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Spicetown Mysteries #2

A Bell in the Garden

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When the owner of a new business digs up buried bones on opening day, the rumor mill in Spicetown comes alive!

Mayor Cora Mae Bingham and Police Chief Conrad Harris are faced with the Chamber of Commerce President on a rampage, the sweet biscotti-baking neighbor living a lie, the notorious town floozy being misunderstood and everyone in town speculating about who is missing.

Figuring out who the bones belong to will open up the cold cases in Spicetown and unearth all the old gossip that was never truly buried. Cora Mae and Chief Harris learn a few things about their fellow citizens along the way.

270 pages, ebook

Published March 5, 2019

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Sheri Richey

28 books97 followers

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5 stars
183 (50%)
4 stars
121 (33%)
3 stars
47 (13%)
2 stars
8 (2%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Shirley Chapel.
633 reviews129 followers
March 15, 2024
I enjoyed reading book two as much as I enjoyed the first book and maybe more . I loved the characters, well except for Miriam Landry. If you read this book you will know why I say that. This is a clean cozy mystery. This time someone actually died and nobody knew what happened to the deceased till years later. I love the smooth flow of the story. Readers get to follow Spicetown Chief of Police Conrad Harris around as he follows clues to get to the bottom of why human bones were found buried in a garden at the local nursery. I was flipping pages and glued to the book because I didn’t want to miss anything. Readers are kept guessing till the last chapter. I thought the ending came too soon and left a few things up in the air. A few unanswered questions. I’m hoping these unanswered questions will be answered in book three.

I recommend this book to readers of Cozy Mystery and clean read books.

I read a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are completely my own.
Profile Image for Jerri Cachero.
632 reviews48 followers
March 16, 2019
A new favorite cozy mystery for my shelf!

A Bell in the Garden has everything I enjoy in a cozy - wonderfully developed characters, humor, friends and family that have their own interesting storylines and a mystery that keeps you guessing!

When human remains are discovered on a nursery/landscaping site, Cora Mae and Conrad are presented with two classic questions - who is buried there and why? The path to the answer will keep you hooked!

The two main characters, Cora Mae (Mayor of Spicetown) and Conrad (Police Chief) have a refreshingly witty and lovely friendship. They work together to keep the town safe. With each book, we meet more residents and become more invested in the "goings on" in Spicetown. I love the fact that Cora Mae and Conrad are a little older (50's - like me!) and both are easy to relate to.

Reading the series is like visiting with old friends and catching up on their lives. In Spicetown, that can include murder and mystery! I encourage you to start with the first book, "Welcome to Spicetown" because you don't want to miss any time with these characters. I can't wait for the next "visit"!
Profile Image for Arlene.
587 reviews9 followers
March 27, 2019
I haven't read a mystery story in a while. This is one is pretty good. Simple plot, lots of characters but easily understood.
Profile Image for Fariba.
226 reviews86 followers
January 26, 2024
Upon finishing Welcome to Spicetown by Sheri Richey, I immediately picked up the sequel, A Bell in the Garden. I am obsessed with this series. The police chief and the mayor of Spicetown make a great sleuthing duo. Book 2 was even more suspenseful than Book 1.

---Synopsis---
When Bryan, the owner of a garden center in Spicetown, finds the skeleton of a man on his land, the county reopens a cold case. The coroner determines that the remains belong to a neighbor’s husband. As Mayor Cora Mae Bingham and Police Chief Conrad Harris help the sheriff investigate the murder, they discover that the victim had a messy relationship to several women in Spicetown. Could one of them have bumped him off?

---Thoughts---
As I mentioned in my intro, I sped through the last 50 pages of this novel. The back-to-back interrogations that Conrad conducts propel the story to its surprising conclusion. If you like mysteries that are heavily focused on interrogation and the suspects’ stories, you will enjoy A Bell in the Garden.

It was also good to see Bryan grow a backbone in this book and stand up for himself when the county damages his plants.

