A Dismal Harvest
Witty and down-to-earth Claudia Simcoe is sure that the gourmet harvest dinner being held at her artisan marketplace will wipe away any memories of the unpleasantness of last summer. Not to mention give her a chance to figure out the bewildering relationship budding with her craft-beer-brewing neighbor, Nathan. But rather than dealing with carefully curated food, divine cheese, and other delectables, as well as cautious flirting, Claudia finds herself thrown into the center of a murder investigation when a secret compartment in her market is tied to the death of a local lawyer.
At least this time, she isn’t the prime suspect. Instead, it’s one of Claudia’s marketplace tenants who is wanted by the police: the locally-famed cheesemaker, Julie Muller. Determined to help clear her friend’s name and to discover the history connecting her market to the murder victim, Claudia is forced to test her mettle as a detective once more. As she starts digging into San Elmo’s long-buried past, she is confronted with Prohibition-era mysteries, shady land deals, and a small town bursting with motives to kill the crooked lawyer. But just as she thinks she’s getting a handle on this investigating thing, another gruesome death brings Claudia dangerously close to the killer.
The Details
Series: Marketplace Mysteries – Book #2
Author: Daisy Bateman
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Business
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
ISBN: 1645060381
Page Count: 240
Rating: 
The Review
A Dismal Harvest is the second installment in the “Marketplace Mysteries” series by Daisy Bateman. Based on the main character, Claudia, and her marketplace shop. The characters, such as Claudia’s budding romantic interest, Nathan, who runs a craft beer brewery, Julie, a local cheese maker, and others, are well written and easy to imagine. The setting of the marketplace and the local area will allow readers to enjoy a small-town atmosphere without small-town limits.
Claudia’s marketplace is busy, and all of her tenants are getting sales, which is vital to her bottom line as well as theirs. The Staff is running around, ensuring everything is running smoothly, but when they find an unknown secret compartment in a wall, things take a strange turn. When a local lawyer turns up dead, and Claudia’s cheese-making friend, Julie, is the main suspect, she jumps in to save the day. However, there is more to this murder than meets the eye. History, secrets, and lies all combine to keep the reader guessing the motive and the killer’s identity. Claudia has her work cut out for her, and when another murder occurs, she becomes the next target. The killer isn’t difficult to spot, but I recommend that readers follow the clues closely.
I did not read the first book in this series, but I found A Dismal Harvest to be an easy read with characters that make readers smile. I love the marketplace; it is original and in a great location. Claudia’s friends are wholesome without being overdone. Julie, the cheese maker, is a great suspect and keeps things lively. I did find that some of the dialogue didn’t feel genuine and could use some work, and the pace was a bit slow for my tastes. But characters always have a certain amount of growth in each book. Hopefully, these characters will continue to grow and mature and keep readers entertained. Overall, I enjoyed this story and look forward to the next.
The Author
Daisy Bateman is the author of the Lefty-nominated Marketplace Mysteries series, in which artisan marketplace owner Claudia Simcoe solves mysteries and eats things in an idyllic small town on the Northern California coast. A mystery lover, cheese enthusiast, and world-renowned expert in Why You Should Buy That, Daisy lives in Alameda, California, with her husband, a puppy, and a cat, and in what passes for a normal life, she works in biotech. She mostly tweets and occasionally writes a newsletter, offering plot ideas and cheese recommendations.
Similar cozies readers may enjoy are Amanda Flower’s Put Out to Pasture from the “Farm to Table Mysteries” series or No Grater Crime from Maddie Day’s “A Country Store Mystery” series.
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