Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts
This novel is set in small town Colorado, and begins with mystery author Bailey Briggs returning to the town she grew up in to visit her grandmother, Blossom Briggs (also known as Granny Bee). Bailey was raised by her grandmother and has visited her regularly since she left years before, but this time it has been a couple years since the last visit. Bailey's daughter, twelve-year-old Daisy and their dog Cooper are with her as they run into minor trouble just minutes away from the family farm. She finds herself rescued by a man she hasn't seen in years, Sawyer Dunn.
Granny Bee raises cattle and keeps bees, and has a small store to see the products she makes from her bees. She's had a bad fall, and wants Bailey for support and comfort. As Bailey arrives, she witnesses the dramatic exit of a local man around the same age as her grandmother, Werner Humble, and finds the rest of the local book group waiting inside at the tea table. This group includes Blossom's sisters, Aster and Marigold, the local librarian Dorothy, and Bailey's best friend's mother Rosa. Evie, her best friend, soon arrives on scene to welcome her.
When Bailey stops in at Werner's the following day to return the jacket he left behind, she discovers him dead, and with many witnesses to Blossom's threat to him the previous day, her grandmother is on the list of suspects.
Bailey figures her mystery writing experience gives her some expertise in investigation, and she decides to try to find the real killer to clear her grandmother. The sheriff isn't enthusiastic about her doing this, however, and tries to discourage her. But she has the support of her grandmother's friends, her own best friend, and her daughter. Both the official investigation and Bailey's unearth many more possible suspects as well as the victim's less savory habits.
This is a cozy mystery that looks to be the first in a new series, from the "A Bee Keeping Mystery" on the cover to several plot elements that hint at more information to be unveiled later. Like many cozy mysteries, it also includes a few recipes at the back of the book, many that have honey as an ingredient.
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