Laid Out in Lavender earns 5/5 Ahh Choos...Engaging, Clever, Fun!

“I do...” Love it! A wedding with a bride allergic to lavender, a farm manager whose interview reveals a serious conflict in philosophy, a reporter who wants tabloid sensation over a small farm exposé, and a party planner-zilla who makes a “too late to change” demand to redo the wedding cake are just a few hitches with which Mabel and Emily are confronted. Emily is desperate for a good review, and Mabel needs the additional income stream. But, when the best man, who is less interested in the festivities and more interested in Emily’s buffet, collapses, the food is thought to be the culprit, but when he dies, Emily just might be the number one suspect. Unfortunately, the detective in charge is the same one who believed Mable killed the rhubarb farmer. “So, what did she do this time?”

Gin Jones has penned another exciting mystery in the third book in her Garlic Farm Mystery series with lavender, murder, and Detective O’Connor! The mystery is cleverly engaging with several suspects from the wedding party to an ill-equipped wedding planner from a tabloid reporter to...could it be someone close to home? However, motives are revealed slowly making it a delightful challenge to weed through all the possible scenarios; it isn’t obvious, but in the end, totally satisfying! I had other victims deserving of Karma’s justice, but comeuppances were dealt well. Along with a well-developed murder mystery, I enjoy how Mable used realistic, yet covert and informal, methods to uncover relationships, truths and lies, and alibis or lack of, and locate the killer before the insufferable O’Conner. Mabel has also been coming into her own over the three-book series, embracing farm life, and becoming, whether she wants to or not, an important member of the small community. There’s even a hint of a romance! Will she stay or will she go?

Bonus Treat! A favorite element of many cozy mystery is the addition of recipes connected to the theme, like garlic. Gin gives readers three marvelous treats: Emily’s Cheesecake Bars, and for garlic lovers...Garlic Scape Pesto and Apple Garlic Jelly.

Murder at a Lavender Field Wedding
This episode in the series finds so many things in disarray! This story can stand alone as the author manages to 'fill in the blanks' without boring the reader of previous books. The plot is full of family drama, wedding issues, pet cats, and romance. It is a great story that should keep the reader guessing until the end. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Laid Out in Lavender by Gin Jones is the 3rd 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 hire someone to run her farm, Stinkin Stuff Farm in Massachusetts. Mabel agreed to hosting a wedding for extra income, in her Lavender field. Unfortunately what can go wrong does, including the bride being allergic to Lavender. When someone dies after eating the caterer and Mable friend, food the sleuthing begins. It took me awhile for me to like Mabel, she is so different, but I am really looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend this book/series, to all cozy mystery lovers.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Laid Out in Lavender is the third installment in the A Garlic Farm Mystery series set in Western Massachusetts and featuring computer coder, Mabel Skinner. Still hoping to return to her home in Maine, Mabel is desperately searching for a farm manager to take over the daily operations and in an effort to help her neighbor Emily build up her catering business to save her own goat farm is diving into the wedding business.

Unfortunately, the wedding weekend is not off to a good start. The wedding couple, Donna Markos and Stan Bellingham, seem to be totally disconnected and it's evident that their adult children are determined to stop the wedding. Then there's Paige Middleton, the totally inept wedding planner who is staging the wedding vows in the middle of the lavender field, not caring that Donna suffers from severe allergies. And, Thad Dalton - the groom's best man and business partner - who is more interested in sneaking food from the buffet than participating in the rehearsal.

When Thad collapses and ultimately dies from something that he ate, all fingers are pointing to Emily's food. Desperate to clear her friend's name and save her Aunt Peggy's farm, Mabel sets out with the help of her beau Charlie to dig up a killer.

A fast paced plot with returning series regulars and plenty of red herrings make for a delightful afternoon read. It's nice to see Mabel beginning to come out of her shell and realize perhaps life in West Slocum isn't so bad. I'm left rooting for Mabel and Charlie, and farm hand Terry Earley and looking forward to more of the furry feline Pixie's antics.

I received an advanced copy of Laid out in Lavender from NetGalley via Lyrical Press. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

The garlic farmer has extended her farm to include lavender and even a wedding. A clever cozy mystery. Several suspects. Adorable cats. Strange wedding participants, especially the inexperienced wedding planner. A delightful series.

4.5 stars

This is the third book in the A Garlic Farm Mystery series by Gin Jones.

This is one of those series that sneaks up and grabs you. I feel bad for Mabel Skinner. First she loses her aunt and then later loses her long time lawyer who was like a father to her. She seems so focused on getting back to her old life and I wonder what life she has back there to get back to? All her friends are there and even a possible love interest. Sometimes she seems a bit on autopilot.

Lots of interesting angles in this story. She is trying to find a farm manager but the only prospect is a big headed butt head and then the wedding they are throwing at the lavender farm gets a murder investigation thrown into the middle of it. Add in that pesky reporter guy looking for a big story and you have a recipe for drama, drama, drama.

