shop series. I’ve read both. While you don’t have to read them in order, I would recommend it. This book contains major spoilers for the first.
I love the characters within this book series. All seem genuine. There are also some charming Amish lifestyle details subtly included. The author cleverly modernizes the setting by including an unwed pregnancy in one of the Amish’s backstory. However, this entire novel is definitely G-rated and appropriate for Christian readers. In addition, old-fashioned candy-making is described and a recipe for black licorice is included.
Lethal Licorice is highly recommended for cozy lover’s looking for something different with a small town feel. The mystery is good but it’s the characters that will make me impatiently await the next book in the series. 4 stars!
Thanks to the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.