Blueberries are everywhere! And a blueberry festival sounds tasty. Until someone decides what this festival needs are pranks and a dead Viking. Murder at the Blueberry Festival is a fun-filled mystery with a great plot and the latest addition to the “ Beacon Bakeshop Mystery” series.

When Lindsey volunteers to run the pie eating contest and volunteers her boyfriend to run an event at this year's blueberry festival, she never suspected that it would turn into crazy pranks and murder. But before the festival even gets underway, the prankster hits, and everyone starts looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be next. There are water balloons, stolen real estate signs plastered all over a lawn, goats ruining Lindsey’s mom's fashion show and a vendors food tent and rerouting the event Rory is in charge of so that the runners end up in the lake. The fun stops when a man shows up in a Viking ship dead, and people fear what will happen next. Lindsey and Rory investigate and what they find shocks them beyond belief.

Characters in this series are delightfully normal. Lindsey’s dog Welly is by far the star of the show. The location works on every level, and having spent some time in Michigan; I have fond memories brought back by the author's descriptions. The pranks are at first light-hearted, a bit mean but still on the funny side. The murder is a head-scratcher and will take the reader's sleuthing abilities to the max. Once the killer is revealed, there will be moments when readers will feel as though they have been kicked in the gut. The death of an old man, dressed like a Viking and found in his own handmade Viking ship, is original; I can honestly say I haven’t read anything like it before in a cozy.

Murder at the Blueberry Festival is a charming who-dun-it with moments of inspiration. Readers will enjoy imagining the pranks and all of the blueberry desserts. The recipes are sumptuous, but then I love blueberry anything! The death of the Viking will give readers pause for reflection. Is there a good way to die, honestly? Who is to say that being put afloat on a Viking ship and sent out to sea in a flaming finale isn’t the best way to reach Valhalla? I believe readers will enjoy this book immensely, and turn the last page craving a blueberry muffin.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the eARC kindle version for review. This is the 3rd book in the series and can be read as a standalone. I did not find this book to be an engaging read. First, a dead body didn't appear till over a quarter way into the story. The pranks were a mystery and interesting. Not enough to hold my interest as I started skimming quite a few paragraphs. The cast of main characters didn't seem to connect for me. Talk of friendship and love let me know if each person's relationship with another. Yet a knowing look here & there wasn't enough to show how close a connection was amongst any of them. I'm afraid this cozy just didn't do it for me.

I found so much to love about this mystery! This super series has a fabulous, engaging main character. Darci Hannah's sleuth, Lindsey Bakewell, who lives in a lighthouse and runs a bakery café, is smart, caring and determined. With a compelling plot, drama aplenty, a great bunch of characters, and oodles of mayhem added to the mix, this was a fantastic read that kept me on my toes. The super small tourist town setting in Lake Michigan is good, as is the festival vibe. I loved the touches of paranormal also and I'm really excited for book four.

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

This one had a really fascinating conclusion that was somewhat unique in the world of cozies. A great collection of characters and setting, and while there is a death to investigate, there are a lot of amusing hijinks in this one to investigate. Unsurprisingly, you'll finish this one really craving a blueberry treat.

This is probably my favorite book in this series so far. I really have a feel for the town and especially the characters and their dynamics at this point. I loved the idea of the Blueberry festival and all the fun events they had planned. Even the pranks that were played were pretty funny and clever. Plus, all the yummy blueberry treats had me hungry the whole time. I liked the way Lindsey went snooping and for the most part brought people along with her, which seemed safer. I had an inkling about what had happened, and the ending still brought me a lot of feels. I can't wait to see what else is in store for this cute town and Linsey's bakery.

“A goat afloat on a boat, with a body,” is a phrase often used in this book. Well, with a body is left off sometimes and it still did make me laugh. Ok, maybe my sense of humor can be a little juvenile at times. But that does summarize the book with some twists, good characters and some delicious blueberry recipes. Also, some humor and a touchy subject that is sensitively handled.

This is the third in a cozy series that takes place in a small tourist town on Lake Michigan where the female lead, Lindsey, lives in a lighthouse and runs a bakery. There are plenty of friends, relations and a love interest that populate this series that makes you want to come back for more. And don’t forget the food. Or the cute animals. Though, the goat definitely won center stage in this story.

Of course, there is a mystery. And that satisfies just as much as the description of blueberry delights.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Lily Roberts searches for clues in a new case when a celebrity chef is murdered in her Cape Cod tearoom during the filming of a popular baking show. Filming is proving disruptive closing down the tearoom Tea by the Sea during Lily’s busiest season. Tensions are high with a bad-boy celebrity chef and celebrity judge, Tommy Greene losing his temper with staff members and an on-camera blowout with Cheryl Wainwright. Tommy is found dead in Tea-by-Sea’s kitchen murdered with Cheryl’s rolling pin. Suspicion falls on Cheryl but but the star had many clashes on and off screen. While Lily is baking up a storm for the show she also needs to investigate before the murder rolls someone else away..

I look forward to every new installment in this series. I love the setting and the characters, especially Welly.

In this book, there is a Blueberry Festival and everyone is involved in their own even with the festival culminating in a pie-eating contest.

