When Shelby attends the county fair with her kids, she's watching the firemen give a demonstration of how the Jaws of Life work. But when Jake Taylor is pulling the dummy from the car, it turns out to be a real body - and someone that Jake wasn't fond of. So of course he's suspected of killing the man, and Shelby does what any good friend would do - she resolves to find the real killer before Jake can be set up for the crime...

This is the second book in the Farmer's Daughter mysteries, and I was really hoping it would get better; but unfortunately, Shelby still isn't a good example of a parent. She allows her daughter to run roughshod over her, even though she's still a kid herself. Why are we being treated to the trials and tribulations of being a pre-teen in love? At what point is Shelby going to act the adult and tell her daughter to straighten up? So this little girl sees her 'boyfriend' holding hands with another girl and tells her mom that no one loves her. And this is supposed to endear her to us? To show us just how immature she really is? Um, no. So then her daughter is accused of cheating by a teacher, and Shelby finds out it was the "popular girl" instead. Amelia (the daughter) won't tell because she'll have to 'sit with the nerds'. Hmmm...there's a whole lot wrong here. 1) Shelby allows her daughter to think being popular is more important than having integrity or telling the truth; and 2) letting her believe that 'nerds' are the worst thing ever. (In the first book, she let someone steal from her son, and now she's okay with someone lying to save their own skin. What kind of person is Shelby? Spineless, that's what).

Plus, Shelby has three men who want to date her and she's agonizing over it because she doesn't know if she's ready to date. Yes, folks, a love quadrangle. And one of those men is her brother-in-law. While this may not be creepy to some, I can't even imagine sleeping with either of my brothers-in-law (shudder). Too close to home, if you get my drift. Uncle goes to Daddy real fast in that case. Maybe she should think about things and allow the kids to spend time with the other two men (since they already know Uncle Frank). She might come up with a few surprises, anyway.

All in all, not much improvement over the first in the series. Shelby has no idea how to deal with a daughter, and when her son Billy gets older who knows what will happen then. She'd better get married fast so at least there'll be one parent in the family. ( )

Sowed to Death by Peg Cochran is the second book in A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery series. Shelby McDonald lives in Lovett, Michigan where she manages Love Blossom Farm, the family farm. Shelby and the kids (Billy and Amelia) are heading to Lovett County Fair for the day. There is some excitement when one of the judges has a reaction to Jenny Hubbard’s award-winning lemon meringue pie. For the first time in five years, Jenny does not win. Billy and Shelby are watching the Jaws of Life demonstration. Jake Taylor gets the car open and extricates the dummy from the driver’s seat. Shelby notices that there is blood on the head of the dummy and realizes that it is a real person. The body belongs to Zeke Barnstable. Unfortunately, Jake had a contentious relationship with Zeke which puts him at the top of the suspect list. In between taking care of the kids, canning and doing farm chores, Shelby digs into Zeke’s life. One night Amelia goes to a bonfire and ends up finding a skeleton in Zeke’s yard (Amelia lied about a few particulars regarding the bonfire). Could the skeleton be Zeke’s missing wife? Shelby is happy to have suspicion removed from Jake (since she is attracted to him and he is their neighbor). Shelby wonders if Zeke’s murder had anything to do with his wife’s death. Shelby weeds through the clues to find the killer. What happens, though, when the murderer finds Shelby first?

Sowed to Death is well-written, has relatable characters, a lovely setting, light humor and a good pace. I like the writer’s descriptive writing style and the way she draws the reader into the story. The book has a good flow (for a smooth reading experience). I would get involved in the book and not realize how much time had passed. The characters in Sowed to Death are nicely developed and feel real (they could easily be my neighbors). I appreciate that the author has given us a mature main character (instead of a woman in her 20s or early 30s). It will be entertaining to watch Shelby as she begins dating (she has three men interested in her). I like how Peg Cochran mixed the mystery in with Shelby’s life. In Sowed to Death there is two women are fighting over the widowed Reverend Mather, Shelby has her first date since her husband’s death, Amelia with her teenage angst and antics, Billy and his riding lessons, Bert helping Shelby with canning, the county fair and so much more. I especially delighted in Shelby’s blog posts. They contain some interesting information and are fun to read. I give Sowed to Death 5 out of 5 stars. The mystery is complex and most readers will be surprised by the killer’s identity. Shelby’s style of investigating is pleasant and very welcome. She asks subtle questions, listens to conversation, catches up on local gossip, and, sometimes, Shelby happens to be in the right place at the right time. Sowed to Death is the second book in the series, but it is easily a stand-alone novel (No Farm, No Foul is just as delightful as Sowed to Death). There are a couple of recipes at the end of the book. My only negative is I now must wait months for another A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery. ( )

Sowed To Death is the second book in A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery series.

This was another informative, interesting and exciting visit to Love Blossom Farm with Shelby McDoanld and her children Amelia and Billy.

The residents of Lovett are looking forward to the county fair and Shelby has prepared some of her jams and jellies to enter in the annual contest hoping to garner a blue ribbon. After watching Billy win second place in a horse riding contest they head over to the grandstands to watch an automobile accident rescue put on by the local volunteer fire department. Shelby’s friend ad neighbor, Jake, will be demonstrating the “jaws of life” and how much it helps rescuers free trapped people. Jake soon sees that he is not rescuing a dummy, but the dead body of Zeke Barnstable.

Since Jake was the one to “rescue” the lifeless body of Zeke and having a past history of being at odds with him, Jake quite naturally becomes a person of interest. As Shelby begins to look into how Zeke came to be in the car and who might have wanted him dead, she soon finds he was not well thought of in the community. Then when Amelia and some friends, while having a bonfire, discover the body in a shallow grave, the investigation takes a different direction. Shelby begins to wonder if this body is Zeke’s missing wife, who killed her and how is it tied to Zeke’s death.

Another well-plotted and told story. I particularly like how Cochran weaves Shelby’s blog post into each chapter. In addition, many of these blog posts have helpful household or garden hints.

I will definitely be watching for the next book in this very entertaining series to see where Shelby might turn for a little romance in her life, see what Billy and Amelia are up to, and more antics of Jenkins and Bitsy.

Delicious recipes are also included with the book. ( )