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Customer Reviews for Barbour Publishing Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Barbour Publishing Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Paige is thrilled to secure a landscaping contract sprucing up the park for the upcoming "Pickle Fest." But when she bickers with a town official---and a day later he's discovered dead in a mound of mulch---she finds herself in . . . well, a pickle! With no alibi, can she prove her innocence? 256 pages, softcover from Barbour.
Average Customer Rating:
(8 Reviews) 8
Rating Snapshot (8 reviews)
5 stars
5
4 stars
2
3 stars
1
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8 out of 8100%customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Review 1 for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Overall Rating:
Fun, easy read
Date:February 26, 2013
terilyn
In Nipped in the Bud by Susan Sleeman, Paige Turner, landscape designer, has accepted her first big project, renovating the local park in preparation for the city’s annual Pickle Fest celebration. After a confrontation with the city manager, Paige finds him dead in a mound of mulch at the job site, can provide no alibi for herself, and is considered the prime suspect in his murder. As Paige fights to prove her innocence, she finds herself distracted by the “dazzling smile” and other physical attributes of her attorney, Adam Hayes.
In addition to mystery and romance, the author weaves play-on-word humor throughout the book as Paige, host of a local radio show, gives gardening advice that is misunderstood by callers.
I found this book to be an fun, easy read.
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Review 2 for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Overall Rating:
Date:October 29, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Paige Turner is a landscaper that is thrilled to land a contract fixing up the park for the upcoming Pickle Fest in Serendipity, Oregon. But when she finds the mayor dead in a pile of her mulch in the park, she becomes the primary suspect in his murder. Her friends hire lawyer Adam Hayes to keep her out of jail and aid her in solving the case before it's too late. With no alibi, Paige sees no way out out except to find the killer herself. Is it the pharmacist who has something to hide about their former mayor? Or is it the librarian with a secret in her past? Or does the wife have any reason to make herself a widow?
This mystery was quite the amusing one, what with the name of Paige Turner and the Pickle Festival. I was quite bemused with the opening paragraph in each chapter, and the news station Paige gives gardening advice on is always getting the strangest callers. At first, I couldn't seem to get into the story. The beginning paragraphs confused me more than interested me, and the story felt as if it was moving slow as molasses. But somewhere before the half-way mark, it finally captured my attention and kept me all the way to the end. A good read, and a good mystery.
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Review 3 for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Overall Rating:
Really Fun!
Date:October 8, 2011
amzdbyGod
Location:Phoenix, AZ
Age:55-65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
An easy book to read, fun and lighthearted. Loved the mystery with a little romance on the side. Good character development made for likable character, easy to identify with.
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Review 4 for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Overall Rating:
Murder Investigation set in Quirky Humor!
Date:November 29, 2010
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
Paige Turner returned to her hometown after receiving her degree in landscaping, and opened her own shop, The Garden Gate. She also hosts KALM’s radio broadcast, Through the Garden Gate, with her producer friend, Lisa Winkle.
Paige won her first landscaping job of sprucing up the city park in time for the Pickle Fest, fencing off the area. Returning to the site, she engages in an argument with the city manager, Bud Pickleman, about the lack of a proper security fence. She screamed at Bud in a menacing way about his interference at the site. The following day, Bud was found dead in a mound of mulch at Paige’s landscaping site. Police Chief Mitch Lawson, an old classmate with a grudge, is out to handcuff and jail her for Bud’s murder. She hires Attorney Adam Hayes to defend her, find the real killer, and keep her out of jail.
Not only is this a good murder mystery, with a great plot and plenty of suspects, Susan throws in a quirky, humorous radio show at the beginning of each chapter to offset the seriousness of the murder investigation. The call-ins have a rare, slap-stick comedy. A unique way to downplay the tension.
The suspicious behaviors, multiple arguments, and grudges will have you guessing who the murderer is. Almost everyone seems to be suspect in some way. The plot kept me interested through the whole book. The essence of romantic tension brings another element of delight while all the while trying to solve the murder. Definitely a fun read! Way to go, Susan!
This book was provided by Susan Sleeman in exchange for my honest review.
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Review 5 for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Overall Rating:
A wonderful murder mystery with romance and humor!
Date:November 1, 2010
bookwormjan
Location:Friendswood, TX
Age:55-65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:
Paige Turner has secured her first landscaping contract, sprucing up the city park for the upcoming Pickle Fest. But the day after a confrontation with the city manager, she finds him dead in a mound of mulch. With no alibi for the time of death and, according to the police chief, with plenty of motive to carry out the murder, Paige must dig her way out of the mess by finding the real killer. Attorney Adam Hayes aids in her search as he works hard to keep her out of jail….and his heart.
Paige Turner has secured her first landscaping contract, sprucing up the city park for the upcoming Pickle Fest. But the day after a confrontation with the city manager, she finds him dead in a mound of mulch. With no alibi for the time of death and, according to the police chief, with plenty of motive to carry out the murder, Paige must dig her way out of the mess by finding the real killer. Attorney Adam Hayes aids in her search as he works hard to keep her out of jail….and his heart.
I loved this book! Susan has done such a great job of putting together suspense, humor, murder, and romance in one book! In addition to Paige having a landscaping company, she also has a morning radio program called, “Through the Garden Gate”. She gets some real strange characters calling in to her program. At the beginning of each chapter you get a little clip from the radio show. I got a real chuckle from these!
