5-Star Review of "The Final Tap"

Review of 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.

MY REVIEW:   Hey, I love maple syrup and pancakes too, but not quite enough to murder someone over maple syrup!   When Dr. Conrad Beeson turns up dead at Barton Farm, and the police determine it was murder, Kelsey Cambridge once again plays detective to clear her employee's name.  Gavin is the prime suspect and Kelsey is sure that the mild-mannered young man could not have committed such an act.   The police do not exactly welcome Kelsey's interference in their investigations.   

          I must admit that I could not figure out who had stabbed Dr. Beeson with the power drill after his apparent heart attack.   I am usually pretty accurate at guessing when I read mysteries, but I love it when an author stumps me and leaves me with my mouth gaping as Amanda Flower did in The Final Tap.   This book was fast-paced and left me anxious to continue reading.    Kelsey is a highly believable and likable character as were the other characters in the book.   The farm sounded like such a beautiful place to live, work, and visit.   The descriptions left me feeling like I was walking the grounds with the employees and tourists.  

          I rated this book 5 stars because it is highly deserving of the highest rating and I highly recommend it to readers.   

          I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author:

Amanda Flower, an Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Her debut mystery, Maid of Murder, was an Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Novel. Amanda is an adult services librarian for a public library near Cleveland. She also writes mysteries as USA Today bestselling author Isabella Alan.