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Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries #15
All Abuzz at the Honey Bee
Residents of Sugarcreek are on edge. Several banks have been burglarized, and the local authorities can't catch the thieves. When Naomi Miller's husband, Seth, announces he's going to remove their life savings from the credit union, Cheryl Cooper advises him against it. But Seth refuses to listen, and the money is stolen from their home.
Adding to these strange series of events, someone is entering the Honey Bee Cafe after hours but never takes anything. Word gets around that the business is haunted, and the Honey Bee begins to lose customers. Police Chief Sam Twitchell is too busy to listen to the owner's concerns, so she turns to Cheryl and Naomi for help. When nothing adds up and conflicting clues lead nowhere, Cheryl begins to wonder if this is the first mystery they won't be able to solve.
Adding to these strange series of events, someone is entering the Honey Bee Cafe after hours but never takes anything. Word gets around that the business is haunted, and the Honey Bee begins to lose customers. Police Chief Sam Twitchell is too busy to listen to the owner's concerns, so she turns to Cheryl and Naomi for help. When nothing adds up and conflicting clues lead nowhere, Cheryl begins to wonder if this is the first mystery they won't be able to solve.
248 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2016
10 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Mehl
61 books1,445 followersNancy Mehl is the bestselling author of over 50 books. She’s won the Daphne Du Maurier Award, as well as an ACFW Mystery Book of the Year Award and a Carol award. She was also a finalist for the prestigious Christy award. Her short story, Chasing Shadows, was in the USA Today bestselling Summer of Suspense anthology. Learn more about her at www.nancymehl.com and on her blog, the Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 20, 2018
All Abuzz At the Honey Bee was written by Nancy Mehl. It is a part of the Sugar Creek Amish Mysteries. It's put out by Guideposts Publishing. Each book is written by different writers.
In All Abuzz At the Honey Bee strange things are happening which can not be rationally explained. When the owner of the cafe and the employees leave each day they lock up for the night. When they return the next morning things are not the way they were left the night before. Tables are moved and food is missing. Yet nothing of value seems to be missing and the doors are still locked. The owner and the employees fear that the Honey Bee Cafe may be haunted.
There's been a string of robberies at several banks in town lately. The banks have been robbed at night with no signs of forced entry. Codes to safes have been cracked and money taken. Chief Sam Twitchell hasn't a clue or lead to go on as to who could be robbing these banks.
Cheryl Cooper and her friend Naomi Miller try to figure out what could be happening at the Honey Bee after hours. Who could be getting in there and disrupting everything and why are they doing it ? Cheryl wonders the same about the bank Robberies and to make matters worse unsigned notes begin showing up in her mail box and slid under the door of the Swiss Miss after hours with clues pertaining to the robberies. Then Naomi and Seth Miller gets robbed at their home where they had hidden a large amount of cash.
Will Cheryl and Naomi be able to put the clues together to solve these mysteries? Is the Honey Bee really haunted? Is the robbery at the Miller home connected to the bank Robberies or what's happening at the Honey Bee Cafe? If you like mysteries this is a good one for you to read. I have always enjoyed this series and hope to be able to one day read every book in it. I highly recommend this book and in fact the entire series.
In All Abuzz At the Honey Bee strange things are happening which can not be rationally explained. When the owner of the cafe and the employees leave each day they lock up for the night. When they return the next morning things are not the way they were left the night before. Tables are moved and food is missing. Yet nothing of value seems to be missing and the doors are still locked. The owner and the employees fear that the Honey Bee Cafe may be haunted.
There's been a string of robberies at several banks in town lately. The banks have been robbed at night with no signs of forced entry. Codes to safes have been cracked and money taken. Chief Sam Twitchell hasn't a clue or lead to go on as to who could be robbing these banks.
Cheryl Cooper and her friend Naomi Miller try to figure out what could be happening at the Honey Bee after hours. Who could be getting in there and disrupting everything and why are they doing it ? Cheryl wonders the same about the bank Robberies and to make matters worse unsigned notes begin showing up in her mail box and slid under the door of the Swiss Miss after hours with clues pertaining to the robberies. Then Naomi and Seth Miller gets robbed at their home where they had hidden a large amount of cash.
