Mabel Skinner inherited a garlic farm from her aunt and moved there, leaving her job as an app developer and her simple urban life, just long enough to sell the farm. It turns out not to be the simple, and now Mabel is on an extended leave from work, still trying to sell the farm.

That's before she gets involved with new rhubarb research, a dead body, and a pregnant barn cat. Oh, and the people trying to buy her farm are not what they seem.

Mabel's handling things pretty well, but life is definitely too complicated...and it's about to get dangerous.

In the first book, I really liked the fact that Mabel was a realistic portrayal of an introvert. In this one, she's calling people and visiting them and chatting folks up like a typical amateur sleuth, even though the novel occasionally reminds us that she isn't enjoying it.

Nonetheless, the book is well written and we get to know the continuing characters a bit more. The farm is going to expand into rhubarb and Mabel might settle in at the farm. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Mabel Skinner finally has a buyer for her late Aunts farm but before she can seal the deal she decides to check out the potential buyer Thomas Porter. Having the cash to buy outright makes her a bit uneasy. While she would love to return home she wants to make sure the farm stays a farm and not be turned into a development. But before she can make the sale she finds the body of Graham Winthrop and immediately becomes prime suspect. After she decided to cancel the offer from Porter she puts her effort into finding Graham's killer. Once she starts raffling feather she becomes the victim of so called harmless pranks and when she figures out who actually did the killing she might not live long enough to tell anyone. A great book full of non stop action from the very start a. Characters one can relate to.

This is the 2nd book in the Garlic Farm Mystery series. Mabel Skinner is an application developer and inherited her Aunt’s farm which she is trying to sell. Mabel is a unique type of character as she is an introvert and not really good with people and she does need to work at it. Mabel does not want to sell to a developer and only a person who is going to keep her Aunt Peggy’s farm intact. Mabel decides to investigate doing a rhubarb crop her and her friend Rory go to see Graham who is a local rhubarb farm and they get into a disagreement with him. Mabel who does not like confrontation decides she should go talk to him but unfortunately she finds him dead. Afraid she is going to end up a suspect she begins to look into his life and wants to find out who might have wanted him dead. This is a good mystery and Mabel is different from other cozy leads. Looking forward to the next in the series.

whodunit, cozy-mystery, friendship, amateur-sleuth

Suddenly orphaned at twelve and more comfortable with computer work than dealing with interpersonal problems, Mabel Skinner is still in western Massachusetts trying to sell her aunt's garlic farm instead of back home in Maine. While doing a sneaky raid on yard waste in another part of town with one of her new friends she comes into confrontational contact with a man who wants the impending compost for his own asparagus operation. But the next day, when she goes to reason with the man, she finds him dead his greenhouse. Guess who the inexperienced detective figures for the chief suspect. Mabel learns sleuthing with the helps of several of her new friends, including the town librarian, while learning if she really wants to sell the farm. Twisty and full of red herrings!
I enjoyed the story a lot and read it in one sitting!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I found this book incredibly difficult to get in to; it is the second installment in this series and perhaps if I had read the first book I would have had more affinity for the characters. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t a book I would ever purchase for myself.

I still really like the socially awkward app developer Mabel, and the cast of characters who surround here. I knocked this one down to 3 stars (really 3.5 if I could) because of the same issue I felt in book 1: heavy, clunky foreshadowing. This time, instead of the tractor driving, it's related to whether or not Mabel will stay in Slocum. (Duh. As if we don't already know the answer to that.) AND the climactic scene where Mabel acts in incredibly stupid ways as she spends pages and pages figuring out who the killer is and then confronting that person. If the author could fix those two issues, this series would be brilliant!

As it is, it's still an enjoyable read. Just a little frustrating at times as a reader, as I feel I'm being hit over the head with a 2x4 (or a piece of sidewall support).

