Mabel Skinner has inherited her late aunt’s farm, and here begins to use the lavender field as a backdrop for summer weddings in the third ‘Garlic Farm Mystery’.  While this was my first visit, I knew I’d adore the setting of LAID OUT IN LAVENDER.

Western Massachusetts seems to have a lovely climate, if warm in summer, and the wedding rehearsal is sustained by iced tea and light buffet snacks. Mabel is quite shy, and her city career as an app developer suited her personality. Now she is forced to come out of her shell. Her skills aren’t greatly relevant to farming. She’s been thinking of hiring a farm manager, so she can hie off back to the city, but that isn’t going so well because she only has enough land to suit a hobby farm. Luckily, friendly neighbour Emily with her goat-farming is supplying tips and encouragement, as well as goats’ cheese for the buffet. The voraciously hungry best man Thad Dalton is found dead after eating the food before anyone else. Mabel had been tangling with him and with a nosey reporter, so she becomes unwillingly involved in the investigation. Unusually, the story takes place over two days.

Donna Markos, the kindly bride whose kids don’t want her to remarry, and Stan Bellingham, the workaholic groom, are different personalities. They are matched by over-the-top Paige Middleton, wedding planner. Having matters go wrong isn’t so bad, if competent people handle the problems. Paige is inexperienced and can’t handle anything. She has a meltdown when the logical Mabel asks if the wedding is to continue as scheduled.

I like farmhand Terry Earley very much; he’s a well-informed agri student and it’s not hard to guess his first full time job in the future of this series, might be managing the garlic, rhubarb, squash and lavender farm which he’s been diligently planting. Detective O’Connor is another matter entirely. If I never read about him again it will be too soon. The man giggles stupidly at inappropriate moments and has no social skills. Maybe the author Gin Jones chose to write him this way as a counterpoint to amateur sleuth series which show the detective as a potential love interest. Mabel has a local gentleman who is interested in her, but she has no intention of putting down roots. Or does she? Let’s say the farm is growing on her. LAID OUT IN LAVENDER contains a couple of recipes to make your own garlic pesto, sauce and more.  Fans of the series will be delighted and newcomers can have good fun.

Book Summary