The fourth installment in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series, and now someone’s been poisoned in the town square and it’s up to Bailey and her cop boyfriend to solve it. There’s also a giant toffee rabbit involved.

Hm. I liked it well enough, but I’m not sure that the series is aging well. I’ll give it another volume, but I may very well be nearly done with this one. ( )

It’s time for the Easter spring festival days, and Bailey has been commissioned to make an 8-foot toffee and chocolate rabbit to display in the town center. The Amish owner of a rabbit farm has brought his live bunnies for the festival, too, but when he drops dead on the courtyard, the festivities take on a sinister tone. Bailey, again, is in the middle of the investigation, and the deeper she delves, the more complicated the case becomes. This well-written mystery will keep readers guessing, and the clues that the author drops along the way may help astute readers predict the end. Likely, though, most will be surprised when the culprits are exposed. The setting of the the candy is a sweet one, and the characters who work there are delightful. Add in the additional church personalities and the “hot cop” Bailey is dating, the tale just gets better and better. And don’t forget that mischievous pig, Jethro! He really adds much with his presence. ( )

The incident with officer Little in the candy shop was worth the price of the book. I haven't laughed that hard or long in many years. The plot was more complex than I expected, but it held together well. Puff was a fun addition to the book, and I enjoyed learning more about Ruth Yoder and Millie. I hope Flower intends to continue this series for a long time. It's been a hoot. ( )

Amanda Flower writes good cozy. I hope this isn't the last book as some reviewers stated. Don't leave us hanging... ( )

Bailey King moved to Harvest, Ohio after her Amish grandfather passed away to help her grandmother Clara run Swissmen Sweets, the family candy shop. Since she was a chocolatier in New York, she has the background and experience to do so. Recent circumstances also resulted in her gaining a part-time television show on a food network, and she spends time in New York, bringing along Clara's young cousin Charlotte as part of the shoot.

After receiving a call from Margot Rawlings, the town's event coordinator, and when Bailey gets home, Margot is in a tizzy, wanting Bailey to create a giant toffee rabbit for the town square. After she gets Bailey to agree, she thinks that will be the end of it. But while Bailey is speaking with Margot, an Amish rabbit farmer named Stephen Raber drops dead in front of them. Stephen was well loved by everyone in the Amish community, and even had Puff, one of the rabbits, as his own pet. When Stephen's son Eli shows up at Bailey's home one night with Puff, she's wary of his presence, but he explains that his friend Daniel Keim, now married to Bailey's employee Emily, had told him that Bailey could help him find his father's killer.

He gives her a handful of threatening notes his father had been receiving, and tells her he doesn't trust the police but Daniel trusts her and that's all he needs to know. He also leaves Puff with her, telling Bailey he can't care for her, and he is out the door. When Bailey calls Aiden, he's upset, but understands, since he knows the Amish. Now Bailey's stuck in the middle of a murder investigation once again, but this time it might be the last one...

This is the fourth book in the series, and I have to say that while I wasn't impressed with the first one, they've definitely improved and I've come to enjoy this series very much. I like the fact that Bailey cares for the people around her, not just her grandmother, and wants everyone to find the happiness she's found in Harvest. She's also still forming her relationship with Aiden; after a disastrous one in New York, she's trying to trust again, and decide if he's the right one. She's also fending off questions from Aiden's flighty mother Juliet, who's already planning their wedding...which they've never even discussed.

When Raber dies, it's first believed a heart attack, but then Aiden tells her he was murdered, and how it was done. Wondering who wanted the kindly farmer dead, Bailey can't find an answer. Everyone in his community loved him, yet once she sees the notes she knows there was at least one person who wanted him gone. It's an interesting mystery that takes the tiniest of clues to lead her to finding the killer, and it's done very well.

While I knew the identity of the murderer almost immediately, (as I've said before, I read a lot of mysteries), it was nicely done watching Bailey put all the clues together to finally come to the realization of whom the murderer was. And when we discover the reason why Raber was killed, it was rather sad nevertheless. But the ending gives us a nice surprise, and something to look forward to in the next book. Recommended. ( )