Herbs and Homicide (Heywood Herbalist Cozy Mysteries Book 1)

In an attempt to throw away her Hollywood stardom which left her hurt and alone, Samantha RathBone, now going by the name Sam Jones, finds refuge in the small town of Heywood. Bonnie, the owner of Sage Advice, takes Sam under her wings and offers her a job and a place to stay. Sam’s attempt to hide her identity threatens to crack open when her boss is murdered, and the police and the small town’s news reporters come looking for her. Will grief of her boss overshadow her quest to erase her name from the list of top suspects for the murder? Will she be able to find the murderer before her secret bubble pops?

What a fine beginning to such a promising series! “Herbs and Homicide” hooks onto the reader’s heart right from the first page as the Hollywood star dumps her red-carpet adventures. The author strikes all the right chords to keep the reader enchanted by the lead character’s new life. The believability of the villain’s persona comes out as a tad shaky, as her appearances are sparingly sprinkled at several occasions after the murder. It would have been better for the author to open the door to the villain’s life wider for the reader to really interact with her world. Sam’s sleuthing abilities, however, do not allow for boredom to encroach upon this enticing cozy mystery. Of sour-and-sweet flavor, this novel has the right proportions that will appeal to any fans of contemporary cozy mysteries!

JM Lareen