Susan’s characters are so true to life and her descriptions of the scenes take you right “in there”. I could picture every scene. I love books like this, where the writing is so good that the reader can be there, seeing everything just like the author wrote it! The suspense kept me wanting to read to see who killed Bud. It is not one of those books where the killer is obvious. I really loved that!
Adam, Paige’s attorney, is drawn to her but due to his professionalism wants to keep the relationship neutral. Paige is very “smitten” with Adam but hasn’t had the best luck with relationships in the past. Susan did a great job of writing their relationship.
I gave this book 5 stars! It might even deserve 6! I would highly recommend it if you’re wanting a good suspense/murder with some romance and a little humor sprinkled in.
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Review 6 for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Overall Rating:
Nipped in the Bud
Date:October 29, 2010
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Paige Turner is a gardening expert who hosts her own radio show, runs a nursery, and has placed a successful bid on the city’s gardening projects. However, she runs into trouble with a disgruntled city employee starts harassing her the first day on the job.
When Bud is later found dead, buried under Paige’s pile of mulch, with her shovel identified as the murder weapon, Paige suddenly finds herself a “Person of Interest” with the police with no alibi.
Paige’s best friend, Lisa, is married to a lawyer who knows a criminal lawyer, and she brings Adam in to represent Paige. Bet despite the strong attraction between Adam and Paige, it may not be enough to keep Paige from being convicted. Will Paige be able to find the real killer in time?
NIPPED IN THE BUD is a cozy mystery. I’m so glad to know that Barbour has not completely discontinued their cozy mystery line, they just discontinued mass-market portion of it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading NIPPED IN THE BUD and laughed out loud at portions of it, especially the excerpts from the radio show. She had some really wacky callers. Paige is a very aggressive, confident heroine that even made her best friend uncomfortable at times, but definitely helped to keep the pages turning (no pun intended) as I never knew what she would say next. I also didn’t guess who the real killer was until right before it was revealed.
If you are looking for a cozy mystery that will keep you laughing and guessing, then make sure you pick up NIPPED IN THE BUD.
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Review 7 for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Overall Rating:
Good Mystery, Excellent Satire
Date:October 11, 2010
Donn Taylor
Location:Texas
Age:Over 65
Gender:male
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Susan Sleeman’s “Nipped in the Bud” is a delightful light-hearted mystery populated with striking and often amusing characters. Her heroine, Paige Turner, is a professional gardener, and many elements of the narrative—including some that are outright funny—derive from gardening. (Paige characterizes the people she meets according to the plants they remind her of.) The author has an excellent ear for language and wordplay, and her satire of radio call-in shows alone would make the book worth reading. The mystery itself is well-plotted, but the comedy and satire are so well done that they almost overshadow it. All in all, the novel should bring pleasure not only to adults, but to readers down to junior-high level. Susan Sleeman is a writer with exceptional skill, and I look forward to her subsequent books.
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Review 8 for Nipped in the Bud, Hometown Mysteries Series
Overall Rating:
Awesome story, Susan Sleeman thrills again
Date:October 9, 2010
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
Nipped in the Bud
Susan Sleeman
2010
Hometown Mysteries from Barbour
Fiction/Mystery/Suspense
Susan Sleeman
2010
Hometown Mysteries from Barbour
Fiction/Mystery/Suspense
Reviewed by Cindy Loven
Nipped in the Bud is a fun novel that you will not want to put down, Susan Sleeman has captured a quirky character in Paige Turner, a landscaper, who seems to attract even more quirky listeners to her radio show. Each chapter begins with the transcript of a call from her radio show, which will have you in stitches laughing.
Paige Turner, a local girl come home from the big city, is the owner of a landscaping business, and also the host of a radio program. Finally landing a big contract with the city, for the upcoming Picklefest, Paige is thwarted by the city manager Bud Picklemann, who seems determined to get her fired. Loosing her temper, and threatening him, Paige never dreams it will come back to haunt her within hours, when Bud is found dead in her work area. The local police chief seems to have it in for her, holding a grudge against her over something from their high school days. Paige has to find out who killed Bud, before she is sent to jail. Her handsome young lawyer seems to distract her with his good looks, but more than that, he is determined to hire a professional investigator, which angers Paige.
An exciting book you will want to finish quickly you do not want to miss this book. Susan Sleeman has once again shown that she is a gifted author. 243 pages US $10.99 4 stars.
Learn more about Susan Sleeman at her website. Also check out the contest she is hosting at The Suspense Zone.
This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.
Paige Turner, a local girl come home from the big city, is the owner of a landscaping business, and also the host of a radio program. Finally landing a big contract with the city, for the upcoming Picklefest, Paige is thwarted by the city manager Bud Picklemann, who seems determined to get her fired. Loosing her temper, and threatening him, Paige never dreams it will come back to haunt her within hours, when Bud is found dead in her work area. The local police chief seems to have it in for her, holding a grudge against her over something from their high school days. Paige has to find out who killed Bud, before she is sent to jail. Her handsome young lawyer seems to distract her with his good looks, but more than that, he is determined to hire a professional investigator, which angers Paige.
An exciting book you will want to finish quickly you do not want to miss this book. Susan Sleeman has once again shown that she is a gifted author. 243 pages US $10.99 4 stars.
Learn more about Susan Sleeman at her website. Also check out the contest she is hosting at The Suspense Zone.
This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.
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