At the kick-off parade, things quickly become troublesome when crowd members start throwing water balloons at the choir as they are singing on their float. This event is just one thing in a string of mischief that leaves everyone scratching their heads at what could possible be going on.

To add another layer, a dead body is discovered in a boat. Lindsay and her friends investigate and start seeing a connection that cannot possible be true. Or can it?

One of the things I love about Darci Hannah's writing is that the "bad guy" isn't always obvious. She will lead you to many possibilities and the discovery always has a twist. I tend to get so caught up in the story that I stop guessing and just enjoy the process.

This was such a delightful read and I look forward to the next in the series.

I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All views are simply my honest opinion.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars, I really liked it.

Book 3 in the series, and easy to read as a stand alone story.

I really liked this book. Enough that I went back and found the first two in the series to read. What's not to love about living and running a business out of your very own lighthouse?! And it's haunted by a friendly, protective ghost too. I like that Lindsey runs a bakery, and actually seems to spend a lot of her time baking and actually running the business, rather than haring off constantly to snoop, like so many cozy characters.

The story was fast paced and entertaining (I love blueberries too, so it made me hungry, haha). For those that aren't a fan of paranormal mysteries, the ghost is a very small part of the book, and mostly just adds a bit of character. This is absolutely a series I will continue to follow.

Murder At The Blueberry Festival is the third book in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery series by Darci Hannah.

The Beacon Harbor Blueberry Festival is about to start. Lindsey was busy baking blueberry pies and finishing the baking when realtor Betty Vanhoosen rushed into Lindsey’s bakery, saying someone had placed around 50 “For Sale” signs. Someone wants to disrupt the festival as there will be three more pranks. Early one morning, Lindsey and Rory are awakened by Wellington, Lindsey’s Newfoundland. They notice a boat bobbing near the shoreline. Inside the boat, they find the body of Lars Jorgenson, attired as a Viking, and his pet goat. Lars was a member of Rory’s informal veteran group that got together to discuss their military experiences.

Rory and Lindsey want to learn who killed Lars and put the goat in danger. With the help of Kennedy and member of the Blueberry Festival, they set out on their investigation.

The book is well-written, plotted, and reads at a nice pace. The characters are well-developed, and I would enjoy calling them my friends. I particularly enjoyed Wellington and Lindsey’s mother’s Westies, Brinkley and Ireland. They are perfectly adorable.

Delicious sounding recipes are also included in the book.

I am anxiously awaiting the book in the enjoyable series.

This series is set in Benton Harbor. Michigan. Lindsay Bakewell lives in a refurbished lighthouse with her large dog Wellington, and runs the Beacon Bakeshop. Lindsay s excited to be on the annual blueberry festival committee for the first time; in charge of the pie eating contest. Her boyfriend, ex navy seal Roy Campbell, is also on the committee, in charge of the 5k race. Pranks plaque the festival. seemingly aimed at members on the committee. At first they are disruptive but harmless pranks, until an elderly man is found murdered on a small boat. His body is dressed as a Viking and his pet goat is aboard. The murdered man and his son were Rory's friends, so of course Lindsay and Rory decide to investigate. This was a fun light hearted mystery. with lots of suspects and red herrings galore. The characters are well rounded and likeable. The antics of Wellington the dog and Clara the goat, had me laughing out loud. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advance copy.

I adored this cozy mystery! The group of characters were fantastic, and I loved the beach setting. I enjoyed the plot twists and the mystery. It was well paced and well written!

Lindsey Bakeswell is gearing up for the pie eating contest that she’s running during Beacon Harbor’s blueberry festival. But soon the event runs into a patch of trouble. In the morning, a local real estate agent gets pranked. Then, a parade float gets pelted with water balloons. But, when the stunts start escalating, it starts to look like sabotage. When a man dressed up as a Viking is found dead in a boat, it’s no longer mischief but murder.
This was a great story in this wonderful series. I love reading about this main character and her bakeshop. All of the side characters were interesting, and I would love to see them again in subsequent books. The plot was wonderfully puzzling, and the culprit was a surprise. I will definitely read more of this series. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advanced reader’s copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of book #3 of the Beacon Bakeshop series! I loved the first two books and this one certainly did not disappoint. If you have read the first two books, you already love Welly (Lindsey's huge dog) but, in my opinion, the addition of a goat to this one made the book! Darci has developed some well-loved, quirky characters, a great location, and a great theme. Who doesn't love a haunted lighthouse and baked goods? This particular murder tackles a couple of tough subjects but the overall tone is kept relatively light and fun. The murder does not happen right off the bat but the story line keeps you drawn in. I really enjoy this series and hope there are many books to come. In Murder at the Blueberry Festival, Darci eludes to a few options for possible directions the next couple of books could take, all of which sound very interesting. I can't wait!!!

Release Date: July 26, 2022

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Lindsay is the owner of the Beacon Bakery in the sweet little village Beacon Harbor in Michigan. Beacon Harbors annual blueberry festival is upon them and at every event some merry prankster has induced chaos. Lindsay is worried about her pie eating contest but the night before she is awakened by a yelling goat. Upon investigation Lindsey and her boyfriend Rory find a local towns person dead afloat in a boat with his goat. Lindsey, Rory, Kennedy and of course Welly set out to solve the mystery.

