Trying to fit back into her community, Skye volunteers to be a jelly judge at Chokeberry Days, a local tradition. Chokeberry Days have become a larger and larger event over the years, dividing the town sharply. Some people favor it as a way to bring revenue into the town, while others oppose it, saying it is bringing too much change. Even with several events during the festival sabotaged, Skye is shocked to find Mrs. Gumtree, a children’s entertainer who is performing that weekend, dead in her trailer, stabbed with a pair of shears.

Even more surprising is the true identity of the kindly old Mrs. Gumtree. Under her silver hair, she is really Scumble River alum, Honey Adair, who as a teenager tormented the town. During her high school years, Honey was downright nasty to the girls, but very friendly with the boys, turning on them as necessary. Unfortunately, one of the high school boys she was involved with was Skye’s brother Vince. Even more unfortunate, Honey had been blackmailing Vince for sixteen years about keeping the birth of his son a secret. Vince is arrested for Honey’s murder after the police determine it was his hairdresser’s shears plunged into her neck. Vince pleads with Skye to find the real murderer.

As Skye investigates Honey’s past, she finds it full of lies and deceit. She also finds three other people Honey was blackmailing, including Skye’s boss, the junior high principal. Skye must work quickly to uncover the true identity of the murderer before she becomes the next target.

Murder of a Small-Town Honey is perfect for everyone who ever promised themselves they wouldn’t go home. Skye is filled with the right amount of ambivalence, happy to be home surrounded by love and security, disappointed by her own feelings of failure, and embarrassed for past discretions. Skye is a very smart, sharp woman with a great deal of insight into human nature. Skye also seems to have several secrets in her past that are alluded to but not revealed, perhaps material for an upcoming adventure.

The small town feel of the book can only come from someone who has lived it. Denise Swanson has captured the essence of everyday life in an everyday town. While the story does highlight some of the more negative aspects of small town life, there are many touching moments that remind Skye why she came home.

While the mystery is well-laid out and the suspects are lined-up, it is entertaining enough to keep pages turning until the end. Murder of a Small-Town Honey is a fun, briskly paced mystery that will leave readers anxious for their next visit to Scumble River.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry