TAKE THE HONEY AND RUN

When a Colorado beekeeper's honey causes the death of her small town's mayor, her mystery-writing granddaughter tries to clean up the mess.

As Bailey Briggs speeds toward her Granny Bee’s mountain home and beekeeping ranch in Humble Hills, she knows she’s in big trouble. Not only has she not visited Honeybuzz Mountain, her childhood home, in more than two years, but now she’s late to high tea. Trying to cut corners by passing the world’s slowest tractor on the way only leads to trouble: She and her 12-year-old daughter, Daisy, wind up stuck in a ditch, leaving the tractor’s driver to rescue and shuttle them the rest of the way. Oh, and that driver is Sawyer Dunn, whom Bailey hasn’t seen since the two of them joy-rode a tractor into trouble years ago. Things get even more embarrassing when Daisy announces that she’s heard her mom talk about Sawyer, their young love, and how cute he was. Bailey’s relieved for a change of subject when she finally arrives at Granny Bee’s just in time to see her grandmother chasing mayor and local lothario Werner Humble off her property after an unwelcome advance. Granny’s threats to Werner’s health and well-being seem figurative and entirely warranted until the next morning, when Bailey discovers that Werner’s had a fatal allergic reaction to Granny Bee’s hot spiced honey (recipe included). When Bailey calls the police for help, she learns that Sawyer is the man in charge on the force. Can she use her skills as a mystery writer to rescue Granny Bee from suspicion in this sticky mess?

All things cozy come together with a bow in this well-done series “bee-ginning.”