A unique mystery that just keeps the reader wanting more and more. Everything about this is perfect and quirky from the characters to the setting to the mystery itself. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I cannot wait for more!

small-business, small-town, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, family, friendship, rivalry, cozy-mystery

Cows, handcrafted cheeses, county fairs, small farms, good friends and neighbors, and murder, what could be a more winning combination? (I'm from Wisconsin) The first death is weirdly suspicious, the second is definitely murder but it doesn't seem logical that they could be linked. Two very unlikely good people are jailed for the crimes but local law, though well intentioned, doesn't have the resources to do proper due diligence. Enter local cow aficionado and fosterer of a beautiful but grieving Highland cow among others Ms Brynn MacAlister who has a recent history of successful sleuthing. She needs more help from her friends this time because of a very nasty concussion, but no spoilers here.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is one of those definitive "I could not put this book down" books. There were many twists and turns throughout the book - some expected while others threw me for a loop. I can't wait to get back and visit with the gang again!

I enjoyed this book. It's a fast read. The characters are interesting although it took a while to get them all straight in my head. I liked that this book is about cheese and the relationship of the characters to each other. The mystery is interesting and the bad guy was a surprise. #GoodnightMoo #NetGalley

Congratulations! Your review for Goodnight Moo, captioned below,
has been published. Visit
<https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=70995> to view your
published review.

Please share your review via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest,
Instagram and other social media venues. Include the #FFreview
hashtag or @FreshFiction in your posts.

Thank you for your review! It's great to have you as part of the
Fresh Fiction team!

Sincerely,

Fresh Fiction

Goodnight moo is a cozy mystery that you'll enjoy reading as well as getting caught up in the mystery of who is killing the young summer workers. You'll also learn interesting facts about cheese. There's lots of twists that will keep you guessing.

I have never lived on a farm - though I have had family and friends who have. Brief visits as they showed me their settings - the field, the barns, the cheese make, etc. only prepared me in small ways to appreciate the love farmers have for their homestead. Brynn MacAllister has set up a small CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She was operating a small dairy farm whose specialty was cheese. She had grown to love her three Red Devon milking cows, and she was learning to appreciate Jewel, the orphaned Scottish Highland cow she was fostering until a permanent owner could be found. Life was great.

At least until a series of odd events began to define her newly adopted hometown. A teen was killed by a neighbor’s tractor, another was apparently shot by Brynn’s hired hand, ransomware began to infect the town’s computers. And Brynn found herself in the middle of the action. The book has enough intrigue to satisfy both the agriculturally minded individual and the technologically minded expert working in the field. We also learn that even small town America is not as innocent as it might appear. Brynn, along with her family and friends, working with the local police, sheriff’s office, and the FBI, will spend two weeks discovering clues, tracking leads, and solving the crimes - saving more than one person’s life in the process.

The book has an intriguing plot with enough twists and turns to hold the interest of most lovers of cozy mysteries. At times the reading was a bit slow, but whether that was the current pandemic or the nature of the book, this reviewer is not sure. Grab the book and enjoy the ride.
__________
<i>This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.</i>

This is the 2nd installment in the Buttermilk Creek mystery series. Brynn MacAlister is running a micro dairy farm and is getting ready to host the first annual cheesemaker’s contest. As Brynn is also new to the scene she is hoping this will becoming an ongoing event and will help establish herself in the community. A strange death happens as someone is run over by a tractor and witnessed by Brynn’s friend Willow. Brynn’s assistant Wes later finds another dead body and he becomes a prime suspect. Wes is Pakistani and this leads to many people’s mistrust and racism (rather relative at this point in time). He is shot at the festival and Brynn is injured with a severe concussion and needs the help of her friends and sister Becky who is in town to help track down the killer. This is a good series and deals with real society issues such as racism. Hopefully her family will continue to visit. Look forward to the next in this series.

