Kristina A. reviewed on 6/13/2018 + 1528 more book reviews

Bought the Farm by Peg Cochran is the third novel in A Farmer's Daughter Mystery series. Shelby McDonald has been busy getting Love Blossom Farm ready for Kelly Thacker and Seth Gregson wedding. Kelly has even arranged a special surprise for Seth. The wedding is lovely, but Seth is not thrilled with his surprise of Travis Cooper and his band. After the festivities are over, Shelby and Bert notice that one guest is still hanging around. Travis has been murdered and strung up on a post to resemble a scarecrow. Seth, the band along with the wedding guests are all suspects in the singer's death. Detective Frank McDonald has his work cut out for him this time. Of course, Kelly cannot help but do some digging especially with Seth being on the suspect list. The killer, however, is displeased with her sleuthing and leaves her a threatening blog comment. Join Shelby as she weeds through the suspects to expose the evil doer in Bought the Farm.

Bought the Farm is an engaging cozy mystery. It is well-written and has a steady pace throughout. There is a good flow and smooth transitions. Bought the Farm has great characters and a beautiful setting of Love Blossom Farm in Lovett, Michigan. I especially liked Shelby's blog entries at the beginning of each chapter. They were informative and useful. It was interesting to learn the history behind some wedding traditions. The mystery was well-crafted with multiple suspects and misdirection. The author provided good clues to aid readers in resolving the crime. While Bought the Farm is the third book in the series, it can be read alone. Everything a reader needs to know about Shelby is included. Chickens, planting seeds, gathering herbs, taking care of the kids and the dogs, spending time with friends, dating, creating new recipes, cooking and Shelby working on her blog are some of the cozy moments in Bought the Farm. I like the world that Peg Cochran has created for A Farmer's Daughter Mystery series. Shelby's daughter, Amelia stands up for a girl in her class who is being bullied and comes up with an anti-bullying campaign. I appreciate how the author addressed the situation and her suggestions for dealing with bullies. I hope that the children will start doing chores in future books to help out Shelby (she needs assistance with work around the house and farm). My rating for Bought the Farm is 4 out of 5 stars. I could have done with less romance and the debate between the two fellas in her life (I believe she should pick Frank). There is some repetition of facts (like information regarding secondary characters). There are recipes at the end of the book.

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