The Final Tap

Living History Museum #2

by Amanda Flower

March on Barton Farm can only mean one thing: maple sugar season. To combat the winter slump, resilient director Kelsey Cambridge organizes a Maple Sugar Festival, complete with school visits, pancake breakfasts, and tree tapping classes. Kelsey hires curmudgeonly maple sugar expert Dr. Conrad Beeson to teach the classes, despite misgivings over his unpleasant demeanor. It's a decision she ends up regretting when, before the first tree can be tapped for sap, Dr. Beeson turns up dead.

The maple sugar expert's death threatens to shut down not only the Maple Sugar Festival, but also Barton Farm itself. Kelsey must solve Dr. Beeson's murder to escape the increasingly sticky situation.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Adult Fiction, Amateur Sleuth, Mystery Thriller

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2016

About the author

Amanda Flower is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over thirty-five mystery novels. Her novels have received starred reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Romantic Times, and she had been featured in USA Today, First for Women, and Woman’s World. She currently writes for Penguin-Random House (Berkley), Kensington, Hallmark Publishing, Crooked Lane Books, and Sourcebooks. In addition to being a writer, she was a librarian for fifteen years. Today, Flower and her husband own a farm and recording studio, and they live in Northeast Ohio with their two adorable cats.

Reviews

[Lisa Ks Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining, informative mystery that I couldn’t put down.

Author Amanda Flower pens several different series that cover all different subjects. The Living History Museum Mysteries is set in modern times, but focuses on the Civil War era. I admire the research this author must certainly do to ensure her stories contain accurate information.

I really enjoyed THE FINAL TAP. Spending time with series lead, Kelsey Cambridge was a wonderful learning experience to be sure, but it was also a marvelous whodunit that was unpredictable, and contained surprises that threw even more intrigue into the story. This all led to an action packed reveal that had me holding my breath whole way through.

Author Flower’s writing continues to grow more amazing with every book she writes. If you haven’t read one of her books, you’re missing out on incredible storytelling.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelsey Cambridge is getting ready for the first annual Maple Sugar Festival at Barton Farm, the living history museum she runs in Ohio. As part of that festival, she has invited Dr. Conrad Beeson to teach a class on harvesting maple sugar. However, while he is inspecting the trees on the farm, someone stabs him with a hand drill. With the police looking at one of Kelsey’s employees, can she find the real killer?

I was delighted to slip back into the world of this series. The setting is fantastic, and the characters are strong. Not all the returning characters get a lot of page time, but the ones that do get a good deal of development. The suspects are also strong, and the varying suspects and motives kept me guessing until the end.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the curator of a living history museum, Kelsey Cambridge is always looking for new and exciting ways to bring in visitors. Now, as winter slowly begins to give way to spring in Ohio, she's drawing people in with the lure of fresh maple syrup. Unfortunately, the expert Kelsey hired to lead interactive and informative workshops and historical lessons isn't quite as easy to work with as she hoped. He balks at the historical equipment and fumes at the colder-than-ideal temperatures that might slow the flow of maple syrup. Kelsey might find the man exasperating, but she is stunned to find him dying with a hand drill protruding from his chest. After the events of the recent past, Kelsey is devastated to be dealing with another death at her beloved museum.

Author Amanda Flower taps into the perfect combination of history and modernity, as well as personal drama and professional character. I enjoy the escape her writing provides. We have a living history museum here in Wisconsin, one that I am always enamored of, but never seem to spend enough time visiting, so reading this series feels indulgent. Amanda Flower has a wonderful way of setting the scene and pulling her readers into the story. All of the little touches are there - workplace dramas and friendships, the hint of romance, family dynamics, and some furry friends for good measure.

The Final Tap has it all - story, characters, setting, and intrigue. A great addition to this cozy mystery series.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series by the talented Amanda Flower. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the book, I have not read the first in the series. From the time I began the story, until the moment I finished, I was living my life on Barton Farm. Writing a series based on a working maple sugar farm is brilliant, I felt like I was back in elementary school on a field trip.
As the Maple Sugar Festival is about to begin, Kelsey has her hands full making sure everything runs smoothly. Her neighbor is complaining about noise, her ex husband is making her life difficult and now the instructor hired to teach the tree tapping class has been injured. Did someone intentionally hurt Dr. Beeson or was it an accident? Kelsey feels responsible and has no choice but to find the answers and keep the festival on the right path.