Cheesemaker Brynn MacAlister is a sucker for stray animals. Now besides her three cows and her dog, she is fostering a lonely, shy, shaggy HIghland cow. Hoping her first annual cheesemaking contest is a success, Brynn is sidetracked by first an fatal accident on a nearby farm and then a shooting involving her assistant Wes. When Brynn is injured with a concussion, she is sidelined from pretty much everything including the now canceled cheesemaking contest. Not to be deterred, Brynn is determined to clear Wes from the murder charges. Is the underage Lolita part of the problem or is she an innocent victim? With her sister Becky's help, Brynn figures out the mystery. This is an interesting series, but I would never want to be a farmer.

I now want to visit a small cow farm! Brynn is a strong woman and I love seeing her really come into her own. This book had an even crazier mystery!

The plot of “Goodnight Moo” was thought provoking. An unusual murder weapon was used that I'd never read about before. It certainly made it more difficult to prove motive, and opportunity, for sure! I adore all the animal characters—the cows, the dog, and the cat—they all have parts in the story that add to the home, hearth, and family aspect. A couple of times, I bogged down and temporarily lost interest in the plot; however, I soon picked up the pace again and enjoyed the final outcome. I enjoyed the humor, too! Love those cows! 😊 Recipes provided after the story.

I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Goodnight Moo is such a charming cosy mystery, especially if you love cows, cheesemaking and farming. I love several of the characters, cows included, especially as they're well developed. I also liked the subtle addressing of racism and how it affected Wes, especially as it's an important topic to deal with.

Overall, it's a fast paced and engaging read which I would recommend people to read.

It's time for the county fair and everyone is excited especially about the new cheese shed & cheese competition, but something sinister is lurking beneath the surface when summer workers start popping up dead and Brynn's assistant, Wes, looks like he is going to be on the hook for murder. The group leaps into solving the crime before Wes either ends up in prison or his dad swoops in and takes him back home! This series is intriguing as it deals with some very serious real life issues such as sex trafficking and racism while keeping it firmly in the cozy mystery genre. It's an interesting approach while still keep it a light touch and entertaining. I'm definitely intrigued to see what happens next in Brynn's cheese world!

Goodnight Moo is the 2nd book in the Buttermilk Creek Mystery series written by Mollie Cox Bryan. I became acquainted with the series through a blog tour company that I regularly follow, and I read the first book in this series last year. When this one became available via NetGalley, I definitely wanted to continue with the series. If you enjoy cozies, farm settings, and learning about cheese-making, then this one is for you.

In the last book, Brynn inherited her grandmother's farm in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. She moved there, solved a crime, and situated herself as a committed community member. Her family lives out of state, but in this one, sister Becky visits after Brynn gets a concussion at a local fair. A tractor driver runs over a teenager who'd been dating his daughter. Then another person is shot and killed. At first, one person is arrested, then it appears like Brynn's right-hand man, Wes, is guilty. It doesn't help that the town is a bit racist; Wes is Pakistani, and because of his skin color, everyone assumes he's guilty. Another person is assaulted while Wes is in jail, and then a string of credit card thefts begin to happen. What's going on here?!?

This is a fun series. The relationship between Becky and Brynn is quite strong. I like the balance they bring to one another, and I hope Becky comes back again soon. It's nice to have family around, and I wonder whether their parents will visit in a future book. I also really enjoy the farm setting... especially the 3 cows, plus Jewel, a new one Brynn is fostering. Last time, one of the cows had lost its calf during birth. This time, another cow is pregnant. How will they all get along? The side stories are quite endearing, and I enjoy that there isn't a big amount of romance. While I do like those types of books too, the absence makes this series stand out from the others.

It's light, straightforward, and uncomplicated, in terms of the cast. The mystery is full of twists. Even I had a hard time guessing... often assuming it was one person before changing my mind. By 2/3 thru, I guessed whom it was, but I will admit, I wanted it to be someone else. This person annoyed me in how (s)he treated Brynn, and as a result, I wanted to see him/her thrown in jail. In the end, I came around a little bit, but not a whole lot. Seeing the backdrop in this story compared to what's happening in real life across America these days was enlightening. Though the book is definitely not political or focused on racism, there's enough to make you nod your head that the author is doing her part to show what's wrong in society. Big kudos to her for weaving this piece in the story in a minor but important way.

