Kiss Your Strawberries Goodbye

Sonny Littlefield #1

by Nina DeGraff

Theft, extortion, homicide — there’s no end to the talents of the new men in photographer Sonny Littlefield’s life. Ever since she moved to the strawberry and sheep farm that she inherited from her biological father, her problems have been piling her cousins keep robbing her house, she’s rapidly going broke, and she hasn’t had a date in months. Her top priority is figuring out who left a skeleton hand and threatening note in her ramshackle barn. Somebody in Gracious, Maine, is turning human remains into playthings, and it’s all Sonny can do to keep from ending up a pile of bones herself as her search for answers shoots her straight to the top of a killer’s target list.

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2018

About the author

People have described Nina DeGraff’s writing as funny, suspenseful, and very real. During her travels to jungles, coral reefs, and other destinations in search of adventure, Nina’s practical side endeavors to maintain control. The rest of her is a plucky photographer with a ridiculous amount of optimism, and a fascination for the unknown. It seemed natural to wrap her unique real-life experiences into a mystery series.

Her Sonny Littlefield novels are based on the years she and her husband raised sheep and horses on a small organic farm in rural Maine. In writing the series, she draws heavily on her own brushes with disaster, moments when she pressed her luck too far, even the time she brought a tip to the police and ended up helping them solve a crime.

Nina loves photographing animals and scenes that she can use in her art. At the same time, she pays close attention to atmospheric details that enable her to bring a sense of realism to her writing.

Her nature audio tracks are available through most major streaming services. One of her albums gives readers a chance to experience wild Maine for themselves: “Nature Sounds, Maine & Florida,” features a track of a loon call on a Maine lake, a wild pond at dusk, and birds that were recorded in locations very close to where the Sonny Littlefield Mystery series takes place.

Examples of her photos and videos are on her website, www.ninadegraff.com. She blends her photography and graphic design skills to create a range of fabric products, which are available through Spoonflower and her Etsy shop.

Reviews

[Stace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiss Your Strawberries Goodbye is a thriller mystery novel set in the serene confines of Gracious, a quaint town nestled in Maine, New England, USA where a murder has never occurred on its peaceful streets.

Sonny Littlefield has inherited a strawberry and sheep farm from her late father, Raymond. Unfortunately, Raymond didn’t tell his current family about Sonny which has made them quite upset that an outsider had inherited the farm and they have made Sonny feel very unwelcome.

The arrival of a family friend and farm hand, Brumby, brings an unsettling turn of events when an intruder is seen in the barn. The intruder gets away, but not before leaving a skeleton hand and a note that states ‘You didn’t ask the right questions’.

Kiss Your Strawberries Goodbye is an intriguing murder mystery novel. The character of Sonny, or Alison – the name switches, is quite young, naïve, and somewhat vexing. It took some time to get to like her. The pace felt a little disjointed. From super fast at the beginning, to then going sluggish before picking up again. This ebbing and flowing disrupted the natural rhythm of the story and as such it took me a long time to get into it.

The plot is unique and the location is fabulous. I love the Western feel of the setting and the small-town life. The author keeps the reader guessing for most of the way through and then surprises them with the outcome. For me through, this was a book that took me too long to get interested in and didn’t excite me as much as I thought it would from the synopsis. Shame as I really expected to love it.

[Ms. Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a former Mainer, I enjoyed 'returning' to The Pine Tree State in this sweet work of fiction by Nina DeGraff. Our heroine, Alison "Sonny" Littlefield has surprisingly inherited a 30-acre farm in Gracious, Maine from a father she never knew. While she is not necessarily received as graciously as the town's name would imply, she is thrown into a brand new world of interesting characters in the form of neighbors, law enforcement, shop owners as well as a race car driver, a stripper, and people with secrets to keep. The story is fast-paced and the dialogue crisp and authentic. Some sentences are downright poetic: "The red barn with white trim was picturesque with chickens clucking amidst a few neglected flower beds, and a cat sitting in the doorway, licking a front paw." Crimes are committed and covered up, romance is resisted, motives questioned and everyone is suspect. Not exactly the peaceful, pastoral landscape she had envisioned when moving her life North from busy Boston. Sonny is described as smart, observant, a rulebreaker. "Some people admire it. Others will see it as a threat." A lot unfolds in this 300-page journey. Sonny learns to trust her instincts and resolve the mystery at the heart of this funny and believable tale of an outsider who eventually becomes known not just as the troublesome newcomer but known truly, to herself.

[Ben Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was book I wish I'd started at the beginning of a long weekend. As it was, I found myself sneaking away to read a chapter here and there at lunch, and sneaking off to the bedroom to read after dinner. But you will not want to put this book down. Nina DeGraff transported to me to the scene with her cinematic depictions of rural Maine, and the characters and relationships felt like actual people in that landscape - balancing the line of interesting and quirky, while maintaining believability. Having grown up reading the greats, I often find myself losing interest in the often formulaic and trope ridden books in the genre today, and sometimes just skip ahead to the reveal to avoid the boredom. I wanted to follow the character development as much as the mystery itself.

I'm looking forward DeGraff's next mystery.

[Heather Barksdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Kiss Your Strawberries Goodbye” (A Sonny Littlefield Mystery) introduces Sonny Littlefield, a young woman who recently moved to the farm her biological father left her when he passed in Gracious, Maine. While she should be concerned about the strawberries and sheep, more dire concerns take precedent when an intruder ransacks her barn.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. Sonny is the main protagonist and the story is told through her POV. Things that have happened in her past are revealed through communication between Sonny and her friends. It also serves to highlight Sonny’s personality, desires, faults, and insecurities. She’s a kind and determined woman who’s had some bad things happen to her in her past. Find the full blog post at heatherlbarksdale.com

I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.

[Kathleen Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a dull moment!

I was on the edge of my seat, enjoying every minute, as I read this charming and exciting first novel. I downloaded her second book before I was even finished so I could start it immediately upon completion. The characters are interesting, quirky, memorable, and unpredictable. The mystery unfolds in layers. I really appreciated the spunk and independent spirit on the protagonist, and I look forward to future books in this series. In fact, I’ve already started book number 2!

[John Bolduc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Being a native Mainer (ayuh!), I can attest to the accuracy of Ms. DeGraff's portrayals of her characters. A good mystery, with several interesting twists and turns. I look forward to more of Sonny Littlefield's adventures.

[Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't want to put it down. Fast paced and intriguing from the first page. Made me laugh and cry and kept me guessing to the end.