I liked the characters and the plot, but the pacing was slow for my tastes (I tend to read edgier mystery/thrillers so it may just be what I'm used to). Will read more in this series. ( )

Keeping a reader’s interest is paramount in a cozy. Farmed and Dangerous, Edith Maxwell’s cozy offers Cameron Flaherty, a young woman who takes on her elderly uncle’s organic farm when he goes into a senior home. Challenges for Cam occur in making the farm “a go” and when she delivers fresh vegetables for the senior home’s dinner menu, one of its residents dies of poison. The story escalates as Cam becomes involved in a mystery of who done it, endangering herself and her state police boyfriend. The unraveling plot will cause you to want to stay a bit longer in the sun, for this cozy offers enjoyable characters, suspense, and a value of information on organic farming. ( )

I am generally not a big reader of murder mysteries but once in a blue moon one will tickle my fancy. When offered Farmed and Dangerous I was intrigued by the setting of this novel – a farm! Of course I would enjoy a tale such as this, right? This is part of a series of cozy mysteries – no blood, no gore – involving Cam Flaherty and the denizens of her small town.

In this volume Cam is again caught up in a murder mystery when someone at the local Assisted Living Facility is found dead after eating a meal made with vegetables and other products from her farm. This woman, Bev Montgomery, was an unpleasant woman and she and Cam had a difficult relationship. To cap things off Cam’s boyfriend is the state police officer investigating and since she is “person of interest” they can’t see each other until the case is solved.

I really enjoyed the farm discussions and the sections about the different vegetables and how to grow things organically. It almost felt like I was in the middle of a conversation with my husband. Books like this are not meant to be deep and thoughtful but rather to be fluffy and entertaining and this one succeeds on that point. It’s never overly suspenseful but I enjoyed the characters and the setting. It was a lovely break from the heavier tomes I had read a couple of weeks ago. I’d happily revisit with the characters again. ( )

Cameron Flaherty owns her uncle's farm which she has decided to convert to certified organic. It means more work, but in the end, she knows it will be worth it. She has just landed the opportunity to provide her uncle's care facility with fresh greens for a meal, and hopes that the result will be a contract to provide for them permanently.

Well, permanently is certainly the right word, but it's not a contract. One of the residents, Bev Montgomery, has permanently checked out of the home after eating a meal made with Cam's vegetables. Since she becomes a suspect in the murder, her budding relationship with Detective Pete Pappas is being put on hold, and he's telling her they need to distance themselves until all this is cleared up. Stung, Cam believes it's unfair, and even though Pete tells her to stay out of the investigation, she knows she won't, especially after her uncle is injured in a fall and she thinks it might have been an attack by Bev's killer.

Then things begin to really come undone: Her relationship with Pete is at a standstill, she has trouble on the farm, and she finds herself in the killer's sights. While no real attempts are made on her life, the more she finds out about Bev's murder, the more she puts herself in true danger.

I thought this was a splendid read. The characters were well-developed, and we are allowed at all times to see into Cam's thoughts and feelings, which is indeed refreshing. She is doing her best to make sure her uncle is well-taken care of, and also trying to make her farm a go. At the same time, she is building relationships that will benefit her in the long run, and making new friends who are willing to help her out when it's needed, since she no longer has a hired hand on her farm.

The mystery was well-written and the reasons behind the murder were completely plausible and I enjoyed the way everything came together at the end. Cam proved herself to be quite capable and not hen-witted (pun intended). I didn't discover the killer until right before Cam did, and that in itself is a good sign. This is the third book in the series but you don't need to read the first two to enjoy it. Recommended. ( )

Farmed and Dangerous, a Local Foods Mystery, is the third entry in a series just keeps getting better and better.

Cam is delightful as she struggles with surviving her first winter of organic farming and supplying the community-supported agriculture program (CSA). She’s still a software geek at heart, but that expertise comes in pretty handy in running her farm and trying to solve the mystery she has been thrown into. She is becoming more comfortable with the CSA members – except Bev Montgomery, no one is comfortable with her! – and feels at home with the locals. There is also a hint (or maybe more than a hint) of romance for her. The recurring supporting characters continue to develop and make us care what happens to them.

The winter scenes were so realistic I was cold just reading them. The organic farming information is fascinating as always, and Edith Maxwell sneaks those facts in in such a way that you don’t even realize you are learning.

The recipes – try them! Every time I read a description of meal in the book I wanted to stop reading and try it. Delicious food.

I received an ARC from the author but a review was not expected. This is a great series and I would recommend it. You can read Farmed and Dangerous as a stand-alone but even better, go back to the beginning and see how Cam began on the farm. ( )