Will Cheryl and Naomi be able to put the clues together to solve these mysteries? Is the Honey Bee really haunted? Is the robbery at the Miller home connected to the bank Robberies or what's happening at the Honey Bee Cafe? If you like mysteries this is a good one for you to read. I have always enjoyed this series and hope to be able to one day read every book in it. I highly recommend this book and in fact the entire series.
June 23, 2019
Odd things are happening at the Honey Bee cafe, things are being moved around, footprints in the flour disappear without showing where they went and someone is pressuring the owner to sell. Several banks have been robbed, so Seth takes his money out of the bank and hides it at home. The money is taken. Cheryl thinks all of these things are related and tries to figure out how. All the banks were protected by the same security system, she is sure the owner didn’t do it and wonders if a new company selling security could be behind the problem. 9. Her brother elopes but agrees to have a small service and reception if a week, if Cheryl plans it. Cheryl also is have deeper feelings for Levi which is also admits too.
May 4, 2017
It was a nice, cozy mystery with likable, believable characters. I have not read the previous books which would have likely given me a better base, but it is a standalone story.
May 10, 2023
I have been looking forward to a trip back to Sugarcreek, especially with Nancy Mehl up in the author rotation. Her contributions to this series have been among my favorites. My anticipation was rewarded. I believe this is my favorite book of the series yet. Shall we talk about why? I mean, that's why I'm composing this and why you're here reading it, no?
What I liked about All Abuzz at the Honey Bee:
The cast of characters - Fifteen books in, I am comfortable with this group and I know what to expect from them. I am particularly partial to the way Ms Mehl brings them to life. I feel as though she captures their personalities, their mannerisms, their internal thoughts, their voices. Every time she writes them, I feel like these characters are just exactly who I anticipate them being.
Sugarcreek in the autumn - I read a lot of series with charming settings, and Sugarcreek is certainly one of them. I love the small town atmosphere with its community and camaraderie. Toss in some traditional autumn and you have a setting that hits me right in my sweet spot.
Consistency in writing style - One of the biggest challenges with an author rotation in a series is that the reader doesn't always get the same quality of writing and care to detail from one author to the next. Nancy delivers an excellent level of writing, taking care to give the Millers their unique, conjunction-free speech, and other continuity of details. Deviation from detail is something that can become glaringly obvious between writing styles as authors swap out, and that deviation is not something I prefer.
Intriguing case - While I did zero right in on a key clue in the case pretty easily, I still found the case to bring some interesting twists and angles. Not being locked into only solving murders makes Cheryl's involvement much more plausible than most civilian sleuthing in the cozy mystery genre. This case was no exception, with several cases occurring simultaneously and wondering if they were related, and if so, how. I found no holes in the plot, it moved at a pace that neither dragged nor felt rushed, and the resolution made sense. I was invested and curious from start to finish.
Development of Cheryl's relationships - I love the ever-deepening friendship between Cheryl and Naomi. I really liked seeing the friendship between Cheryl and Kathy progressing. Seeing more interaction between Cheryl and her family felt natural. I also found surprising enjoyment in how Cheryl's relationship with Chief Twitchell is developing. And then there are the interactions between Cheryl and Levi; I really appreciate the way this gets handled throughout the series (although some authors are better at portraying it than others) and Nancy Mehl really has the touch for bringing this particular relationship to life; I was rather caught up in the current state of things between these two. One of the best parts of this series in the believable pace of forward motion in the relationships Cheryl has with the residents of Sugarcreek.
Cover art - Completely superficial, but can we also take just a moment to appreciate that cover? It has an appropriately spooky feeling, but also conveys the season and the warmth of the Sugarcreek community. The cover is a total vibe for the plot in specific and the series as a whole. I applaud this effort.