I was stunned at the end, I was sure I knew who the bad guy was, lol.
When I read a cozy mystery and I find a character that I dislike, I know I'm going to love the series. There is definitely a character I don't like so I will be keeping up with this series to see what happens.
I highly recommend this book, it was fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new author for me, I found a delightful mystery about making maple syrup. The research on the subject was excellent. The description of making maple syrup was detailed so one could visualize it happening. How maple syrup help during the Civil War added to my knowledge. The MCs are well developed and will catch you interest at once To help escape the doldrums of winter .Kelsey Cambridge plans a Maple Syrup Festival. The expert for the tapping of the trees is found mortally injured by a tree. His death threatens to halt the festival. Meanwhile, her ex-husband's fiance I s causing problems. Kelsey must find a way to solve all the problems before the Winter Festival is damaged. I will this author again.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from Midnight Ink through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions are my own.

[Maureen Timerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Final Tap is the second book in the living history museum mystery series, and can be read as a stand-alone book, there are enough references to the previous book The Final Reveille.
Kelsey Cambridge is in charge of the Barton Farm, and all of its events, including the big maple syrup festival, including the big pancake breakfast, and lots of school tours.
When the head instructor ends of dead, the farm seems to be in jeopardy of loosing it funding. So many people depend on Cassie, and she believes in them as much as they do here.
There is a bit of romance here, if Cassie is willing, and we find some people begin to show their true colors, like we rather expected they would.
What a real surprise to find out whom the real murderer is, I never guess. You’re in for a real treat, and if you enjoy good mysteries, this is for you!
I received this book though the Publisher Midnight Ink, and was not required to give a positive review.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book. I like the farm setting and Kelsey always has some fun event going on, to bad there’s always a murder dampening the event. This kept me guessing and even when I thought my solution was a slam dunk I was wrong. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

In the follow up to The Final Reveille, we visit the Barton Farm in the winter just in time for maple sugar season. Kelsey Cambridge may have a long term deal running the farm but she still needs to make it as profitable and self sustaining as she can. She plan the 1st Maple Sugar Festival at the farm featuring a maple sugar expert to teach the adults and a maple syrup demonstration for both the adults and kids too, complete with pancakes. A few Civil War reenactors will be traveling the grounds talking about maple sugar collection in history. Dr. Conrad Beeson, the hired expert, never gets a chance to share is knowledge. He is found dead on the grounds and while Kelsey is hoping it was from natural causes we quickly learn the man was murdered. Then we learn how disliked the man was by almost everyone he met. Meaning plenty of suspects and a very sticky situation for Kelsey.

Amanda Flower doesn’t just write a very intriguing mystery, she teaches us all about maple sugar/syrup collection and processing. So much work goes into the natural treat we pour on our pancakes and waffles. She does this by introducing interesting characters that we follow through the story. The Barton Farm has its own sugarhouse and their is another one close by in a local park. Kelsey even ventures into the all male Sap and Spile group in her efforts to eliminate and find suspects. She doesn’t receive a warm welcome from all the members. Maple sugar is a major thing in this area of Ohio.

The mystery was well written and flowed syrup smooth. I was caught by surprise at the end. The guilty party was way off my radar.

In addition to the drama at work Kelsey has drama at home. She is sharing custody of her son, Hayden, with her ex and he is threatening to take her to court to change their agreement. Too many dangerous things happening at the farm aren’t really his main concern. He seems to be bent out of shape that Kelsey may be getting into a romantic relationship of her own. He seems to forget he left her for Krissie and they are engaged to me married. This story line is ongoing and I know things are really going to get good in book #3.

Characters that continue to evolve, a fabulous setting, and a top notch mystery. I recommend this one highly.

[Doward Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Barton Farm in New Hartford, Ohio. The farm is a Living History Museum showcasing how life was in 1860's Ohio. To expand revenue, Director Kelsey Cambridge has organized a Maple Sugar Festival with a pancake breakfast, tree tapping class and school visits. When maple sugar expert, Dr. Conrad Beeson is found dead before his first class, Kelsey pushes to solve the crime to save her beloved museum farm from bad publicity. The victim was unpleasant to everyone he met, so the suspect list was large and varied. This is a fun and very interesting series. The Living History Museum theme is unusual and entertaining. The characters are well drawn and totally engaging. The murder plot is a twisted thread of love, hate, revenge and every other emotion you can think of. This is a series that I can't wait to read more of.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent series! The research that Amanda Flower has done for this series is remarkable. This second book in the Living History Museum Mystery series was a history lesson and a great cozy. I really enjoy the theme and the budding love story. It kept my attention all the way through. Looking forward to the next in the series!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Living History Museum series by Amanda Flower. I have not read the first book in the series but this one can be read as a standalone. I was not lost at all.

Kelsey is in charge of the Barton Farm. She is getting ready for the Maple Sugar Festival. That is what they harvest on the Barton Farm. With the neighbors complaining about the noise, her ex husband causing her grief and the instructor that is teaching a class on how to tap the tress to get the Maple sugar ends up getting hurt, Kelsey has her work cut out for her.

