This is such a fun new cozy mystery series! I have always loved fairy gardens and so when I saw this book I had to read it! I adored the fact that one of the main characters is a fairy and that her and the main character make a great sleuthing team! The mystery was well developed and plotted and had enough twists and turns to keep me interested. I loved the setting of Carmel, California! Overall I highly recommend this book and I'm excited to read more books in the series!

The latest new series, "A Fairy Garden Mystery" from Daryl Wood Gerber, published by Kensington Books is out now. A Sprinkling Of Murder This is a fun, offbeat, and enticing read that will have readers wanting more.

Courtney is a bit on the odd side; she is a fully grown adult who believes in fairies. Not just believes, but talks to them daily, and encourages others to do the same. Other characters are enjoyable and likable. Fiona, the wonderfully mischievous fairy and Joss, Courtney's excellent bookkeeper, and friend are both fantastic characters that take the reader to imaginative places. The location of a garden shop dedicated to fairies is very unusual but makes readers want to start a garden or shop, maybe both. It is distinctly original and easy to picture.

The murder of a fellow shop owner is well written, with plenty of plot twists and suspects. Even though the victim wasn't unlikeable, it was easy to see that some might have had a problem with him and wanted him out of the way. Courtney and her fairy friend help track down the evidence and find the killer. The culprit is not necessarily what readers would expect but once revealed allows them to see the killing and the clues from a new perspective.

To be honest, I had a slight issue with the entire fairy theme until I got into the book. After all, if we can believe in vampires, goblins, gargoyles, and werewolves, why not fairies? I place this book squarely in the fantasy realm of the cozy genre. I have not read many fantasy mysteries, but this one had me curious about others of this type. I am happy to recommend A Sprinkling Of Murder; I can't wait to read the next one.

Courtney Kelly's childhood was filled with magic and fairies until her mother died when she was 10. She lost all interest and moved on with life. But at 29, when she opened her own business building fairy gardens, she began seeing fairies again. And even gained one as a friend. One day, Fiona warns her that something bad is coming....and it does. When a man's lifeless body is discovered in her shop, Courtney finds herself a top suspect. Can she discover the true killer before it's pinned on her?

Cute start to a new series. This book is a light mix of paranormal and cozy mystery. There's a lot of setup for the series going on in this first book, but it didn't really over-shadow the mystery plot. The mystery moved along at a nice pace and had a few suspects and twists along the way. I liked the idea of the main character creating fairy gardens and having a shop called Open Your Imagination. Cute concept! And I would be a customer if the business were real! ;)

The next book in the series will be out in summer 2021. I will definitely be eager awaiting it. Great start to a new series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber is the first book in a new Fairy Garden Mystery series.

Courtney owns a fairy garden and teashop business in Carmel, California. She also has a real fairy in her shop named Fiona. When a neighborhood business owner is killed in Courtney's shop, she (and her fairy) must work to clear her name and find the killer.

It took me a little bit to truly get into the book - it was slow reading for about the first half. I'm not quite a true believer in fairies yet. I probably wouldn't be able to see one if I went into Courtney's shop. I did like how animals and children can see the fairy. However, Fiona's character was hit or miss - It was like Tinkerbell trying to solve a murder.

I liked the story aspect surrounding the murder - the townspeople, their back stories, and their current relationships with each other. There are a lot of characters, but it is not hard to keep track of who is who.

I liked the ending and the way things wrapped up. A well written and satisfying conclusion that made sense.

Maybe by the next book, I'll be a fairy believer.