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mabel, a transplant from New York, inherits her late aunt's garlic farm, "Stinkin' Stuff." So that gives you a bit of an idea into the tone. It's got a well-rounded cast of characters, with some caring neighbors and some goofballs. Included some recipes at the end that were rhubarb-based. Overall it was fairly predictable, but an okay read.

This is the second in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. I probably won't bother to read any further in the series.

This is a good cozy mystery. I enjoyed that the main character is socially awkward and a bit of a hermit.

This is the 2nd book in this series and I really wish I'd have read the first one. Mabel has inherited her aunt's garlic farm and wants to sell it( but not to a developer). Mabel is socially awkward and an introvert and farming isn't for her. After discovering a dead rhubarb farmer, Mabel is determined to solve the case. I loved the farm and the storyline. I think I need to read book 1 so I can understand Mabel. I feel really disconnected from her.

The main character felt lacking for me in this cozy mystery, her aunt had more of an interesting story to work with than her. Unfortunately, the story lost me after a few chapters as I felt it dragged a bit and the character seemed to always be nervous about everything and everyone, but yet she's an amazing sleuth who pokes into peoples' lives.

This is a fun story down on the farm where the main character is trying to save her aunts farm being taken over by the towns people.This was a fun enjoyable story.

Mabel Skinner is an app developer by choice and a garlic farmer by inheritance. While trying to sell her Aunt Peggy's farm, to a serious and reputable farmer (no developers please!) Mabel finds herself in the middle of lies, rhubarb farming and murder!

I am a fan of all of Gin Jones books - from the Helen Binney Mysteries to the Danger Cove Quilting and Market mysteries! The Garlic Farm series has all the things I enjoy about cozies and more! Gin Jones books, including her latest series, all share common traits - keep you reading mysteries, intriguing main characters who are complex yet relatable, solid supporting characters and a writing style that makes the reader feel as if they are sleuthing along with the main character. Rhubarb Pie Before You Die has all these traits!

It's wonderful to add another Gin Jones series to my cozy list!

I received an ARC from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of RHUBARB PIE BEFORE YOU DIE (Book 2 of the Garlic Farm Mysteries) by Gin Jones in exchange for an honest review. Since inheriting Stinkin’ Stuff Farm from her aunt, socially awkward Mabel Skinner has been determined to leave Massachusetts and to return to her solitary life as an app developer. Mabel’s decision to follow the lead of one of her aunt’s friends leads to a fight with a local attorney and rhubarb farmer over discarded grass clippings. When Mabel seeks out the man to make amends, she finds him dead in his greenhouse. Mabel fixates on the idea that she must be the prime suspect in the case because of her argument with the man the prior evening and because of her bad luck in being the person to discover his body. Believing she’s going to be arrested at any moment, Mabel investigates the man in order to find other plausible suspects. Meanwhile, Mabel gets an offer on her farm, and her app development boss begins pressuring her to return to work.

I liked this book. I really liked that Mabel was O-D-D and that the community embraced her with all of her weirdness. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring, murder, farms, small towns, real estate, and strange heroines.

#RhubarbPieBeforeYouDie #NetGalley

🌟 Book review 🌟⁠
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🧄 App developer Mabel inherits her aunt's Stinkin’ Stuff Farm and moves to the farm, to try and sell it. After a dispute over grass clippings with a local rhubarb breeder, she discovers the breeder dead in his greenhouse. Mabel knows she might be a prime suspect, so she starts digging up more information about the dead man and the list of people he's been arguing with is longer than she imagined.⁠
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♥️ I liked:⁠
🚜 The farm. I really enjoyed learning a bit about farming life, I didn't even know that garlic farms were a thing, to be honest. Also, I didn't know anything about barn cats and I loved reading about it.⁠
👩 The characters. Mabel is a great character and her love for both App developing and farming is really unique. I liked seeing her getting used to village life, with people coming round all the time, forcing her to be more extrovert and talkative. I also enjoyed her bonding with Rory, Emily and Josephine the librarian.⁠
🌾 I also really appreciated the fact that Mabel doesn't want to sell the farm to a developer, but only to a farmer, to keep her aunt legacy.⁠
🔍 The whodunnit. The last chapters of the book kind of blew my mind, I wasn't expecting it at all. So well done to the author for not making the story too obvious and easy to understand.⁠
📑 The recipes at the end of the book. Who doesn't like a book with recipes?⁠
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🤔 I wasn't so sure about:⁠
The pace. I found some chapters maybe a bit too slow, more difficult to read than others. ⁠

⁠⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 A nice cosy mystery, perfect for a slow Sunday on the sofa.

