Penned In by Lynn Cahoon is a quick, easy to read novella from the Farm to Fork mystery series.
Angie and her crew are on another team building exercise. This time they are going to be locked in an old, haunted prison. They will be in cells and treated as prisoners with actual guards making rounds. When one of the guards is found murdered with his keys and phone missing, everyone is on alert. They have no way to contact anyone on the outside until morning and a lot can happen during the night.
This is a perfect read for Halloween! You are kept guessing until the end. There are plenty of plot twists, great characters, and a ghost.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley for an honest review.

I received a copy Penned In through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Penned In is the latest installment of the Farm-to-Fork Mystery series and a Halloween themed novella. I’m Penned In the employees of the County Seat go on an employee bonding trip to a haunted old jail where you can be locked in for the night. The lock in ends in murder and Angie finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation.

I have really enjoyed the Farm-to-Fork Mystery series and I have to say I think Penned In is my favorite installation to date. I really enjoy Halloween themed mysteries and this novella definitely gives you that. I love the characters in this series and I enjoyed seeing how they worked together to solve this case. Penned In is a well written, fast paced mystery that I found hard to put down. It is definitely worth the time and so is the rest of the series if you haven’t tried it yet.

Penned In
Farm-To-Fork Mystery, Book #4.5
Lynn Cahoon
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Angie Turner, chef at Idaho’s finest farm-to-table restaurant, has organized a team-building event at a haunted prison, only to find a real-life murderer in their midst. . . .

Contented employees make for a successful restaurant, which is why the County Seat’s crew goes on a quarterly out-of-office meeting. This time, the location is the Old Idaho Penitentiary near the Boise Foothills, a prison brimming with ghostly lore. The lock-in features actors role-playing as guards, fascinating prison stories . . . and an unscripted murder.

Who sentenced one of the faux guards to a very authentic death? Angie, her boyfriend, and the County Seat gang are locked in with a killer—excellent motivation for a little sleuthing. Between ghostly apparitions and flesh-and-blood suspects, Angie’s plate is full, but will her luck, and her life, hold out until the gates reopen at dawn?

Praise for Lynn Cahoon's Tourist Trap Mysteries

“Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true.”
—Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries

“Lynn Cahoon has created an absorbing, good fun mystery in Mission to Murder.”
—Fresh Fiction


Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded. For their quarterly team building trip, they decide to go to the Old Idaho Penitentiary. They are going to spend the night in the prison, which is said to be haunted. What could possibly go wrong? Angie and her employees are locked in the prison with a killer and they will have to solve the mystery before the prison door closes for good.

The author is very talented in her descriptive and these descriptions helped me get a clear picture in my mind. The writing style flows smoothly and the novella is a quick easy read. The mystery was well plotted and not easily solved.

I would highly recommend this whole series to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I cannot wait to see what adventure awaits them next.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

4.5 stars

This is the 4.5 novella in the Farm-to-Fork mystery series by Lynn Cahoon.

This novella goes by really fast. I wish it were longer. Even though it was a quick read, it was exciting. I couldn’t quite figure out what was team building about going to a prison, but who am I to judge?

The people at the County Seat are going on a team building exercise that is being held in an old haunted prison. Something just feels a bit off to the crew, then one of the guards turns up dead and they are all stuck inside with no keys, no flashlights and no way out until morning.

All the characters were interesting and well defined. There were a lot of suspects and that makes for a compelling mystery. I am digging this series and the smaller novellas really do make it easy to ease into a new series you aren’t as familiar with. Definitely a good offering for the reader.

If you like cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

This is a Farm - to - Fork novella mystery that occurs in the fall after Deep Fried Revenge. As this is the second time they come upon a dead body at a team building retreat, I think maybe they ought to reconsider doing team building.
It’s October and Angie and the team are spending the night locked in to the old Boise penitentiary. Not something I would ever choose to do, but it was Matt’s choice.
Angie manages to solve the mystery of who killed Pat before the locked doors open at 6 am.
The events take place in one night. That’s some fast crime solving.
I love the reason behind Sheriff Allen coming to look for Angie and the others.
This was a fun and short addition to the Farm-to-Fork mystery series.

Penned In is a quick fun read that is a great addition to the Farm-to-Fork Mystery series. The County Seat crew is having a team building out of the office get together. It is Matt's turn to pick the venue and he has picked a overnight lock up in the Old Idaho Penitentiary. The guards are all actors and are taking their job seriously but things don't seem quite right between two of the guys, especially when one turns up dead. This is the beginning of a tense night in a dark locked up prison that doesn't open until 6 AM with other guests and the guards.
Enjoy a scary time as Angie and friends try to find out who the killer is and try to stay safe.
I received a complimentary ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

I love these little novella's that are sandwiched in between the full-size books.
In this outing, Angie, Ian and company are spending the night in a local "haunted" prison as part of their quarterly team building exercise [WHAT this has to do with that is beyond me]. They are barely there and locked in when disaster strikes and they have just a short period of time to try and figure it out while also staying alive. Several red herrings make this a fun little romp and the reveal is believable and kind of sad.

