Lemon Drop Dead by Amanda Flower is a cozy mystery. It is one of a series and is recommended that it is read in the order of publication.

What a fun cozy mystery series. The characters are well developed and you can’t help but love Jethro, the pig, and Bailey’s pets, Nutmeg, a cat, and Puff, the rabbit. They make you smile. I love that the setting blends the Amish culture with the “English.” There are the typical difficult personalities that are part of the series. The murder mystery leaves you guessing until the very end. And, as is typical, Bailey finds herself in the middle of hunting for clues and trying to solve the mystery. I look forward to the next adventure with Bailey and the people of Harvest, Ohio.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting mystery and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me guessing until the end. I highly recommend.

As the 6th book in this series (plus 3 "in between" books) this series just keeps getting better and better. This is my favorite series currently being written by Amanda Flower. Each book feels like another reunion with old friends plus a little mystery to solve. I'm still rooting for a Bailey/Aiden wedding but I'm happy with the way the characters and plot has been moving.

Lemon Drop Dead

by Amanda Flower

Although she still films her TV series “Bailey’s Amish Sweets” in New York City, Bailey is currently back in Harvest, Ohio, where she helps her grandmother operate the local candy shop, Swissmen Sweets. One of the shop assistants, Emily Keim, was taken under Bailey’s wing when her hateful sister and brother kicked her out of their pretzel shop business and home. Now Emily is married to a wonderful Amish man who knows that when she was young she had a baby out of wedlock and gave it up for adoption.

When an Amish woman, a stranger, shows up at the town’s baby shower for Emily and then is found dead in the pretzel shop, the little tourist town of Harvest is turned upside down. Everyone knows Bailey will investigate. The search for the killer turns personal as Bailey has a sweet, deaf, six year old girl, Hannah, thrust on her. Jethro the polka-dotted, pot-bellied pig saves the day as he comforts and amuses the child in the midst of the chaotic situation. Bailey is horrified by the insensitive, rude comments made about the child as if she is somehow “less than” because she can’t hear. The Amish do not like government interactions, but the social worker must get involved because of various laws to ensure the welfare of the child. Thankfully, she does try to be sensitive to the Amish culture and to not disrupt the child’s life any more than it already has been.

Along the way, Bailey encounters both Englisch and Amish who are breaking laws and hurting others. There are lots of threads and themes: Amish harness racing in carts, gambling, unwed mothers, adoption, deafness, generosity, paternal responsibility, and love of all types. There are developments in the relationship of Deputy Little and Bailey’s cousin Charlotte as she wrestles with whether to remain Amish or not. Bailey’s boyfriend Aiden has to decide whether to remain in a frustrating job in Harvest’s sheriff’s office or accept a position that is an advancement but would take him away from Harvest…and Bailey.

Lemon Drop Dead is a good story. Both the plot and characters pull the reader in. The reveal of the murderer is surprising. I am looking forward to my next visit to Harvest. Lois, who is a hoot in the Amish Matchmaker series which is also set in Harvest, surprises everyone in this book with her knowledge of sign language. She is sweet and supportive. I learned more about Amish customs, but the biggest surprise for me was finding Amish young men competing at the race track in special carts designed for that purpose and utilizing bicycle tires. Who knew?

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #6 in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series. It can be enjoyed as a standalone, but the whole series is good. Some of the books have more humor, but this one does deal with some serious issues so is a little less lighthearted.
2. Clean and wholesome read.
3. Recipe for Lemon Drops included.

Publication: April 27, 2021—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

“Gott gives each and every one of us gifts. Each is different. Each is special. It is up to you what you do with them.”

For her and my grandfather to be proud of me was all I’d ever wanted. I’d thought for a very long time that I had to earn that pride by becoming the top chocolatier in New York City. I had since learned my grandparents were prouder of me when I cared for others.

I winced. Hollywood was harsh if it was even asking pigs to lose weight.