My only complaint has to do with the sheer number of suspects. I frequently found it hard to keep track of the names of all of the victim’s family members and past affairs. If you decide to read this book you might want to keep a notepad and pen on hand. I was particularly tripped up by the two M-named characters in the book. It was hard to distinguish between the women, especially since they both were closely tied to the victim.

I do not usually binge read series, however I read the first two books in less than two weeks and can’t wait to pick up Book 3. This is a great KU series that deserves much more attention than it has hitherto received.

-For more cozy mystery reviews, check out my blog Cozy Mystery Reads
245 reviews1 follower
May 26, 2021
A Bell Garden

Great book and fun to read. Some characters are just fun to listen to. Conrad and his cohort are great.
174 reviews
October 16, 2021
So entertaining

So many twists and turns, laced with new businesses, stories, and, of course, a little romance. The ending was great, read it to see how it turns out.
Profile Image for Christine Goodnough.
Author 4 books16 followers
September 8, 2020
A very well written, compelling story about mayor Cora Mae and Police chief Conrad (Connie, she calls him.) These two seemed to spend an amazing amount of time together in this story, dealing with the perplexing mystery of "whose bones." I read on eagerly, suspecting this person or that person, but the ending plot twists were totally unexpected.

The two main characters seemed to go back and forth so long in their investigation, learning so little, but I think this is a reality of police work. And I do wish there'd been a bit more play out at the end. I got drawn into the victim's family situation and would have been glad to hear a few more details of what happened with them after.

I'm eager to read the next book in the series!
385 reviews82 followers
September 23, 2020
This cozy mystery kept me guessing as the Grand Opening of the Nursery was plagued by the uncovering of a long forgotten mystery. Getting to the bottom of this one required digging for answers from 18 years ago!

Sheri Richey has done a great job of putting together a fun cast of interesting characters. The perfect group to handle a small town mystery.

Nicole KandeLind’s performance kept me entertained throughout.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.
Profile Image for Mary L..
Author 8 books43 followers
May 3, 2021
A Bell in the Garden is a perfect title

Talk about mystery and suspense! This book has it! If that is your favorite flavor on book genre, then by all means read this book. I did figure out who the bones came from right before I read it, but how it all came out in the end was not expected.
106 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2022
A Death This Time

One of the things I like best about Spicetown and the people is that the mystery does not involve murder. This mystery does involve a death this time, but a least it wasn’t current and not a deliberate murder. Hang tight Sheri Richey…don’t need a monthly murder in town to create a mystery.
1,045 reviews4 followers
April 18, 2019
Great read

Book two and I'm hooked I can't wait till the next if you love a great cozy with characters you will love and a story that keeps you turning the page then this series Sheri Richey is a must read
76 reviews1 follower
November 13, 2020
2nd Spicetown book I’ve read

I really enjoyed this book. It caught my interest immediately. I found it cute that street names were spices and so was the hotel. Cora and Connie make quite a team. I’m looking forward to reading more in the series.
April 29, 2022
Great small town mystery

I have read the first book
in this series and enjoyed it so bought this one as well such was also very good. I loved the small town atmosphere and likable characters. If you like a good mystery then you will enjoy A BELL in the Garden by Sheri Richey
89 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2019
Excellent Book!

I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it. The story draws you in and makes you feel you are a part of the story
Profile Image for Sharon.
214 reviews
May 15, 2019
Another hit.

Goodreads has the page count wrong. It goes to 303.
Profile Image for Sheila Mayfield.
9 reviews1 follower
September 2, 2020
Very nice

Really enjoying these books they have been wonderful with not profanity or sex or gory detail. Welcome change for a world on edge right now!!!
410 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2021
Great read

This was one twist after another! Very well written and definitely a good mystery, where you couldn't begin to guess who the bad guy was.
Profile Image for Christy.
688 reviews
August 10, 2021
A great series so far without any profanity and squeaky clean! Our two leads are Cora Mae and Conrad who are both older main characters and the town and the mysteries that follow.
Profile Image for Carol G. Nye.
28 reviews1 follower
November 7, 2021
A Fun story

I like the plot Ms. Richey developed. It is simple but intriguing. I am looking forward to the next one.
Profile Image for CarolKat.
2,170 reviews24 followers
November 16, 2023
As this book opens Mayor Cora Mae Beckham is looking for the Spicaccheer Grant. Amanda Morgan her trusty assistant has been a bit scattered as she helps Bryan prepare for the grand opening of the Nursery and Landscaping part of his business.