Kelsey is questioning how Dr. Beeson could have gotten hurt. Was it really an accident or was someone out to hurt him? Kelsey is determined to get to the bottom of it all on top of everything else she has going on.

I loved the characters and the idea of a Maple Sugar Farm. That is one you don't read about all the time. The research that Amanda Flower had to put into this one was probably pretty extensive and she did a great job with taking us away to the Barton Farm and making us forget about everyday life.

I love a good mystery as well and this one kept you guessing until the very end. Very well written and I can't wait to read other books by Amanda Flower in the near future!

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Flower has crafted another wonderful tale, this time it is the end of Winter, going into Spring and Barton Farm is showcasing the making of Maple syrup, including a tree tapping class.  Sadly Kelsey Cambridge's original pick to teach this has had to pull out and so Dr Beeson has stepped in, and whilst Kelsey is glad that she only has to endure the infuriating man for two or three days she is still stunned when he winds up dead, and one of the farm workers is tapped as the killer.

Now Kelsey has to navigate a tale that has more twists and turns than the hand drill used to open the maple trees for tapping, hopefully she can help solve the crime, the jobs/liberty of not one but two of her workers - and at the same time figure out what her ex and his new fiancee are planning - no pressure then!

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's maple sugaring time, and Kelsey is busy with the events of the festival on Barton Farm. Balancing staff, visitors, and the foundation that finances her endeavors, not to mention raising her son and dealing with ex-husband and his fiancée, has her running at top speed in all directions. But when the expert she hired to teach a tree-tapping class is found near death on the property, everything takes a back seat to discovering the truth in what happened to him. This well-written second installment in the Living History Museum series has engaging characters and an intricate plot. Author Amanda Flower has done an amazing job in creating a captivating setting and believable characters for this top notch series.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

If not for the many typos in this book, I would have given it 5 stars. I will absolutely be reading the rest of the books in this series. What I loved most about this cozy was the setting. Amanda Flower was most definitely inspired by Hale Farm and Village in Bath, Ohio. I attended the elementary school across the street and visited Hale Farm many times as a child. It's a historical museum and does reenactments. Both Hale Farm and the fictional Barton Farm are in Cuyahoga Valley.

My only gripe was the copy editing. It was nonexistent. I hope the third book has fewer errors. It's embarrassing that a publisher would put out such a poorly edited book.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how I ended up reading this series out of order, but each book was complete in itself or provided enough back story for me to catch up. Of course, now that I have read the middle book, I think I'm going to go back and reread the final book.

I wish there were more books in the series. Perhaps it was always intended to be a trilogy.

I was happy to learn there will be a new book in the Magical Bookshop series.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another hit for Amanda Flower.
In the second installment of this living history museum series, there's a murder in the maple grove just as the maple sugaring weekend begins. Kelsey is off to investigate this very sticky mystery. Laughs and and action alternate with a little romance between Kelsey and Chase. If you like cozy mysteries, you will like this one too.

[Carlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished book #2 in this series. Very interesting information about how maple surgar was tapped from maple trees during the Civil War eara, and turned into syrup. Also another murder was commited just before the begining of the pancake and Maple Syrup Festival. Hard to put down. Looking forward to next book.

[Michael Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Number 2 not much better than number 1. Main character is unlikeable. Too many supporting characters are either too thinly presented ( and not that flattering ) or heavily developed and also not that likeable.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery was well done with a few red herrings and a twist or two, but I was happiest with the vivid depiction of the living history farm, the familiar process of sugaring, and each of the characters.

[Ulana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a murder mystery at a historic sugar maple farm. The main character is a single mother who runs the farm and has a little son. The guest who is hired to teach a workshop is found dead. So the mystery begins.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another decent story with a somewhat unexpected ending. Found the middle of this story to be a bit slow.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought it was the first of the series, but it was the second. Don't know if I will read the first, but I plan to read the third.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extra 1/4 star

[Sheri Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story and the characters. I was genuinely surprised by "who done it" and couldn't put the book down until I found out who it was.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice, quick read and a good little mystery. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. I also like reading history and there's enough of that thrown in I could learn something along the way.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just seriously detested Krissie and that made it tough to get through

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters, good mystery. Love the use of a living history museum as the setting.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story that captivated my attention and interest. I always reading books written by NE Ohio authors.

[Robbin Golden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read with multiple plot lines and no shortage of suspects. Especially like that the author is a Christian because there is no offensive language or situations.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was much less predictable than The Final Reveille. I am still not a big fan of the main character Kelsey, but she is growing on me.