It was supposed to be a nice baby shower to celebrate Emily, the mother to be, but when an unexpected visitor shows up threatening to expose a secret not many people knew about her and then winds up dead, the celebration quickly turns sour. Can Bailey King; candy maker and sleuth figure out who the murderer is?
Thank you Netgalley, Amanda Flower and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. This has to be one of my favorite cozy mysteries and I’m pretty bummed I haven’t even read the others in this series yet, but that is definitely going to change. I love cozy mysteries and I also love stories including the Amish. The characters were great and the book was a quick and easy read. Very light hearted and entertaining. I really enjoyed this book and will be adding this author to my list of authors to watch for! I rate this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this opportunity to review the book.

A cute cozi mystery. I loved it!

In this latest addition to the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series, author Amanda Flower takes us back to Harvest, Ohio, where candy maker Bailey King finds herself in the midst of solving the murder of who killed the mysterious visitor to the town's baby shower for local resident, Emily Keim. The reader is quickly absorbed into the lives of both the Amish and English residents of the town, the secrets that lead to trouble, and the sleuthing that leads to solutions and family victories. The author deftly weaves realistic dialogue, an intriguing plot, and personable characters for a winning result.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
What an absolute delicious treat this book was. Amanda Flower is fast becoming one of my favourite cozy mystery writers. I just fall so easily into her writing and am swept away into her settings and plots. Her dialogue flows so naturally and it’s a total pleasure to read.
I have read other books in the series but I think you could read this as a stand-alone if you haven’t. There are ongoing storylines but previous plots are not mentioned so there’s no spoilers in that regard.
I love the way Amanda Flower opens up the Amish community and exposes that there are family dramas and complications, just as there are in any other family. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of a deaf person in this storyline and seeing how disability can be viewed within the Amish community. I will certainly be checking out more books in this series.

A baby shower and murder what could be more twisted and make a delightful book. I love this series and there was so much going on with Bailey and Aiden and I so hope things turn around. A wonderful read and I highly recommend reading it

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the 6st book in An Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series. I have read and review a few other books in this series, but I have not read all the books in this series. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The characters are super fun to follow, and the mystery was really good. The main character is Bailey, and I love how she helps solves the mystery. I also love how there is a mixed of Amish and English people in this book. I also love all the animals in this book. The writing in this book is great. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Books) or author (Amanda Flower) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

The sixth book in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series by Amanda Flower is Lemon Drop Dead. Bailey finds herself bridging the English and Amish worlds again for Emily's baby shower. That also means inviting Emily's estranged sister Esther. She finds herself in more trouble when a mysterious woman is later found dead in Ester's pretzel shop. I really enjoy this series. The ending had me anxious to read the next book!

In this sixth Amish Candy Shop Mystery, Emily Keim, Bailey's assistant, is expecting her first child. Even though Amish people do not have showers, several of the English townspeople want to celebrate and they throw her a lemon themed shower. It turns out that Emily has a secret, and a mysterious Amish woman who shows up at the shower, upsets her. Apparently this isn't Emily's first child. When the mysterious woman is found dead that night in the Esh family pretzel shop, it makes Emily's estranged sister, Esther, look guilty. Bailey is pretty sure Esther had nothing to do with it, so she begins her own investigation into the death and what she finds out may change some lives forever.

I am continuing to enjoy my visits to Harvest, Ohio and catching up with all the characters both Amish and Englisch. I enjoy the eccentric ones, the bossy ones and the sweet friendly ones, and I especially like to see what Jethro the pig is up to. Bailey and Aiden are still dancing around whether or not to get married, with his mother already insisting to everyone that they are engaged. Emily is the focus of this story, which I have been curious about, and am glad we finally find out about her past and now her future. The mystery was a good one, with Bailey doing some digging and finding out information before Aiden does. As always there are some twists and red herrings to keep the reader guessing. I was not sure who the guilty party was and I really liked the ending of this one. I am wondering where Bailey and Aiden's relationship is going to go in future books, but I have my hopes. Once again, Amanda Flower has penned an enjoyable addition to the Amish Candy Shop series.