A fun read that just sets you up for the full length book - which I cannot wait for; I have ended up really liking this crew and their mysteries. Such a fun series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Penned In is the newest installment in Lynn Cahoon’s Farm to Fork Mysteries. It’s a novella. Angie is the owner of a local restaurant, County Seat. She regularly gathers her crew for team bonding events. For their latest adventure, the group is being locked in overnight at an abandoned penitentiary which is supposedly haunted. They are with several other people and four guards. When someone is found murdered, help can’t be summoned because of the conditions of the lockdown and because the murderer damaged the only useable telephone. Angie and her crew work to keep everyone safe and to solve figure out if the murderer is among them or is a ghost. I enjoyed reading this novella. But I felt like the characters weren’t “fleshed out” as well as they are in Cahoon’s books. Of course, this is because it is a novella. It is a good read and does hold your interest. Certainly a four star novella.

A clever title for the newest in A Farm-to-Fork Mystery series. The County Seat employees are having a team building experience by going to a lock-in at the haunted Old Idaho Penitentiary. They wound up getting a lot more than they bargained for when they ended up locked in with a murderer and a ghost.

I really enjoy this series and the group dynamics of the characters who work at The County Seat. I missed that this shortened story does not leave much room for character development. Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

In this fun short the gang from the County Seat is off on their quarterly out of the office meeting. This outing takes them to the old Idaho Penitentiary, a prison that is suppose to be haunted by ghosts. The gang will be staying overnight in cells as if they themselves were actual prisoners. Everyone is excited by the tour and learn quite a bit about the old prison. Soon everyone is locked into their cells and get settled in for the night. When a noise awakens Angie she decides to figure out where it came from and who made it. She soon comes across the body of one of the guards and realizes there is a mystery to be solved. Follow along as Angie and her gang look for clues in hopes of figuring out who the killer is before someone else ends up dead. This was a fun short read that was filled with a wonderful mystery to be solved!

Angie and crew are at it again. What could possibly go wrong with spending the night in a closed prison? Thanks Matt, for this unique team building activity. These characters play off each other so well and are so much fun to hang out with. This is a unique story line and another great A Farm-to-Fork-Mystery. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

County Seat’s employees are set for their quarterly team building outing. This time they’re locked into an historic penitentiary for the evening. It’s a mixed group with newlyweds, an awkward family group, the guards, and the County Seat group. When one of the guards turns up murdered, the lock-in doesn’t seem like a picnic anymore.

This is a fast read with little character development. It is enjoyable to spend some time with the characters even though in a dark situation. I enjoyed the read.

Penned in Is Book 5 in the Farm to Fark Mystery Series. I really love this series.
Angie is having a team building exercise for the staff. Of course it is Matt's turn to pick and he chooses a haunted closed down prison in Idaho.

One of the actors that was playing a prison guard turns up dead, its a murder mystery that Angie and her crew are investigating.

The characters are well thought out and complex. The story was well developed. The mystery kept me guessing with multiple suspects.

Can't wait for the next book in this great series by Lynn Cahoon.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this quirky novella set in an old penitentiary in Idaho. Angie takes her crew to a team-building event, a haunted prison experience. One of the faux prison guards is killed, and one of the other faux prison guards or one of the faux prisoners is to be blamed, but who?

This is a nice and quick read. The characters are interesting and just the right kind of eccentric people that live in a small town and end up solving mysteries. I am not a huge fan of novellas, but I am always up to reading anything written by Lynn Cahoon. It was worth the read. I especially love Angie’s St Bernard, Dom. Points for the special premises!

Angie and staff decide to have a team-building activity at an old prison. "Guards" are there to narrate the prisons history as well as tell a few ghost stories for this overnight experience. However one of the guards is killed and the only phone available as well as the keys to the doors disappear. Can the group unmask the killer before help arrives in the morning?

This was a very spooky and fun cozy mystery read. I loved all of the different characters who were great suspects. The plot was a full mystery, even though the story was the size of a novella. I can't wait for the next Farm-to-Fork Mystery.
I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love this series. The gang is having a sleepover in a haunted prison when someone is found murdered. You know they will always find the killer before the food gets burnt

Penned In is the fifth in this series. It is a novella set around Halloween in a the Old Idaho Penitentiary. So, I’m not sure how this lock in was suppose to be a team building event but, I’ll roll with it.

The County Seat crew plus Ian are attending a lockdown (lock-in) for the evening. There are seven other attendees and four guards. Someone dies. Who did it and Why?

So, right away we know it wasn’t half the people because they are on Angie’s crew. I liked they approach to solving the whodunnit. I even enjoyed the ending at the prison.

I was given an advanced reader’s copy. I am not required to leave a positive review.

This series by Lynn Cahoon is continuing to grow. Angie's employees continue to grow and definitely seem more like family than just workers.

Halloween books are always interesting to me and I loved the setting of the Old Penitentiary. It's a novella which makes it a quick read but still packs a lot of intrigue.

The mystery was well-written and kept me 'turning' the pages. I'm ready for the next one in this series!

Fun novella. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery. I liked the idea of the overnight stay at an unused prison, not sure I could do it - but it was an interesting idea!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.