I received this book as an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

In order to see a fairy, one must believe they exist, according to Courtney Kelly, twenty-nine-year-old owner of Open Your Imagination, a fairy garden and tea shop located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Courtney’s first fairy sighting was at the age of five in her mother’s flower garden. Courtney shared a love of fairies with her late mother; her relationship with her father Kipling “Kip” Kelly is somewhat strained since Courtney left his landscaping business to start the shop.
Courtney doesn’t run the shop alone; Joss Timberlake is Courtney’s assistant. And since Open Your Imagination is a fairy garden shop, there is also a resident fairy. Fiona is her name and she is a fairy-on-probation after irking the queen fairy with one too many pranks. Fiona remains unseen to most of the shop’s patrons, even though a few exhibit evidence they may sense her presence when they bat away what they assume to be an annoying insect buzzing around their heads.
The shop is a magical place to be, on several levels, until Courtney discovers the body of Mick Watkins, owner of Wizard of Paws, the grooming business in the same courtyard as Courtney’s shop, sprawled in Open Your Imagination’s courtyard in the early hours of the morning. Before the police arrive, Courtney, with Fiona’s help, discovers a secret entrance to the courtyard, adding another mystery to the one lying dead in the shop’s courtyard.
Detective Dylan Summers and his partner Officer Rodriguez are the first officers to arrive on the scene and before long Courtney realizes she’s a suspect in Mick’s death; Mick’s wife Emily accuses Courtney of killing him. Courtney knows she didn’t do it, but she doesn’t have a good alibi. So, who is the killer? Pauli Petra, the councilwoman rumored to be having an affair with Mick? His wife, Emily? Logan Langford, Courtney and Mick’s landlord? Logan wanted to break Mick’s lease and evict him from the property, but Mick fought back. Courtney, with help from Joss, Courtney’s best friend Meaghan, and Fiona take it upon themselves to solve the murder mystery, much to the dismay of the Carmel Police Department. Will Courtney solve the murder or will the killer silence Courtney first?
I had some trouble getting into the book at first. The police officers came across as a little too harsh and I found it off-putting. But I stuck with it and I’m glad I did. At some point, I was pulled into the story and quickly finished it. What I like about Gerber’s book is the way she brings up a “what if” question: what if…minds were opened to the magical in adulthood the same way they were in childhood?
A Sprinkling of Murder is the first book in the new Fairy Garden Mystery series by Daryl Wood Gerber. Gerber is a prolific writer. She has written the Cookbook Nook series and several standalone novels under her real name and has written the Cheese Shop Mystery Series under the pen name of Avery Adams.
To learn more about Gerber’s work, visit her website here.
To read an excerpt, click here.

An excellent start for a new paranormal cozy series. It's engrossing and entertaining, the plot is enjoyable, the cast of characters interesting and fleshed out, the mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Along with her magical friends, Courtney Kelly owns and operates a fairy garden store and tea sop where people can buy supplies to build their own creations. But when her business neighbor is found dead in her store, Open Your Imagination, things turn bad for her. The local police look at her as a suspect, and people are spreading rumors that are not true. So Courtney decides to take a look at things on her own, to see what she can learn. Of course she has a fairy to help. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of things to clear Courtney's name.

I've always been intrigued by fairies. The idea there are magical beings floating around and helping people with everyday life is fascinating. That's one of the things that attracted me to this book.

Daryl Wood Gerber does a fantastic job of setting up a magical world. Courtney is an intriguing character that I connected with on many levels. And the courtyard where she has her shop reminded me of a place I used to shop at in the 1980s, with different shops and a charming atmosphere.

I loved the variety of characters in this book, each of them adding their own flavor to the story. The mystery was intriguing and had a lot of red herrings that kept me guessing. Definitely a great first book that will, hopefully, lead to a long-running series.

I read a digital ARC of this book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Courtney Kelly has opened her dream business, a fairy garden and tea shop called Open Your Imagination in her hometown of Carmel, California. Courtney loves to inspire and encourage customers to create their own fairy gardens and hopefully see fairies like she does. Courtney has to keep her probationary fairy Fiona out of trouble in order for her to earn her adult wings. But her tranquil business life is disrupted when Courtney finds pet grooming shop owner Mick Watkins dead on her property. Being the daughter of a retired police officer, Courtney is determined to clear her name when she becomes the prime suspect in Mick's murder. There are plenty of suspects, including their landlord, Logan Langford, Mick's prickly wife Emily, and his mistress, councilwoman Petra Pauli.

This was a whimsical, delightful debut mystery. 4.5 stars out of 5.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Kensington with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

While I am not usually the one to like books that contain fairytale depictions I loved this book. The fairy character in this book was a wonderful and interesting addition to the plotline as this was something I had never seen before. I cannot wait for the next installment to keep me up all night catching a killer on the looss!

Courtney Kelly saw fairies until she was ten years old. Then her mother died, her heart closed up and she could no longer see the fairies. But they didn’t forget her. Now 30 Courtney owns Open Your Imagination, a magical store in Carmel-by-the-Sea, on the California coast, where fairy gardens and tea and whimsey are available. Courtney’s heart has opened again and her fairy Fiona is her companion and champion.