Such a fun cozy mystery! The mystery itself was not easy to solve, and the author did a good job of pacing the story to keep building interest all along the storyline. If you’ve been reading this series, you’ll love this story and reading more about your favorite characters. Bailey King is in top form as an amateur detective and her candy recipes will have you craving chocolate. There’s an adorable little girl in this story, and Jethro the Pig makes a lovable appearance. It’s another interesting visit to Harvest, Ohio, and I love the Amish/English communities more with every book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Another great installment of the Amish Candy Shop series! This one had some heartwarming moments, some character growth, and a couple of big changes in store for certain characters. Looking forward to the next!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary digital review copy of this title.

Another delicious installment in the series. When will Abel get his due? He is one nasty person. Too bad Cass did not come to Ohio for this one. Can't wait to see what Jethro gets up to next. He was very sweet and caring. Not up to his usual hilarious antics. Can't wait for the next one.

Another fun volume in the Amish Candy Shop cozy mystery series! I really like Bailey, and this mystery was particularly interesting for me. I didn’t see red herrings as much as normal, but pieces to a full puzzle which was fun. In this story Emily, Bailey’s employee, is about to have a baby and start her family with her husband, but the baby she was forced to give up for adoption in her youth is going to come back to haunt her. A woman is found murdered in her family’s pretzel shop and even though she is estranged from her family she asks Bailey to figure out who did it so her sister would not be blamed. I really like the way Amanda Flower writes and how she brings the Amish culture to the page.

Secrets never stay secret! This is an outstanding installment in the Amish Candy Shop series and it touches on some very intimate secrets within the community such as pregnancy out of wedlock and hearing impaired in an self isolating community that doesn't have the desire to necessarily embrace either issue. What I love about the book is that the author weaves the seriousness of these issues into a wonderfully delightful murder mystery that brings everyone around to an ideal outcome. The characters in this cozy mystery are very realistic and relatable. I highly recommend reading this series and especially this book!

Emily Keim is pregnant, and her friends want to hold a baby shower for her. Emily is a bit reluctant as she is Amish; she also has a secret that only a few people know. Bailey King, one of the co-owners of Swissmen Sweets and Emily’s boss, knows Emily’s secret. Unfortunately, during the town baby shower, a woman from another Amish village confronts Emily about the fact she has another child, one Emily gave up at birth. Soon afterwards, that same woman is found dead in Esh Family Pretzels, the shop owned by Emily’s estranged brother and sister. Can Bailey help uncover who the murderer is?

LEMON DROP DEAD is the sixth book in An Amish Candy Shop Mystery series, and Amanda Flower has yet another treat in store for the reader! Each book in the series stands on its own merits, although LEMON DROP DEAD delves a bit more into the relationship between Bailey and Aiden Brody. Readers may want to have at least a little familiarity with the series in order to fully appreciate the decisions they are facing as well as some of the other side stories that are coming to fruition in LEMON DROP DEAD.. Also, readers of Amanda Flower’s Amish Matchmaker Mystery series will appreciate the appearances of Lois Henry (and can I just say that I love Lois even more after seeing her involvement in LEMON DROP DEAD?).

I’m really glad to see Amanda Flower digging into the Esh family and Emily’s estranged relationship with her siblings. We’ve had all sorts of tantalizing tidbits dropped about the Esh family, particularly the creepy brother Abel, and I’m glad to finally see this story with all the details emerging! Amanda Flower has some other surprises in store for the reader as LEMON DROP DEAD may be my favorite book yet, perhaps because we see the resolution of so many issues (even as more are unfolding for future books).

LEMON DROP DEAD is a phenomenal entry in one of my favorite cozy mystery series! Bailey, Emily, Charlotte, and Aiden, along with a whole host of other characters I’ve grown to love all play pivotal roles in the story line. Jethro, the pot bellied pig, of course makes an appearance and is endearing as usual. Amanda Flower gives us some interesting contrasts between the Amish and English communities, particularly with societal issues such as a pregnancy and a disability, that are both thought provoking and fascinating. I love each and every adventure into Harvest, Ohio, and LEMON DROP DEAD is yet another winner!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Cute read as always, i think i liked the earlier books that focused less on their relationship tho