Definitely a series I will continue to follow. Great mystery and character base. Love it so much!

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out.

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.

Mabel Skinner has a lot on her plate, for a weekend - running a small farm, trying to find a farm manager so she can return to her home and job as an app developer, hosting the first wedding on Skinner Farm to help build revenue for her and her caterer friend Emily, process her growing affection for her friend Charlie, serve as referee for warring families, takeover for an incompetent party planner and solve the murders of two people involved with the wedding - oh, and keep her "escape artist" house cat, Pixie, from making a break for it!

I love Mabel. Taken out of her comfortable environment to run a farm she inherited from her Aunt, her life has been turned upside down. Being socially shy and a bit awkward, Mabel is forced to deal with situations that are hard for her and she comes through with flying colors! She's a wonderful addition to the cozy character genre. The mystery has so many fun twists and turns and when I thought I knew who did it...bam!..another clue led me in a different direction! Full of red herrings and characters you love or love to hate, the latest Mabel Skinner book will keep you reading and guessing!

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

Ah weddings! Mabel is slowing adjusting to running the garlic farm she inherited from her aunt and making friends in her new town- something that's not easy for someone who would prefer to be coding. She's rented out the lavender field for a wedding of a mature couple and her neighbor will be catering. Someone, however, forgot to check that no one (i.e. the bride) has an allergy to lavender and everyone hopes to forget about the fact that various grown children aren't happy about the marriage. Nor is someone happy about the best man, who is poisoned! Mabel is once again on the case, which becomes more pressing as more are threatened by the villain. No spoilers but this is a nicely constructed cozy with a strong lead character. I love the idea of the garlic farm. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fun read that will be fine as a standalone.

I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

This was a great short cozy mystery a quick read to be sure. But the plot was also very good I thought and the characters were fun and quirky.

The Lavender is in full bloom and Skinner Farms is hosting their very first wedding. When the best man turns up dead at the rehearsal, the local detective would love nothing better than nailing Mabel or one of her friends and sets his sites on making the square peg fit in the round hole rather than finding out who truly killed the man.

To help save her farm’s budding wedding business and her neighbor’s catering business, Mabel has a short time line to find the killer before she and her neighbor end up being arrested for a murder they didn’t commit. With a suspect list that includes everyone but the bride, she Mabel las her work cut out for her. Can she pull it off in less than a day or will the murderer get off?

An enjoyable series with a socially awkward protagonist who gets things done, along with a supporting cast of neighbors and cats, you will enjoy reading this series. Each one reads well as a stand alone, but you’ll end up wanting to read the entire series and that, my friends, says

whodunit, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, wedding-madness, cozy-mystery, family-dynamics, friendship*****

Mabel had been suddenly orphaned at twelve and was more comfortable with her computer work than dealing with interpersonal problems. But she is still in western Massachusetts trying to sell her aunt's garlic farm instead of back home in Maine. She is trying to hire a farm manager, dealing with the nice man she is dating, and had agreed to host a wedding in her lavender field. And the the obnoxious best man falls dead and she has to put up with an incompetent wedding planner and a hostile cop. Let the sleuthing begin! 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!

Laid out in Lavender, the third book in Gin Jones's Garlic Farm mystery series is as great a read as the first two books. Mabel may be a total introvert but her growing love for her new friends and her desire to make a success of her late aunt's dream push her into her greatest fear, interacting with people, some really strange people sometimes. While she continues her regular job as a computer programmer for a gaming company from home, she works to keep the small farm afloat. The current effort becomes a nightmare when the first wedding she books brings a clueless planner whose incompetence could sabotage her first attempt to find an outside source of income. The lavender fields have been a hit as background to photos but this wedding brings disaster after disaster from the beginning of the photo and rehearsal session to the drop of the first body and the planner prefers to hide from adversity. Mabel's only recourse is to step up and manage the living bodies and she investigates the death of the fallen one.
The humor is in dry wit rather than belly laughs but that is the way I prefer it!
I requested an ARC of Laid out in Lavender because I so enjoy this series and all of Gin Jones's books I have read.
#NetGalley #LaidoutinLavender #GinJones #LyricalPress

I enjoyed this book. I like the characters, especially Mabel. I enjoyed the bits with Pixie in them too. Paige just made me feel frustrated The mystery is interesting and I was surprised by who the killer was. #LaidoutinLavender #NetGalley

This is the third in a series. These books really need to be read in order, otherwise important back story is missed.

Mabel is hoping to attract new clients to Skinner Farm, and what's more beautiful than a bride in a fragrant field of lavender? A bride who isn't allergic, for one thing, and a wedding planner who should have known to ask that question.
This wedding is a hot mess, and adding 3 dead bodies to the confusion makes things even worse.
I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to watching this series, and the characters, grow.