When Courtney discovers the body of Mick Watkins, her neighbor across the retail courtyard, in the fountain of her shop, she becomes the prime suspect. But there are more than a few people who had issues with Mick. With the help of Fiona and her friends in Carmel, Courtney resolves the mystery surrounding Mike’s death and learns more about the power of fairies.

How can anyone not love a story with a fairy as one of the main characters? References to literary fairies abound, the death was not grizzly and Carmel is a beautiful setting. All in all, a delightful read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinion is my own – I look forward to the next book in the series. In the meantime, I’m reading everything I can by Daryl Wood Gerber.

I wonderful new series! I absolutely loved this book! I can't wait to read more! The characters and location was so enjoyable to read about. I would live to have a store like this near me.

A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber is about believing in something that may or may not exist while keeping up with good faith about your neighbors.

Will Courtney not only help out Fiona but figure out this mystery?

Courtney
Courtney is our primary and point of view character. I loved seeing things through Courtney's eyes. One of the many things that I liked about this book is how Courtney tries to teach the people coming into her shop, and us the readers, about how to make our fairy gardens. The way she lost the touch of seeing fairies to getting the site back to have her thriving business is excellent. Courtney is an only child that has been raised by a retired cop. So, she won't be much trouble for our town cop in this story. The main thing that I like about her is that she doesn't hide her secret about being able to see fairies and doesn't care if that makes her seem weird.

Fiona
Fiona is the resident fairy of Courtney's shop. She is all sorts of trouble for Courtney in all manners of speaking. Not only is she a prankster, but she is on probation, and the fairy queen sent her there to try to make things right. Fiona is a big ball of sunshine and funny qualities to her. She is also very into helping and protecting Courtney along the way as she feels it is her duty. What I like about Fiona is that, not only is she a good fairy, but she likes to help out the kids picking out their things for their fairy gardens.

The Mystery
The mystery is a big wow. One of Courtney's shop neighbors named Mick Watkins was found dead in her shop's patio area in the back. That is where she does all of her classes on how to do certain things and have tea. Detective Summers thinks that she is a suspect, which starts her off with wanting to clear her name. I might have fallen for some of the red herrings, but in my mind, I kind of had an inkling of who did it. That inkling was right. I just didn't think of why it was until the motive came out.

Five Stars
A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber is an excellent start to Ms. Gerber's new series called A Fairy Garden Mystery. I am so intrigued about this whole thing. I love how she did everything from the town set up, to the people living in the village, and of course the existence of fairies. Ms. Gerber has done a fantastic job, and I can't wait to read the next one.

I am giving this book five stars and recommending it to anyone that likes to read paranormal cozy mysteries.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

Synopsis:

Fairy garden store owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into your life. But when uninvited trouble enters her shop, she'll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder . . .

Since childhood, Courtney has loved fairies. After her mother died when Courtney was ten, she lost touch with that feeling of magic. A year ago, at age twenty-nine, she rediscovered it when she left her father's landscaping business to spread her wings and start a fairy garden business and teashop in beautiful Carmel, California. At Open Your Imagination, she teaches garden design and sells everything from fairy figurines to tinkling wind chimes. Now she's starting a book club tea.

But the light of the magical world she's created inside her shop is darkened one night when she discovers neighboring dog-grooming business owner Mick Watkins dead beside her patio fountain. To make matters worse, the police suspect Courtney of the crime. To clear her name and find the real killer, Courtney will have to wing it. But she's about to get a little help from an unexpected source . . . (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well developed and well wounded. Courtney is friendly, curious and smart and she does not back down when things get tough. When she finds a dead body in her shop, and she is the prime suspect, she knows she has to figure out the culprit so she does not land up behind bars. She will have help figuring out the mystery from her friends Meaghan and Joss. And Fiona, Courtney’s fairy, is there to take care of Courtney, help her figure out the killer, and to be friends with Courtney. I enjoyed the relationship between Fiona and Courtney. The secondary characters added a lot to the story and some of them were suspects as well.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The descriptions formed pictures in my mind’s eye and I learned a lot about fairies and fairy gardens. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted mystical cozy mystery. This book was a great beginning for the Fairy Garden mystery series.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Do you believe in fairies. Well why not! If the fanciful does not appeal to you then you will most likely not enjoy this story. I on the other hand am one who enjoys cozys of all types, especially when they include super yummy recipes including recipes for my gluten free friend. Also, if you are a person who loves reading stories in familiar locations and you're a So.Cal. person, then you will like this, as it takes places in beautiful Carmel by the Sea not to be confused with Cardiff by the sea. Carmel is a the perfect setting for a fairy garden/tea shoppe with its fairy tale cottages and galleries at the center of the town. It's a magical place that is just perfect for a magical cozy. Fiona is quite the fairy as she helps Courtney to solve not one but a multitude of mysteries from the murder to hidden doorways and motives aplenty. We all need a little something fanciful in our lives and I think that Daryl Wood Gerber has found a wonderful way to inspire creativity with her latest series. I am always inspired to try her recipes but now I am also thinking about making my own little fairy garden to brighten up my office space. After all we need a little magic in our lives and who wants to work in a dark and drab place. Looking forward to eating the Chocolate Carmel Brownies and I know for a fact that the White Fish with Beurre Blanc Sauce is a winner.

