WAR AND PEACH by Susan Furlong

Publisher:    Berkley
Published:    February 7, 2017
ISBN:        978-0425278963
Genre:       Cozy Mystery
Format:     Print
Obtained via:  Publisher  

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

 

FOUR HEARTS

 

Peachy Keen, Nola Mae Harper’s peach oriented shop is doing a great business.  And there’s big doings happening in Cays Mill, Georgia including a contentious mayoral election. On top of lines being divided between the “out of towner” who wants to focus on business and the “hometown farmer”, odd items are going missing. Who would want the gutter off someone’s roof?  Or even worse, all the folding chairs from the local church.  For Nola’s family, however, things look like they may be a bit tight.  The owner of the local fruit stand, Clem, who has been doing business with Nola’s dad for some time has cut a deal with another farmer. While her papa figures he’ll find another fruit stand, when Clem turns up dead the local sheriff decides the answer lies with the Harpers.  Most specifically with Nola’s papa. Can Nola find the killer before her dad begins spending his days in the gray bar inn, commonly known as jail?

 

At first glance Susan Furlong’s characters in her Georgia Peach mysteries seem kind of dumb and ignorant. As you get into the story, however, you find them to be not only kind and caring, but pretty darn smart, especially Nola Mae. She’s the kind of character you wish was a real person and your friend. The characters are multi-dimensional and grow and change with each entry into this fun series. If you haven’t read the prior books she gives you just enough back story to know what is going on. While the main focus is on Nola finding the killer, the other characters interact with her and their lives move along. Furlong gives readers just the right amount of red herrings to see if they can discovery the killer before Nola.

 

Furlong not only involves created a cute little town in Cay’s Mill, she also provides a map of the downtown for readers who like a visual of the scenes. 

 

Rather than ending the story with the solution to the murder, the author also gives readers a nice wrap up of each of the main character’s mini-stories told throughout the book. The Georgia Peach Mysteries is a fun series with some terrific characters and solid mysteries.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.