Book 10, 2026

Heart of Scone: A Culinary Murder Morsel by Allen Henry

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


View all my reviews

I finished an ebook last night: Heart of Scone by Allen Henry. It’s the first in the “Placid Harbor” series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Harriet, who owns and operates a bakery/cafe on the Oregon coast.

At the town’s annual fundraiser, one of Placid Harbor’s troublemakers is shot and killed. The police immediately arrest the man whose gun was found at the scene, but Harriet is convinced Gus is innocent. Even the victim’s estranged wife doesn’t believe Gus killed Jesse. Curious, Harriet begins asking questions around town, and when she gets contradicting stories in return, she realizes there is more going on than anyone imagined.

The book’s blurb made it sound far more interesting than it was. In reality, it was a confusing jumble.
( Spoilers! )

Favorite lines:
♦ “It’s funny how you can get so used to something that you don’t notice it any more.”

In short, too many characters to keep track of, plot had precious little cohesion, and very little made any sense. Two stars, which is about half a point more than this deserved.