A book with fairies! I enjoyed the magical aspects of this book. The first in a series, there are a lot of characters to keep up with. The ending had a twist with the murderers reason that wasn't in the story.

Gerber fans will enjoy.

A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber is everything I hoped it would be and more! From the moment I saw the cover of this magical read, I knew I was going to love it. Courtney is the owner of Open Your Imagination, a fairy garden store. She has lots of fun events, from book clubs with tea (and live harp music!) out on the patio to learning activities where participants can make their own fairy garden. One minor detail: Courtney can see fairies. Or, at least, her fairy Fiona. 🙂

Courtney is loving her life – she adores her home and is enjoying every aspect of owning her business. That is, until the night she finds a fellow shop owner dead in her courtyard. With the help of her trusty fairy, Fiona, Courtney works to clear her name from the suspect list. I was riveted with this story. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next. I adored all of the details about fairies and the fairy gardens. Ms. Wood Gerber has outdone herself with this first installment in this cozy series. I wasn’t sure how the story was going to play out – there were plenty of red herrings for mystery lovers like me. The magical paranormal details of the story added a fun element that made the book extra enjoyable. I cannot wait for more in this series. It will be an auto-buy for me!

A Sprinkling of Murder is the first in the new series 'A Fairy Garden Mystery' by Daryl Wood Gerber. I've read a couple of the author's books from her 'Cookbook Nook Mystery series' so I decided to give this one a try.

In this fabulous cosy mystery, Courtney Kelly owns a magical fairy garden shop and tearoom, called Open Your Imagination, based in the small town of Carmel, California. She has been able to see the fairies from a very young age but there are some sceptics who don't have her ability. She teaches garden design and sells everything from fairy figurines to tinkling wind chimes and she's starting a book club tea. Courtney's shop is in a larger complex of stores, but when she turns up for work one day, a fellow shopkeeper who runs a dog grooming business is found dead...

The writing style of Daryl Wood Gerber is excellent and even with the plethora of cast members, the story is easy to follow. Narrator Courtney was a great character and I loved her determination and her singlemindedness. I also enjoyed the contributions from the righteous chief fairy, Fiona who helps to solve the case.

The whodunit aspect was great with plenty of opportunities for the most diligent of armchair detectives to play along. Every clue led to a revelation and I really liked the way things were all neatly wrapped up. This tremendously enchanting novel is a hit for me and I am looking forward to reading book two, A Glimmer of a Clue and getting to know all of the characters to a greater degree. If you adore a fantastic cosy mystery with a strong dose of magical realism, don't miss out on A Sprinkling of Murder.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Courtney Kelly believes in fairies, so much so that she’s struck out from under the wing of her disapproving father’s landscaping business in order to open a fairy garden tea room in their seaside town of Carmel, California. In addition to serving teas, Open Your Imagination sells everything you need to build your own fairy garden and bring some of that whimsy and magic home with you. In this, Courtney is ably aided by her shop assistant Joss, her ragdoll kitten Pixie, as well as her righteous fairy Fiona.

Fiona is an honest-to-goodness ethereal spirit though, unsurprisingly, not everyone can see her. She’s on probation with the Fairy Queen due to one mischievous prank too many, and has decided that helping Courtney will help her earn her adult wings and get back into the queen’s good graces. She’s certainly going to have to pull out all the stops when a man is killed in Open Your Imagination’s enclosed courtyard and Courtney takes the blame.

The murdered man, Mick Watkins, was the owner of a neighboring dog-grooming business, and he and Courtney were friendly. Unfortunately, a witness claims to have seen them arguing on the day of his murder. With no concrete alibi for the time of his death, Courtney is seemingly the only person with motive, means and opportunity. Luckily for her, she has a determined fairy in her corner as she sets out to clear her name and bring the real killer to justice.

