The Murder of a Queen Bee: A Henny Penny Farmette Mystery

Lester ticks all the boxes in her pleasant but formulaic second Henny Penny Farmette mystery (after 2015’s A Beeline to Murder). After herbalist Fiona Mary Sullivan fails to show up for lunch with farmer Abigail Mackenzie, Abby is horrified to learn that Fiona has been discovered dead in a burning car in the woods outside Las Flores, Calif. The coroner’s report concludes that Fiona was dead before someone placed her in the car. Lester overdoes the detail about the wine-country locale, beekeeping, gardening, cooking, Abby’s fetching outfits, and her complicated love life. Distracting Abby, a former cop, from her investigation are her bad-boy ex, her strong and silent widowed neighbor, and Fiona’s charming, hunky brother. In the end, Abby doesn’t have too much trouble identifying who killed Fiona. This one is for lovers of cozy mysteries that are heavy on the cozy and light on the mystery. [em]Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott-Notch Literary Agency. (Oct.) [/em]