Stunning debut has everything you can want in a great mystery.. the little pig in the story helps bring it together and make for a great storyline. Sometimes though the character Charlotte is a protagonist which makes the story boring at times.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley
#netgalley


This was so cute I've never wanted to buy a farm so much of my life. Great characters in the past was superb.

I love a cozy mystery, but this one fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed the premise, but I guessed the killer very early in the book. I also felt like the author was writing “A Series of Unlikeable Characters”. Very few of the secondary characters are likable. Horse is my favorite character, and a very smart pig. He is one of the bright spots in the book.

Even though this was not my favorite book, I would give the series another chance.

I received a copy of this book for free via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fun read but unsustainable plot device with the baby pig which continually bothered me the entire read. It was otherwise fine, but a baby pig stays small for a very small amount of time and then that piglet is large and in charge. How will that work going forward?

Join Charlotte and her sidekick Horse the pig as they attempt to figure out the murder of a fellow strawberry farmer! A great mystery with a fulfilling ending!

'Strawberries and Crime' was such a miss for me. It is the first book I have read by Elle Brooke White, and I feel as if I was really missing something. I found no justification for the characters, newcomers to the community, to take it upon themselves to interview/investigate every farmer. Overall the characters were unlikeable to me. I found the whole book unbelievable. Perhaps if I'd read the first in the series it would make more sense, but i have no motivation to go back and read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

2nd book in Strawberries and Crime


Charlotte Finn was left the family farm when her uncle passed away. She has two best friends Beau and Diane that follow her to the farm to make it a money making operation. She has a mini pig that she named Horse because he eats like one follow her every where she goes. They are getting ready for the Strawberry harvest when Charlotte goes to town and finds the old time farmers in a heated dispute and she and Beau join in. Beau gets knocked to the ground by Linc and called pretty boy. Beau wants to go to Linc’s and talk to him, so he and Charlotte go out to his farm and they find him hanging from the rafters. Beau becomes the number one suspect. Things start happening on Charlottes farm, so she starts investigating with Horse and getting in trouble with the Police. But she is determined to find the killer to clear Beau’s name. I was shocked by who the killer was.
The author did a great job of leading you in different directions.

I requested this book and received a free temporary ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Than you!

I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Things are finally growing smoothly on the Finn Family Farm. With the help of caretakers Joe and Alice Wong and farmer Samuel Brown, Charlotte Finn is starting to feel at home at the Santa Barbara County produce farm she inherited. But all is not strawberries and cream: A blight is destroying young berry plants. Worse, another mysterious death is shaking Little Acorn. This is a fun series with great characters and animals.

#StrawberriesandCrime #NetGalley

A delightful fun read. Love the pig! Lots of suspects to choose from without overcrowding. Characters are loveable. Great story plot! I want more of this series! Thanks #netgalley and #Crookedlanebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🍓🍓🍓🍓/5

This book is...

🍓 An easy read. The writing is descriptive and flows smoothly.

🍓 Well researched. The pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals described in the book are used in real strawberry farms across California.

🍓 Fast paced. The murder is well plotted and the suspects are plenty. You will be trying to guess who the killer is until the very end.

🍓Engaging. The characters are well developed and believable. Charlotte has a take charge attitude and is extremely likable. Horse and Mrs. Robinson are clever (and adorable) sidekicks that add humor and charm.

🍓🍓🍓🍓 Recommended to anyone who loves the cozy mystery genre, enjoys a clean read or just wants a good murder mystery.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the book and that was mostly due to our protagonist, Charlotte. I’d say she was precocious, but she’s way too old for that and she just rubbed me the wrong way; she felt a bit too entitled and passionate, but in a smug way. If not for her, I think I’d enjoy the book more; the side characters were all fun, the animals cute, good farm facts, and the mystery fairly entertaining. Also, this needs an editor as there were quite a few grammatical mistakes that need to be rectified.

The Finn Family Farm is finally getting ready to open their farm to table restaurant. With their crops playing a key role in the restaurant, it becomes disconcerting when Charlotte and Beau become involved in a conversation at the garden center that focuses on someone destroying the early strawberry crops. Beau tried to calm down two men who were having a heated conversation but angry words are hard to take back. But Charlotte and Beau commit to finding out what is happening to the crops and strike out to speak with local farmers.

On their first stop to one of them angry farmers at the garden center, Beau finds the man dead in his barn. While it looks like a suicide, the police soon declare it a homicide. What have Charlotte and Beau gotten themselves into now? With the help of her friends and her pig, Horse, Charlotte keeps digging and won’t wither away in her quest.

It’s been a year since the first book came out and I was excited to see the second installment come out. I love Horse and the animals on the farm, so it was a welcome site. The story is well written and has enough red herrings to keep you guessing until close to the end. I only wish the author had someone proof read her writing along the way…the grammar and spelling are are atrocious and that is one of my pet peeves.

amateur-sleuth, family, family-dynamics, friendship, law-enforcement, pet, sabotage, murder, murder-investigation, rural, farming*****

I love the subtle humor of having a mini pig named Horse who understands and even sleeps with main character Charlotte Finn! I did read the first book, but I think that this one can stand alone. Charlotte left the ad world in Chicago when her relative left her a strawberry farm in northern California and two of her childhood friends came along to follow their own dreams. But there is crop sabotage, a murder, a sheriff who is wise to Charlotte's (and Horse's) sleuthing, and an assortment of suspects. The whodunit is a good one and the characters certainly are. No need for spoilers or plot summary, just enjoy some time away from reality with this one! Loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Strawberries and Crime is book 2 of the Finn Family Farm Mystery Series.

Charlotte and her sleuthing baby pig are back on the scene to solve another mystery. The farm is finally running smoothly due in part to caretakers Joe and Alice, and farmer Sam. However, a body is found and it's not what it seems. Of course, Chief Goodacre suspects foul play. and unfortunately, it's Charlotte boyfriend.

There is enough twists and turns to keep you wanting more. Great loveable characters and a surprise ending.