11.28.2023 | Tuesday

Honey Bee Murder

category: Book Reviews
tag(s):
0 Comments

Honey Bee Murdertitle: Honey Bee Murder
author: Dahlia Donovan
series: Honey Bear Cosy Mysteries #2
published: 23 November 2023
publisher: Tangled Tree Publishing
genre(s): cozy mystery
pages: 125
source: client
format: manuscript
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | StoryGraph | Goodreads

rating: five-stars | series rating: five-stars

the blurb

George Bernard Sheth plans to spend July in the garden with his beloved pug, Bumble. He’s tending to his bees when a neighbour harasses him quite vocally. When the man winds up dead, all eyes are immediately on George and the many hives in his garden.

Murphy Baird knows without a doubt George wouldn’t harm a fly or a bee or an obnoxious rich businessman. He balances keeping his brewery going with trying to help solve the murder and preparing for the upcoming Highland Games. It’s not made any easier by the impending visit from his father.

As the mystery deepens, they find themselves not knowing quite who to trust.Can they find the killer before George winds up arrested for murder?


  • a few notes
  • mini review in 5
  • full review
  • read this if…

POV: 3rd person
keywords/phrases: murder, honey bees, own voices, mystery, beer
tropes: established couple
spice: 0🔥
language: 0🤬
cover notes: I love the covers to this series!

  1. This book is everything a cozy mystery should be!
  2. There is great representation in this book with MM characters, POC characters, a NB character, and of autism.
  3. I love the positive and supportive relationship between George and Murphy.
  4. The author creates dynamic and interesting characters that feel as if they could be people I know in my own life.
  5. The mystery of this book is fun and engaging!

Honey Bee Murder, and the series as a whole, checks every box for a perfect cozy mystery. It’s set in a quaint village in Scotland, it has a quirky cast of characters, the sleuths are a beekeeper and a artisan mead brewer, and the mystery is interesting. It is the perfect book to curl up with and read while sipping a hot cup of tea!

This time, the mystery is focused on a suspicious death, that of a man found in his cottage, which was found swarming with bees. His death comes just hours after a confrontation the victim initiated with his neighbor… George, who is a beekeeper. So George, Murphy, and their friends find themselves dragged into another mystery, as they all hope to clear poor George’s name.

I love the relationship between George and Murphy. The compassion and sweetness between them is beautiful. Murphy understands George, who is an autistic, and is respectful of his needs, and very protective of him. They have a great dynamic, a relationship based on understanding, support, and humor.

Aside from the two main characters, my favorite characters were the fathers. They were hilarious, two men from different backgrounds who bonded over their children and became best friends. They are charming, loving, supportive, and oh so funny.

Read this if you love good mysteries, representation, and intelligent humor.


About Dahlia Donovan

Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games.

Rating Report
plot
five-stars
characters
five-stars
writing
five-stars
pacing
five-stars
Overall: five-stars
::spread the love::

Leave a Reply