This is the third book in the #beaconbakeshopmysteries and I did wish I had read the first two books before this one. While the author did an admirable job of a recap, I still like I missed some stuff. I really enjoyed the village characters especially Betty. Kennedy is a riot and the perfect foil for Lindsey. Welly is clearly the star of the book. I recommend this book but I’d recommend going in order!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

#beaconbakeshopmystery #darcihannah #murderattheblueberryfestival #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #cozymysteryseries #kensingtonbooks

Murder at the Blueberry Festival is the third book in the Beacon Bakeshop series by Darci Hannah. Set in a bakery and an old, haunted lighthouse in the lakeside village of Beacon Harbor, Michigan, it is a delicious whodunnit!

Lindsey Bakewell left a Wall Street job for small-town life and now runs a bakery and is preparing for her part in the village blueberry festival. But, when a prankster disrupts the festival and a dead body is found in unusual circumstances, Lindsey and her friends try to get to the bottom of things.

The plot was interesting because the dead body doesn't appear until further in the story. The focus was initially on the elaborate pranks derailing the festival and on character development. I appreciated this, having not read the first books in the series. Among the quirky small-town personalities are Lindsey's hunky former Navy SEAL boyfriend, her stylish best friend, and her aging supermodel mom.
There are several red herrings, but even if the reader figures out who the murderer is, I don't think that they will guess the motive. Some circumstances were not only unexpected, but thought-provoking, lending depth to the story, and I thought the author handled some sensitive issues with compassion.
This is well-written with humor, clever dialogue, adorable animals, a lovely setting, and lots of food! Lindsey whips up some delicious-sounding fare that I will try to make soon, as recipes are included. I loved the paranormal aspect of the ghost haunting the renovated lighthouse Lindsey lives in, who occasionally makes his presence known.
A fun, charming cozy oozing with sweet blueberry goodness! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to review this ARC. I enjoyed it!

Clever cozy mystery. I am especially fond of the lighthouse location. The dog and goat added humor to the tale. A smidgeon of romance. Interesting pranks. A nice variety of characters. The ghost references could be eliminated as far as I am concerned. Not a fan. Grateful they are few. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

It's blueberry season in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, a small lakeside town. Every year the whole town gears up and turns out for the Blueberry Festival. There is a parade, a fashion show complete with pets, pie eating contest and so much more, the anticipation of having a good time only lasts so long. Once the festival is underway a prankster strikes, escalating the mischief from water balloon bombing the parade to unpleasant things in the contest pies and total disruption of the fashion show put on by Lindsey's mother. Things really turn ugly when Lindsey discovers a Viking boat owned by a local man and he's very dead, dressed as a Viking plus a goat on the boat? and the festival stops being a fun annual event. Who is the killer, why was Lars killed? and will there be more killings? Lindsey, along with her boyfriend Rory, an ex Navy Seal, and various friends follow clues to unmask the killer.
I have to say that I wouldn't mind living in an old lighthouse complete with a ghost. Running a bakery despite the early hours would be a nice career change, too. The addition of Lindsey's dog, Welly, always brings a smile to my face. There is lots of humor and strong friendships in each book with characters you'd like to have as friends. The mystery is, as usual, well-plotted with an ending that has lots of depth. I hope there will be more books in this series.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lindsey is busy with her bake shop and on the committee for the annual town blueberry festival. It should be fun, a small town gathering, but events begin to go wrong when pranks happen to them. Goats at a fashion show, water balloons at the parade, all culminating with a dead man in a boat with a goat. Lindsey and her crew have their work cut out for them. A great story, interesting characters and an ending that leaves you thinking of larger issues. Loved this visit to the Beacon Bake shop and hope for more to come!

Murder at the Blueberry Festival started out high energy and it really drew me in to the story. Then the boat with a goat is found afloat containing a dead body. The book got sort of Dr. Seuss for a chapter or two. The tone of the book slowed way down as Lindsey Bakewell, Rory Campbell, Kennedy and Officer Cutie aka Tuck investigate.
I didn’t really suspect the responsible party. A tough issue is part of the resolution to the “murder”. I don’t want to add spoilers so I won’t discuss it further. What started out as a fun light hearted book turned sad and heavy because the outcome for those involved raises more questions for debate of what is right and how much is dependent on individual opinion versus law.
The author also raised discussion about the difficulty Rory faced in life after the military. The last chapter offers a bright spot for that part of the story. However, it didn’t remove the overall heaviness that descended as the storyline resolved.
I have enjoyed both of the other books in the series. I really looked forward to this third book and I honestly feel a bit betrayed. I hoped for a different sort of book from what I got. I love Lindsey, Rory, James and Betty. I’m a bit less enthusiastic about Kennedy and Ellie. Going in I thought I’d easily rate this book 4.5 stars. The heaviness that lingers from the book’s resolution leaves me liking the book but not enthusiastically recommending it so 3 stars.