What left me conflicted:
Weird sense of timing - I sometimes feel as if I can't keep track of a steady movement of time from one book to the next. I also feel like we don't get a regular reminder of how much time has passed since Cheryl first arrived in Sugarcreek. Has it been one year? Two? I don't need to be beaten over the head with it, but some sort of organic reference to the passage of time would be welcome.
Worth noting:
Genre - I mention this almost every time, but this isn't going to be a series for everyone. Not only are these cozy mysteries, but there is a strong foundation of faith permeating throughout (I mean, these are books published by Guideposts!). These mysteries are sweet, extra light (no murders), faith-affirming, and extremely clean.
I don't know if Ms Mehl being the first author of this series effectively set the tone and expectation for me or what, but hers remain my favorite installments and I am thrilled there will be two more books with her flavor of Sugarcreek before all is said and done. These are easy-reading, escapist mystery reading at its most gentle, and I am here for it. At exactly the halfway point of the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries, I am excited to see what is ahead for Cheryl, the Millers, Aunt Mitzi, and the entirety of Sugarcreek.
What I liked about All Abuzz at the Honey Bee:
The cast of characters - Fifteen books in, I am comfortable with this group and I know what to expect from them. I am particularly partial to the way Ms Mehl brings them to life. I feel as though she captures their personalities, their mannerisms, their internal thoughts, their voices. Every time she writes them, I feel like these characters are just exactly who I anticipate them being.
Sugarcreek in the autumn - I read a lot of series with charming settings, and Sugarcreek is certainly one of them. I love the small town atmosphere with its community and camaraderie. Toss in some traditional autumn and you have a setting that hits me right in my sweet spot.
Consistency in writing style - One of the biggest challenges with an author rotation in a series is that the reader doesn't always get the same quality of writing and care to detail from one author to the next. Nancy delivers an excellent level of writing, taking care to give the Millers their unique, conjunction-free speech, and other continuity of details. Deviation from detail is something that can become glaringly obvious between writing styles as authors swap out, and that deviation is not something I prefer.
Intriguing case - While I did zero right in on a key clue in the case pretty easily, I still found the case to bring some interesting twists and angles. Not being locked into only solving murders makes Cheryl's involvement much more plausible than most civilian sleuthing in the cozy mystery genre. This case was no exception, with several cases occurring simultaneously and wondering if they were related, and if so, how. I found no holes in the plot, it moved at a pace that neither dragged nor felt rushed, and the resolution made sense. I was invested and curious from start to finish.
Development of Cheryl's relationships - I love the ever-deepening friendship between Cheryl and Naomi. I really liked seeing the friendship between Cheryl and Kathy progressing. Seeing more interaction between Cheryl and her family felt natural. I also found surprising enjoyment in how Cheryl's relationship with Chief Twitchell is developing. And then there are the interactions between Cheryl and Levi; I really appreciate the way this gets handled throughout the series (although some authors are better at portraying it than others) and Nancy Mehl really has the touch for bringing this particular relationship to life; I was rather caught up in the current state of things between these two. One of the best parts of this series in the believable pace of forward motion in the relationships Cheryl has with the residents of Sugarcreek.
Cover art - Completely superficial, but can we also take just a moment to appreciate that cover? It has an appropriately spooky feeling, but also conveys the season and the warmth of the Sugarcreek community. The cover is a total vibe for the plot in specific and the series as a whole. I applaud this effort.
What left me conflicted:
Weird sense of timing - I sometimes feel as if I can't keep track of a steady movement of time from one book to the next. I also feel like we don't get a regular reminder of how much time has passed since Cheryl first arrived in Sugarcreek. Has it been one year? Two? I don't need to be beaten over the head with it, but some sort of organic reference to the passage of time would be welcome.
Worth noting:
Genre - I mention this almost every time, but this isn't going to be a series for everyone. Not only are these cozy mysteries, but there is a strong foundation of faith permeating throughout (I mean, these are books published by Guideposts!). These mysteries are sweet, extra light (no murders), faith-affirming, and extremely clean.