As opening time approaches Amanda is close to panic and Bryan is about to transplant some baby trees up the hill. She's got Sam with the barbeque grill and then their neighbor Mavis arrives with Biscotti and to help out.

Bryan comes back to the house as Amanda's getting a platter for the biscotti, it seems he found something buried on the hill that he thinks may be human bones. Amanda tries to reason with him saying they're probably horse bones from before the tree farm was started but Bryan isn't so sure and wants to call someone. Amanda talks him out of it at least until later. He actually waits until the Mayor and Chief Conrad 'Connie' Harris arrive and then he shows them what he found.

Upon seeing what Bryan found, Conrad calls the county and Alice the coroner would be coming. They don't wait like Conrad requested but they do manage to keep things mostly away from the opening.

Once folks start finding out, speculation goes rampant as to who the remains could be. Missing person reports are pulled and the search begins for a match.

Lots of surprises in this one, and I really love how the relationship between Bryan and Amanda has grown. I also love the relationship Cora and Conrad have; you can tell they are the best of friends. I kind of hope they get together as well. However, they might just be too close for that relationship to change.

I am already reading the next book.
1,192 reviews
Read
November 10, 2023
See note.

Amazon synopsis:
When the owner of a new business digs up buried bones on opening day, the rumor mill in Spicetown comes alive!

Mayor Cora Mae Bingham and Police Chief Conrad Harris are faced with the Chamber of Commerce President on a rampage, the sweet biscotti-baking neighbor living a lie, the notorious town floozy being misunderstood and everyone in town speculating about who is missing.

Figuring out who the bones belong to will open up the cold cases in Spicetown and unearth all the old gossip that was never truly buried. Cora Mae and Chief Harris learn a few things about their fellow citizens along the way.
57 reviews2 followers
May 16, 2019
Entertaining and Cozy

Entertaining. Drags a bit, but enjoyable, and a good relationship between the mayor and police chief of Spicetown, which adds humor and a generous glob of humor.

It troubled me a bit that the medical examiner's initial finding on the body didn't seem to match the final cause of death, but I may have misremembered the blunt force trauma and evidence of an injury that didn't match the victim.

Regardless of fact or my misunderstanding, the story was engaging and I'm glad I read it.
Profile Image for Dallass.
2,039 reviews
April 12, 2022
Two, and done.

Well, I gave this series another chance, but I didn’t enjoy the second book much more than I liked the first. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Cora and Conrad were very interesting characters that had a real connection. However, I just wasn’t enthused about much else. It’s not poorly written, yet it just doesn’t appeal to me.

2.5 stars ⭐️
555 reviews1 follower
October 13, 2021
Great characters.

I finished the first book in this series and purchased the second immediately. The characters are refreshingly normal people that you can care about. This story, though an interesting plot, was not as good as the first book. I will read more in this series.
181 reviews1 follower
October 26, 2021
Frustrating ending.

My major complaint is that the story ends abruptly with no real resolution. I felt left hanging. I think the implicit should have been made explicit. OI want to know the aftermath and how everyone reacted and how they were affected. Maybe in the next book.
57 reviews
March 3, 2023
Liked this book!

It was a light mystery with many twists. I had no idea of the murderer until it was revealed. My favorite part is the newspaper article at the end of each story. Very enjoyable book. On to book three.
779 reviews5 followers
October 12, 2021
As always this is just my opinion and only matters to me. The author threw in a lot of fluff to distract the reader. Things that should be addressed aren’t.
738 reviews2 followers
March 9, 2024
Who do the bones belong to??? Who killed Howard and why??? Asthma??? I enjoyed this story and recommendeed the book.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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