Table of Contents
PRAISE FOR Buzz Off
If youre wondering how beekeeping and mysteries go together, then pick up Hannah Reeds Buzz Off and see what all the excitement is about. Reed has come up with a great setting, rich characters, and such a genuine protagonist in Story Fischer that youll be sorry the book is over when you turn the last page. Start reading and you wont want to put it down. Trust me, youll be saying buzz off to anybody who dares interrupt!
Julie Hyzy, award-winning author of Grace Under Pressure
Action, adventure, a touch of romance, and a cast of delightful characters fill Hannah Reeds debut novel. Buzz Off is one honey of a tale.
Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author of the Booktown Mysteries
The death of a beekeeper makes for an absolute honey of a read in this engaging and well-written mystery. Story Fischer is a sharp and resilient amateur sleuth, and Hannah Reed sweeps us into her world with skillful and loving detail.
Cleo Coyle, national bestselling author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries
A sparkling debut... Delicious.
Genre Go Round Reviews
Will appeal to readers who like Joanne Fluke and other cozy writers for recipes, the small-town setting, and a sense of community.
Library Journal
A rollicking good time. The colorful family members and townspeople provide plenty of relationship drama and entertainment. The mystery is well plotted and this series promises to keep readers buzzing.
Romantic Times (4 stars)
Everyone is simply going to go buzz-erk over the marvelously quirky cast of characters in this fabulously funny new series... Hannah Reed has a deliciously spicy, adorable sense of humor that had me howling with unabashed glee. You couldnt get as many colorful characters if you poured them from a box of Froot Loops. Buzz Off has just the right blend of mystery, romance, and humor that will charm anyones socks off. If this fantastic whodunnit doesnt buzz to the top of your list, Im simply gonna have to sic Grams on you... and she doesnt mess around. Quill says: If you are in need of a quirky, light, incredibly humorous cozy, look no more. Hannah Reed has whoppedn chopped and stirred up a formula for a mystery that will line up an audience who will beg for more!
Feathered Quill Book Reviews
In her debut book, Buzz Off, author Hannah Reed combines an intriguing whodunnit with a lively, action-filled story to create one sweet cozy mystery!... Buzz Off is a charming beginning of what promises to be a fun series!... A yummy treat for fans of cozy mysteries.
Fresh Fiction
Highly entertaining.
Associated Content
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Hannah Reed
BUZZ OFF
MIND YOUR OWN BEESWAX
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to:
Friend and writer Anne Godden-Segard, who can always bring me out of writers block with witty comments and clever concepts of her own.
Shannon Jamieson VazquezI couldnt do it without her guidance.
Martha Gatchel and Heidi Cox for their fabulous recipe contributions.
One
I missed the clues leading up to my honeybees finely orchestrated plan to abandon me. They took off right before noon on a sunny May day, rising as one large buzzing ball with the queen in the center, where she would be protected by the entire honeybee communityworkers, housekeepers, nurses, guards, and drones. Drones, that is, if all those females had even bothered taking any of the boys along.
In honeybee colonies, girls rule.
I took off in hot pursuit. Or as hot as I could wearing a pair of metallic-purple flip-flops. Not the greatest footwear for a chase, but the bees hadnt bothered to give me any advance warning.
The black circular mass of bees headed for the Oconomowoc River, then veered to the right before reaching its bank. Lucky for me, since I wouldnt have been able to follow if theyd crossed over to the other side of our small town of Moraines spring rainswollen river. Next they headed down a deer trail, taking the path of least resistance with me flopping along behind, trying to keep up. But it was useless. I couldnt help noticing that I was losing ground quickly, the distance between me and them widening by leaps and bounds. Or rather by trips and stumbles on my part.
The swarm flew toward a rustic wooden bridge that spanned the river, compliments of the state of Wisconsins commitment to increasing and improving its hiking trails.
My escapees didnt take the bridge, but kept going due north.
Another sharp turn, like they knew exactly where they were goingwhich they most likely did thanks to bee scouts who would have been out searching for new digs while I was puttering among the hives, thinking everything was just swell, totally oblivious to this particular groups impending departure.
Honeybees swarm when they outgrow their communal homes, the same way we do when we start our families and realize at some point that we need more space. I was supposed to be able to read the signs of a colony getting ready to swarm, but Im new at this game and learning everything the hard way. Which according to my mother was my standard mode of operation anyway.
I did know this much for sure:
They would have left part of the colony behind, mostly the weaker ones.
The renegade queen would have stopped laying eggs and would have slimmed down so she could make the flight.
From the size of this swarm, I guessed that several thousand of them had absconded with whatever food sources they could carry in those handy little built-in pouches of theirs.
Most of the boys would still be lounging around the old hive, since they were basically good for only one thing, and they tended to be more of a burden than they were worth.
A newly hatched queen would be in the wings ready to take over for those left behind.
She would be a virgin, but not for long. Then she would begin repopulating what was left of her colony.
My name is Story Fischer, christened Melissa at birth and called Missy until friends and family gave me my more colorful moniker based loosely on my ability to fabricate convincing tales. For the record, I never told outright blatant lies. They were more like enhanced embellishments. But I had walked a fine line between fact and fiction.
I like to think Ive outgrown that trait.
At thirty-four years old, Im trying more for dignified and classy, since Im a recent divorce with a ticking clock. But whos paying attention to age and time? I say to myself often, sometimes sarcastically, other times with more of a moan.
Thank God I was alone at the moment, because I lost my grasp on that dignified and classy thing. It was impossible to watch the rough ground I was running along and keep an eye on the honeybees in the air at the same time. I tripped over an obstacle, which turned out to be a fallen branch, and took a header, landing flat out, face-first, before raising up in what a yoga student would call the cobra pose. The swarm of bees crossed the Oconomowoc River. Then they vanished from sight.