While I didn't realize this is the second book in the series, I loved it as a stand alone! I didn't need to read the first one to enjoy Rhubarb Pie Before You Die. I really enjoyed Mabel as a character she was complex and an introvert, which was a fun change from other cozy heroines. This mystery combined farming, kittens and country living in the best way possible!

While rhubarb is not my favorite, I enjoyed this 2nd book in the series. With a fall farm theme Mabel has her hands full trying to sell the farm and solve a murder.

I have been looking forward to reading this book since I finished the first one and I LOVED it! Gin Jones's books are always outstanding and Rhubarb Pie Before You Die, the 2nd book in A Garlic Farm Mystery, fits right in. Like all of her other books, it is on the serious side for a cozy but it fits all elements, and readers who enjoy a cozy mystery or anyone who appreciates books with great characters are sure to love it. This unique and awesome series is set on a garlic farm established by the protagonist's late aunt. Mable not only has no real interest in farming, she is an introvert programmer who wants to get back to the life of solitary work that she loves, but she feels that she owes it to her deceased aunt to make sure that her legacy continues as a small farm.
While the reader does get some general information about farming, it is pretty interesting as presented and the focus to the story is on the wonderful characters and the mystery plot. In spite of herself, Mabel has become attached to several of her aunt's friends who have reached out to help her. I adore Rory, Emily, Josephine the librarian, Charlie, a developer who is also handsome enough that it took a while for Mabel to trust him, and Pixie the cat and invader alert system. She lets Mabel know when anyone drives onto the property; apparently, she is no more fond of company than Mabel. I can relate to Mabel Skinner in so many ways!
When Mabel trips over a body, literally, she becomes one of the main suspects. It doesn't help that the detective is young and obviously inexperienced. Naturally, Mabel feels that if she doesn't come up with some good suspects, she will be the only one on the list.
I requested an ARC of the book from NetGalley because I just couldn't wait, and I knew I would be spreading the word so that part is never an issue. I have loved all of Gin Jones books but I think this is my favorite series and once again, I can't wait for the next one.

Mabel Skinner has taken a break from her job as an app developer to search for someone to buy her garlic farm called Stinkin’ Stuff Farm which she’d inherited from her aunt, Peggy Skinner.


Rory Hansen, a friend of her aunt’s has been helping run the farm till Mabel finds a buyer.


Following a dispute with another farmer named Graham Winthrop over bags of mulch, Mabel finds him dead in his greenhouse. Worried that she might be labeled a suspect, Mabel decides to do a little bit of digging of her own: look deeper into Graham’s life to find out who and why someone may have wanted him dead.


Overall, good mystery with delectable rhubarb recipes at the end of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gin Jones, and Kensington Books for the ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It moves nicely without any slow spots. The characters are great, I love the interaction between them and I loved the cats, especially momcat. The mystery is interesting and the big surprise is who the killer is. I was definitely surprised. #RhubarbPieBeforeYouDie #NetGalley

Mabel has inherited her Aunt’s Garlic Farm. After a disagreement over collecting grass clippings with a local Rhubarb farmer she becomes number one suspect when he is found murdered next day. This cozy mystery follows Mabel trying to sell the Garlic farm interspersed with her trying to clear her name. Mabel is not used to confrontation. Anything for a quiet life. Mabel is really taken out of her comfort zone and a bit of pure luck will finally help her solve the mystery. Mabel was a character that was very introverted and may not be everybody’s idea of a private investigator.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.