A Hive of Homicides

A Hive of Homicides by Meera Lester is the third A Henny Penny Farmette Mystery. Abigail “Abby” MacKenzie runs a farmette in Las Flores, California since she left the police force. Abby is attending the vow renewal of her friend and truffle maker, Paola Varela and Jake Winston, owner of Country Schoolhouse Winery (and notorious womanizer). There is a bit of kerfuffle after the ceremony with a blonde, but then everyone is off to the reception. Abby heads off to locate Chef Emilio Varela to deliver the honey she promised as gifts for the guests. The sous chef points Abby in the direction of the alley outside the kitchen. Abby is outside looking for Emilio when she hears gunshots and then sees the shooters car. Abby finds Jake and Paola in their car with Jake dead and Paola severely wounded. A week later, Paola is in a coma and the case is going nowhere. Abby is warned to not investigate, but she can think of little else. She decides to start asking questions to see who would want to harm Jake and Paola. Jake had created a lot of buzz around town with his numerous conquests and the blonde at the renewal seemed to dislike him as well. When a second body turns up at the winery, Abby knows she needs to zero in on the killer before he strikes again. A Hive of Homicides is nicely written and has a good pace. I appreciated the bee and honey information the author included in the book (it was very interesting and informative). The mystery is complex (I liked this part) and I think many readers will be surprised by the killer’s identity. My rating for A Hive of Homicides is 4 out of 5 stars. Abby was different in this book (and not in a good way). Abby’s reaction to finding Jake and Paola was very unlike her. For an ex-cop, you would expect her to be used to find dead bodies, seeing injured people, and finding herself in dangerous situations. Instead, we are subject to nausea, shaking, and she is afraid of her own shadow (not our usual strong, feisty Abby). The author did a good job at portraying PTSD as well as techniques to help Abby cope (she visits a counselor). I did not the like the direction the author took Abby’s character in A Hive of Homicides. It overshadowed the mystery. There are many delightful cozy moments in the book and a sweet, hopeful ending.