I don't know if Ms Mehl being the first author of this series effectively set the tone and expectation for me or what, but hers remain my favorite installments and I am thrilled there will be two more books with her flavor of Sugarcreek before all is said and done. These are easy-reading, escapist mystery reading at its most gentle, and I am here for it. At exactly the halfway point of the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries, I am excited to see what is ahead for Cheryl, the Millers, Aunt Mitzi, and the entirety of Sugarcreek.
February 18, 2021
All Abuzz at the Honey Bee truly crazy mystery written by Nancy Mehl in the Sugarcreek Amish Mystery series. This is book 15 in the series and will really have you scratching your head trying to solve it. There are a lot of unexpected crazy things happening at the Honey Bee cafe so owner Kathy enlist the help of her friend Cheryl Cooper to help her figure it out. At the same time the banks and credit unions are being robbed and the sheriff isn't able to figure it out. The suspect list grows everyday but no one really sticks out to Cheryl. There is a phrase in the story hidden in plain sight which definitely plays out in solving the mystery. When all is revealed the conclusion is jaw dropping. The author has really spun a very interesting story involving ghosts, missing money, and malfunctioning security systems.
I was not given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was not approached to post a favorable response and all opinions are my own. I have rated this story with five stars for meeting my expectations of an exciting mystery that I can highly recommend to others.
I was not given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was not approached to post a favorable response and all opinions are my own. I have rated this story with five stars for meeting my expectations of an exciting mystery that I can highly recommend to others.
October 23, 2018
In this 15th book of the series, there has been some bank robbery's in town and the chief can't find a connection to them. Kathy from the Honey Bee Cafe is finding strange things happening like furniture moved, cupcakes missing footprints leading to nowhere. She talks to Cheryl about this and Cheryl wonders if there's a connection between the robbery's and the honey bee. She also finds out her brother Matt has eloped with Nikki and wants to have a reception to introduce her to the family.
May 17, 2022
A refreshing read! Well worth reading. It kept me wanting to read it and not do anything else. I hated to put it down! It kept me wondering who the guilty party was out of the people I had suspected. I did not figure it out until near the end of the book. This shows everyone can love as friends and get along beautifully. It had mystery, love of thy neighbors and true love. It has so much going for it and is such a refreshing change from other types of mysteries. It's an A+ read.
October 29, 2019
I enjoy this series. It's an easy to read cozy mystery with the lack of foul language and sexual issues in there! Always makes me smile as well as keeps me guessing till the end for the answer to the mystery! Also always a cliff hanger to lead into the next mystery......
August 12, 2023
A delightful mystery about crimes in a quiet town. Citizens are unsure of who is behind these crimes, even considering it may be caused by ghostly interference! Nice, clean, easy reading for all ages.
December 25, 2023
I enjoyed finding more about the people at the Honey Bee Cafe! Cheryl's Brother Mike is in town with his new bride Naomi for a Wedding reception at the Honey Bee with all their family. Will it come together or will the Bank Robberies hold it up.
July 17, 2024
The best so far. Someone is robbing banks in Sugarcreek and everyone is clueless. The Honey Bee has a cupcake eating ghost.
Cheryl's family comes to town to celebrate her brothers wedding. Levi and Cheryl's feelings finally cpme to light. It just keeps getting better with each book.
Cheryl's family comes to town to celebrate her brothers wedding. Levi and Cheryl's feelings finally cpme to light. It just keeps getting better with each book.
December 20, 2016
Cheryl helps Chief Twitchell to solve another mystery. And she continues to agonize over her feelings for Levi.
July 3, 2019
Another hit with a GREAT ending.
August 25, 2020
this is a amazing book collection.
October 24, 2020
Entered as today as unknown when read. Reminder: pgs 231 & 232, Matt and Nicki's Vows
January 23, 2022
My favorite so far... :)
If Levi and Cheryl don't end up together, I'm going to be so sad!
If Levi and Cheryl don't end up together, I'm going to be so sad!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2023
I think out of the first 15 books in this series, this is my favorite ..
September 20, 2023
3.5 Stars
February 28, 2017
Cheryl has several puzzles to solve in Sugarcreek as well as putting together a reception for her brother and his new wife!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews