Rhubarb Pie Before You Die is book 2 in the Garlic Farm Mystery Series by Gin Jones.
I REALLY enjoyed the first book in the series and was excited to read this book and it did not disappoint.
The characters are well developed. The protagonist is well written and the mystery kept me guessing
until the very end.

Cannot wait for the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed reading this cozy mystery! Even though it is the second book of the series, it was easy to read as a stand-alone book. The plot was complex and full of tangents to lure the reader away from the real murderer. I absolutely loved the characters! They were all over the place. There was an emotional wreck, an overdriven hobby farmer, a stalker land developer, a persnickety HOA President, an aloof realtor/mayor, and a high-strung neighbor. All great suspects for the murder of a rhubarb enthusiast. I can't wait to read more of the series! I would recommend this book to all lovers of cozy mystery reads!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Rhubarb Pie Before You Die is the 2nd book in the Garlic Farm Mystery series by Gin Jones.

I didn’t read the first book and I was able to read this as a standalone book. The first book would have the detail about the death of Mabel’s aunt and how she came into the farm.

It was an interesting mystery. I was surprised by the ending. I like the supporting characters and how they seem to really care about Mabel and the farm. I love rhubarb, so the role it played in the story was interesting.

I didn’t care for Mabel through most of the book. Towards the end she started to change and that made it better. Maybe if I had read the first book, it would have explained her anti-social and socially awkward behavior.

With the changes that Mabel was making, I am looking forward to reading the next book to see what happens to her and how relationships evolve.

There are recipes at the end that I plan on trying.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Mabel has left Maine for Massachusetts to take care of her deceased aunt’s garlic farm until it can be sold. She’s an app developer and used to working her own hours which is definitely not the early morning farmer’s hours. When Mabel finds another niche farmer murdered, she becomes the prime suspect. Mabel is set to investigate the murder and take care of the rhubarb seedlings. Will she be able to clear her name?

I enjoyed the characters in this book and would enjoy seeing if Mabel decides to stay on the farm.

Rhubarb Pie Before You Die earns 5/5 Rhubarb Leaves....Clever & Engaging!

‘Stinking’ Great! Farming, especially on a budget, takes initiative and creativity. Rory took Mabel Skinner, owner of the Stinkin’ Stuff Farm, out to a subdivision outside of town to pick up garden waste the neighbors have bagged up for removal; it is great “mulch” for her garlic crops, and at no cost, it’s great for the budget. However, Mabel is not the only farmer looking for a deal. Mr. Winthrop grows rhubarb and hopes his breeding program for rhubarb becomes an industry standard, but, right now, he’s causing quite an early morning kerfuffle, demanding and threatening Mabel and Rory, and waking up the neighbors including a councilman. They tentatively agree to split the waste evenly, but Winthrop makes his intentions known...it ain’t over! The next day all the town is buzzing with him stirring up trouble, forcing sides, and threatening a court battle. Mabel goes to his farm planning to offer an apology for the misunderstanding hoping it will squelch his plans to lodge a criminal complaint. Instead, she finds his body covered in the toxic rhubarb leaves...and the police pinpoint Mabel as the number one person of interest.

Gin Jones has penned another clever cozy murder mystery in her Garlic Farm Mystery series involving a delightful, yet soft-spoken introvert who is just biding her time until she can sell the farm she inherited and return to her somewhat solitary existence as an app designer. Her new friends and a couple of ornery felines are key to bringing her out of her shell which is entertaining to witness. The murder mystery written from a third-person perspective had several theories with suspects beyond our poor Mabel’s fight over “mulch” and incorporates interesting avenues from conflicts with the HOA over to the victim’s work with rhubarb. I had the killer on my radar, but inconclusive specifics and misdirection led me on a fun journey ending in a satisfying conclusion. Beyond the murder and fingers pointing at Mabel, she’s also dealing with an additional cat ready to deliver, crops needing to be planted, an offer on the farm seemingly too-good-to-be-true, and a boss pressuring her to return to work now, not later. All in the course of an engaging cozy with a challenging mystery, variety of characters from unique to quirky, and insights into farming, garlic, and rhubarb...Loved it and recipes, too, celebrating this often misunderstood veggie stalk. Each recipe has an informative intro, common kitchen ingredients, and easy to follow directions. Enjoy Rhubarb Crisp, Blueberry Rhubarb Jam, and Stewed Rhubarb.

This is the second book in a series by Gin Jones about Mabel Skinner who inherits her late aunt's garlic farm, Stinkin’ Stuff Farm, in Massachusetts. As an app developer, Mabel is out of her depth as a garlic farmer, so is seeking to sell the farm. Whilst waiting for an appropriate buyer to crop up Mabel is out looking for organic mulch. She encounters Graham Winthrop, a rhubarb farmer with whom she has a disagreement. The next day Graham is found dead in his greenhouse...

I thoroughly enjoyed Rhubarb Pie Before You Die and found it compelling. Although I haven't yet read the series début - Six Cloves Under - this did not mar my appreciation for the story as it was easy to read. I thought protagonist Mabel was a great character as she was personable, and principled in her decision not to want to sell Stinkin’ Stuff to a developer. The mystery itself included enough twists to keep me guessing and turning the pages. Mabel was surrounded and supported by a good bunch and I especially liked her energetic friend Rory, another farmer, and Pixie the cat. It’s fun to be reading a series set on a garlic farm and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Mabel and Pixie. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is the first book I have read by Gin Jones. I found it to be well-written, with an enjoyable plot and great characters. I feel that the story lagged in places a bit for me, but I think as the series develops this will disappear.

Rhubarb Pie Before You Die is the second book in the A Garlic Farm Mystery series by Gin Jones.

Mabel is still looking for a buyer for the farm that she inherited from her aunt. The farm raises the best garlic on the East Coast, but Mabel doesn’t want to be a farmer and only wants to find a buyer that will continue to farm the land.

Mabel and her good friend and mentor, Rory, are going through a nearby development, picking up bags of yard waste that they plan to use as compost for the garlic that will soon need planting. Graham Winthrop soon accosts them, stating that they are stealing “his stuff” that he uses on his rhubarb seedlings.

The next morning, she will apologize to Graham, as she is worried that if he contacts city officials, Rory’s husband, a police officer, might get into trouble. She enters his greenhouse, calling out to him, and receives no response. She takes in how well organized and neat everything is. Mabel is also talking to Graham about his rhubarb garden but soon realizes that won’t happen, as she has come across his dead body. Mabel is sure once the police learn of her argument with Graham, she will become a suspect. Mabel wants this cleared up quickly, so if a buyer is found for the farm, she can head back to Maine’s home. She will soon find a few suspects that might want him out of the picture.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I was hoping that Mabel’s whining about finding a buyer would soon be put to rest. Instead of continually calling her lawyer’s cell phone, and as necessary it was to talk with him, she should have called his business number. I did enjoy the other characters and thought they were interesting and likable.

I enjoyed reading about gardening/farming and hoped that I would find this an interesting series, but it’s not to be.

Rhubarb Pie Before You Die by Gin Jones is the 2nd book in A Garlic Farm Mystery series, and it's another great edition. Mabel Skinner inherited her aunt Peggy's garlic farm after her sudden death. Mabel likes computers, not farms, so she is trying to sell Stinkin Stuff Farm in Massachusetts. Stinkin Stuff Farm grows the best garlic around, and she will only sell the farm to a farmer, not a developer. When Mabel visits the rhubarb farm planning to apologize, she finds the owners dead body. It took me awhile for me to like Mabel, I have not met anyone who is that introverted. I am really looking forward to the next book. I recommend this book and the first book, Six Cloves Under, to all cozy mystery lovers.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mabel was a likeable gal in this cozy murder mystery. App developer who inherited a garlic farm.

I like that this books flows nicely. You can read as a stand alone. I have no read book 1 but did not feel as though I needed to for following this story.

Surprised by the rhubarb farmers murderer.

#rhubarbpiebeforeyoudie
#netgalley

Mabel is still trying to sell her aunt's garlic farm that she has inherited, in this second installment of the Garlic Farm Mystery series. When she goes to tamper down an irrate rhubarb breeder, she comes across his body instead. Determined not to be pinned as the number one suspect by a giggling (yes, I said ''giggling') and incompetent detective, Mabel sets out to find the murderer.
I enjoyed Mabel so much more in this book than I did in the first one. She comes across as much more personable and not as harsh. She is now learning the value of making friends and having a life, rather than living as a loner. I'm curious as to how her life will turn out in future books. Hopefully without any annoying giggling detectives.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank's to #NetGalley & #GinJones for providing me with an ARC copy of Rhubarb Pie Before You Die in exchange for an honest review. The story was entertaining with plenty of red-herrings and overall I enjoyed the mystery and was pleasantly surprised by 'who-dun-it'. I enjoy her neighbors & friends and loved all of the things about rhubarb & garlic. (recipes at the end sound delicious!)

However, the main character's rampant paranoia that she was the main suspect just because she found the body and had a dispute over compost seemed ridiculous beyond words. I realize that Mabel needs to have a legitimate reason to act as sleuth, but this stretched the bounds of suspension of disbelief too far. Also, she thinks she's the main suspect but the lead investigator never even bothered to interview her until the very end of the mystery. It made no sense & I almost stopped reading because of how silly it was, but I'm glad I kept going as the characters and other parts of the mystery were top-notch.

A very well written and entertaining cozy mystery. Great plot and character dynamics. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

More adventures with Mabel, an extreme introvert. Engaging story with a variety of characters. Some tension and anxiety along the path to the conclusion. Hopefully she will have more personal growth in the next one. I do look forward to reading it.

I wanted to like this book, really I did. However, I found the main character so whiny and obnoxious that I just could not get past that. I appreciate there finally is an introverted cozy mystery protagonist but this one was just so unlikeable.

Mabel Skinner is an app developer who inherited her aunt Peggy's garlic farm that grows "the best garlic on the East Coast." Mabel has no interest in being a farmer and is trying to sell the farm to someone who will keep it as farmland. Along the way she meets a cantankerous lawyer who ends up dead after a minor altercation with Mabel the previous evening.

I tried to like this book. I tried to get behind the other characters, to find something I liked, but even the cat Pixie is unlikeable. I appreciated that Mabel is not a morning person but I thought her attitude toward well-wishers and her aunt's friends in the community was rude and inappropriate. I just could not get past how much I disliked Mabel. That and when I would go to pick this up again I was dreading continuing reading, and for that reason I give this book two stars.

My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mabel has just inherited her aunt's garlic farm in Massachusettes and wants nothing more than to find a buyer and get back to her quiet life as an app developer. There are some really interesting characters and the story was okay, but I really had a hard time connecting with the writing style. Unfortunately this book really just wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean that other people won't enjoy it! I would definitely suggest giving this one a chance to see how you like it.

2/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightful new cozy series. I loved the first in series and was thrilled to read this next in series for review. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. This is a fun series about life on a garlic farm with a smart savvy protagonist who is out of her element . This series has a lot of humor and fun.

Mabel inherited her Aunt's old garlic farm in Massachusetts. She is completely out of her element as a introverted app developer and intends to sell the farm after a trial and error of a few months harvesting the garlic. She has already solved one murder and soon is caught up as a prime suspect in another murder. ! Mable was last seen arguing with the victim over a grass dispute and has to solve his murder to save her farm and her reputation.

This is such a fun series with likable charcters and a fun setting of a beautiful farm., I relate to Mabel as a realistic single women with real problems. I loved the sleuth that kept me guessing to the end. This is a enjoyable fun series. I look forward to reading more of this series . Very well done to the author !

Thank you NetGalley, Gin Jones and Kensington Books for the ARC of Rhubarb Pie Before You Die.
This is my personal review.
Rhubarb Pie Before You Die is the second book in the series A Garlic Farm Mystery.
Mabel has inherited her late aunt’s garlic farm - - Stinkin’ Stuff- which is a very fitting name for a garlic farm.
She is planning to sell the farm so she can get back to her life as an app creator.
She has a great group of characters surrounding in her to help move the story along. Even with the help of all the others the story moves awfully slow for me. The mystery surrounds who killed the a local farmer.
I enjoyed the book but really wanted to get involved with the story a bit more.
I loved the recipes at the end of the book and thank you very much for those.

I had high hopes for Rhubarb Pie Before You Die by Gin Jones, especially since she has two other mystery series out. I’ve been noticing a trend though, when authors have multiple series out, at least one of them tends to suffer. Perhaps because they have too much going on or authors are expected to pump books out so quickly. Not even 10 years ago you would maybe get one book from an author a year, and be happy about it. But now people are expecting two or more books a year, and some authors even churn out five or six books a year. I know the competition is fierce for readers and the pay isn’t great, but I would rather wait two years for a good book than keep reading mediocre ones.

I did love the premise of Rhubarb Pie Before You Die; an introverted app developer who lives in the city takes over her dead aunt’s busy country farm. It’s ripe for quirky characters and farming mishaps.

And some of the characters were enduring; Pixie, the cat, who barely likes anyone, Billie Jean, the pregnant momma cat who seems to be a bit feral and hates everyone (but I would too if I was about ready to pop), Rory, another farmer who is super supportive, and Josephine, the spunky, older librarian.

There was just so much repetition. It felt like Jones had mapped out the eight main scenes and just kept repeating the same things in between. Mabel keeps calling her lawyer who fixes everything for her, but he isn’t picking up. Mabel wants to leave, but only when she finds a farmer who will keep running her aunt’s farm. She has to feed the cats and Pixie meows a lot since the farm continually has people stopping by. And Mabel goes over the suspects over and over and over and over.

With so many cozy series out there I won’t be reading more in this one. But there is a reader for every book, so to those who enjoy it, that does make me happy.

Mabel and Graham may have argued about yard waste and compost but she didn't kill him. She does, however, find his body and herself on the spot in this second installment in a cozy series that I happily read as a standalone. Mabel is an introvert who lives in Maine- except that she's in Slocum, Mass. because she inherited her aunt's garlic farm. AND, while she's trying to sell it, she keeps finding herself being thwarted by a variety of things. Now, though, she's got a murder to solve. Jones does a nice job with her character (she's quirky but not too too) and with the supporting cast, including her friend Rory. The mystery is just twisty enough to keep you guessing and, in cozy style, it's got a few red herrings. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to the next one.