This honestly would have been a charming murder mystery even without the paranormal element, but the addition of real fairies adds a delightful twist to your standard culinary cozy. Courtney is an engaging heroine backed by a fun, diverse cast, and I’m definitely looking forward to uncovering more of their secrets as the series continues. I also really enjoyed all the descriptions and tips for building a fairy garden included here, and wish I were a better gardener (with less destructive children!) so that I might try my hand at the art form.

It’s some consolation that I can try one of the thirteen recipes listed here instead! As with all of Daryl Wood Gerber’s books, gluten-free dishes are also included. Since I love afternoon tea as a meal, I decided to attempt this yummy treat:

QUOTE
Brie and Strawberry Tea Sandwiches

Yield: 6 full sandwiches; 24 quarter sandwiches

12 slices thin white bread
8 ounces Brie cheese, softened at room temperature, rind removed
⅓ cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon sugar
2-4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
12 fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
More basil leaves for garnish

Trim the crusts from all the slices of bread.

In a bowl, mix the Brie cheese with the mayonnaise, sugar, and basil.

Spread the Brie mixture thinly on all of the slices of bread. Top half of the slices with strawberries. Set the remaining bread slices on top. Cut into rectangles or triangles. If necessary, cover the sandwiches with a damp paper towel or store in a sealed container until needed. You don’t want them to dry out. Garnish with additional basil.
END QUOTE

As you can tell from the pictures, I continue to be terrible at cutting the crusts off of bread, though at least I consoled myself this time with the thought that I’d be using the crusts for bread pudding instead of just tossing them out for the birds. These sandwiches weren’t quite as tidy as is proper for afternoon tea, but did taste quite delicious. I did find that sprinkling the strawberries with a light dusting of sugar helped amp up their flavor, allowing the sweetness to contrast better with the yummy cheese spread. I wonder if I ought to slice and dry-macerate the strawberries first the next time I try to make these sandwiches, to give them a more uniform sweetness throughout. Regardless, this is a dainty, tasty treat for your next afternoon tea!

Next week, we dive into the back catalog of a series I’ve previously reviewed here, heading to the east coast to see how one amateur sleuth got her start solving murders (while baking a tasty treat!) Do join me!

Courtney Kelly loves sharing her belief in the world of fairies with others through her store, Open Your Imagination, where she teaches and sells various items to help with landscaping, to include designing fairy gardens. Her own personal fairy, Fiona, is visible to those who are willing to believe. Unfortunately, not everyone is wild over a shop catering to the imagination and so when another tenant of the Cypress and Ivy Courtyard is found dead in Courtney’s shop, Courtney is immediately a suspect. Can Courtney and Fiona uncover the real killer?

Fairies and cozy mysteries- what a delightful combination! Daryl Wood Gerber tantalizes the imagination as we enter into a world where fairies exist and have goals they have to work on in order to earn their wings. We are given some information on Fiona, but there is still so much more I want to know and can’t wait to learn in future books.

Daryl Wood Gerber is a genius at worldbuilding, crafting towns and stores we want to spend time just perusing the shelves and walking down the streets. The Cypress and Ivy Courtyard and Open Your Imagination are exactly those kind of places. The atmosphere is perfect to believe in fairies and I could practically hear the tinkling of chimes as I turned the pages.

A SPRINKLING OF MURDER is the first book in the Fairy Garden series and what an enchanting start! Daryl Wood Gerber is a long time favorite of mine for cozy mysteries, but A SPRINKLING OF MURDER ups the ante a bit with the magical element of fairies. Readers will delight in the whimsical fairy gardens and peaceful setting of Open Your Imagination, wanting to visit again and again. I can’t wait till the next installment to see what else Daryl Wood Gerber has in store for us!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber is the 1st book in A Fairy Garden Mystery series, and it's off to a great start. I enjoy Ms. Gerber's other series, so I was excited to read this book and I was not disappointed. Courtney loves fairies, she has since she was a little girl. Now she owns a fairy garden store and a tea shop in Carmel, California, named Open Your Imagination. Courtney is doing great, teaching fairy garden design, until she finds a neighboring business owner dead beside her patio fountain, and she becomes the main suspect. This book is magical, and the perfect read for a life escape. I can not wait until the next book comes out. If you enjoy cozy mystery with a little fairy magic, than I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.