I look forward to the third in the series, and I hope Brynn begins to take care of more animals than cows. Maybe we'll even get to see some vegetable planting in the future. While I love all the focus on cheese, it makes me too hungry sometimes. A very fun series to start with... and I see potential here. Looking forward to the next one to pop even more so I can give it 5 stars! We're getting much closer in this second installment. Thanks for a fun afternoon's read.

Goodnight Moo is a very entertaining and well written cozy mystery. Fun plot with quirky characters. If you enjoy mysteries you do not want to miss this book. I highly recommend it.

Goodnight Moo is the second installment in the A Buttermilk Creek Mystery series set in Shenandoah Valley, VA and featuring microfarm owner and cheesemaker, Brynn MacAlister. The Summer fair is coming up and Brynn and her assistant Wes Scors are excited to be hosting the first annual cheesemaker contest in a specially designed shed on the fairgrounds.

Just days before the fair is set to start, Brynn's friend Willow Rush, witnesses a deadly tractor accident involving president of the local CSA, Josh O'Connor and one of the Summer workers. The next day Wes stumbles upon the body of another local worker and everyone begins to think there is something nefarious going on in town.

It doesn't take long before fingers are pointing to Wes as the killer, partly because he found the body and partly because of his Pakistani background. When a gunman takes a shot at Wes during the cheesemaker contest, Brynn and her friends quickly realize how much racism is hidden within their small community. Having suffered a severe concussion during the shooting, Brynn is sidelined at home so she must rely on her sister Becky, friends Willow and Schuyler, Wes and his twin Max to do the investigating for her.

A fast paced read with well developed characters, a lovable herd of cows and tasty cheeses. The subject matters surrounding the mystery are a little darker than what most cozy readers might be accustomed to, but they certainly don't make the read any less enjoyable. I'll be looking forward to the next adventures with Brynn and Wes.

I received an advanced copy of Goodnight Moo from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book even more than the first Buttermilk Creek book. Part of that was because the author was able to jump right into the action in this book instead of having to set everything up. I’m not usually a fan of cows in real life but I really like Brynn’s cows. They have such personalities. This was hard to put down - I finished it in one sitting.

This is the second book in the Buttermilk Creek series. Brynn MacAlister is a cheese maker and is getting ready for a cheesemakers contest that she is holding with the annual summer fair. There is a lot to do to get ready but she has the help of her apprentice, Wes. But a tractor accident begins to put a snag on the festivities. Was it an accident or murder seeing as the victim was seeing the tractor drivers younger daughter. More things happen and Wes finds a dead body. The police and everyone in town think that Wes is responsible. Now Brynn and her friends need to prove Wes's innocence.

This series is really growing on me. I love the small town setting in this series as well as the setting of Brynn's dairy farm. The characters are great. I loved seeing how Wes has evolved since book 1. The mystery was well done. I liked the different twists in the book. It kept me guessing up until the end. I love the animals in the book especially Jewel. I so hope there are more in the series. I received this book from net galley and Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful series.
Brynn MacAlister is still working hard at her cheeses with Wes Scors help and growing their business steadily.
When a freak accident occurs and a friend is jailed, the pair try to help, but when Wes finds a body the police atart looking at him too. Racism rears it's ugly head and their friends are stunned.
The Cheese contest at the festival gets canceled when Wes gets shot and Brynn receives a concussion.
Her sister becky comes to help and the friends close in and try to keep Wes and Brynn safe as she tries to reason out what is going on.
After they come upon some info they work with the police to trap a killer. Intrigue and humor mark this series and this book especially. I loved it.
I requested and received a NetGalley Arc to peruse gratis and offer mu opinion same.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!