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Mysteries of Blackberry Valley #3
Seeds of Suspicion
Seeds of Suspicion
is the third book in the Mysteries of Blackberry Valley fiction series.
It’s Blackberry Festival time, and the whole town is gearing up for the chefs’ cook-off and other exciting events. But right before the big weekend, Hannah Prentiss is disturbed to hear about prowlers roaming the grounds and items going missing from her friend Elaine Wilby’s hundred-year-old-farm. The incidents seem to coincide with an article in the local paper about another festival, held ninety years ago, when the newly crowned Onion Queen disappeared without a trace.
Elaine believes someone might be after her family’s special heirloom onion seeds. The uniquely flavored vegetable was grown on the farm decades ago but has long since disappeared.
Could the perpetrator have a connection to the long-lost seeds… and to the missing Onion Queen?
Welcome to the Hot Spot…where the food is fresh and the mysteries are delicious!
After years away, Hannah Prentiss finally returns home to the charming village of Blackberry Valley. She transforms a former firehouse into the Hot Spot―a warm and welcoming place for townsfolk and travelers alike to enjoy meals made with fresh ingredients from local Kentucky farms. But running a new restaurant, reconnecting with loved ones, and forging new friendships around every corner aren’t the only things Hannah is doing these days. When mysteries start cropping up, she finds that solving them is just as satisfying as fulfilling her culinary dreams!
What you’ll love about Blackberry Valley
The cozy charm and heartfelt connections of small-town lifeFaithful characters and the warmth of a close-knit communityClean, wholesome storiesIntriguing mysteries that give you hours of reading pleasureWith warmth, humor, and a menu full of intrigue, Blackberry Valley Mysteries are the perfect way to let go of the stress and worries of the day and curl up in your favorite chair for hours of page-turning delight.
Seeds of Suspicion is the third book in The Mysteries of Blackberry Valley fiction series.
It’s Blackberry Festival time, and the whole town is gearing up for the chefs’ cook-off and other exciting events. But right before the big weekend, Hannah Prentiss is disturbed to hear about prowlers roaming the grounds and items going missing from her friend Elaine Wilby’s hundred-year-old-farm. The incidents seem to coincide with an article in the local paper about another festival, held ninety years ago, when the newly crowned Onion Queen disappeared without a trace.
Elaine believes someone might be after her family’s special heirloom onion seeds. The uniquely flavored vegetable was grown on the farm decades ago but has long since disappeared.
Could the perpetrator have a connection to the long-lost seeds… and to the missing Onion Queen?
Welcome to the Hot Spot…where the food is fresh and the mysteries are delicious!
After years away, Hannah Prentiss finally returns home to the charming village of Blackberry Valley. She transforms a former firehouse into the Hot Spot―a warm and welcoming place for townsfolk and travelers alike to enjoy meals made with fresh ingredients from local Kentucky farms. But running a new restaurant, reconnecting with loved ones, and forging new friendships around every corner aren’t the only things Hannah is doing these days. When mysteries start cropping up, she finds that solving them is just as satisfying as fulfilling her culinary dreams!
What you’ll love about Blackberry Valley
The cozy charm and heartfelt connections of small-town lifeFaithful characters and the warmth of a close-knit communityClean, wholesome storiesIntriguing mysteries that give you hours of reading pleasureWith warmth, humor, and a menu full of intrigue, Blackberry Valley Mysteries are the perfect way to let go of the stress and worries of the day and curl up in your favorite chair for hours of page-turning delight.
Seeds of Suspicion is the third book in The Mysteries of Blackberry Valley fiction series.
- GenresChristian FictionMystery
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 8, 2025
14 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Penney
96 books516 followersElizabeth Penney lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where she pens novels and tries to grow things. Elements that often appear in her novels include vintage summer cottages, past/present mysteries, and the arts. After spending early years in England and France, she grew up in Maine, settings that are reflected in her books.
Elizabeth is the author of the Apron Shop Series and Cambridge Bookshop Series from St. Martin's as well as over twenty novels, short stories, and hundreds of business articles. A former consultant and nonprofit executive, she holds a BS and an MBA. She's also written screenplays with her musician husband.
She loves walking in the woods, kayaking on quiet ponds, trying new recipes, and feeding family and friends.
Elizabeth is the author of the Apron Shop Series and Cambridge Bookshop Series from St. Martin's as well as over twenty novels, short stories, and hundreds of business articles. A former consultant and nonprofit executive, she holds a BS and an MBA. She's also written screenplays with her musician husband.
She loves walking in the woods, kayaking on quiet ponds, trying new recipes, and feeding family and friends.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 28, 2025
4 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - Cozy Mystery
About this book:
“It’s Blackberry Festival time, and the whole town is gearing up for the chefs’ cook-off and other exciting events. But right before the big weekend, Hannah Prentiss is disturbed to hear about prowlers roaming the grounds and items going missing from her friend Elaine Wilby’s hundred-year-old-farm. The incidents seem to coincide with an article in the local paper about another festival, held ninety years ago, when the newly crowned Onion Queen disappeared without a trace.
Elaine believes someone might be after her family’s special heirloom onion seeds. The uniquely flavored vegetable was grown on the farm decades ago but has long since disappeared.
Could the perpetrator have a connection to the long-lost seeds… and to the missing Onion Queen?”
Series: Book #3 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley”
Spiritual Content- Ephesians 4:15 at the beginning; A couple Scripture are quoted & referenced; Thanking God; Church going; A few talks about God & praying; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, hymns, Sunday school, a woman’s group at church, & a pastor; A mention of Bible reading & a morning devotional; A mention of doing something the Christian way;
*Note: Mentions of luck.
Negative Content- Some eye rolling; All about & many mentions of thieves, thefts, stolen items, robberies, intruders, break-ins, & trespassing; Mentions of crimes, criminals, & jail; Mentions of someone being attacked & injured; Mentions of a fight & a man punching another; Mentions of a dog getting injured (twice) & stopping in front of a moving vehicle (but is okay); Mentions of lies, lying, & deceit; A few mentions of the Great Depression; A couple mentions of death (Hannah’s mom & another’s father); A couple mentions of farm accidents & injuries; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of a child disappearing being a nightmare for parents; A mention of a car accident; A mention of tobacco;
*Note: A few mentions of car brands; A mention of a brand name (Kewpie dolls); A mention of a movie (Tarzan).
Sexual Content- Hannah notes that while she insists she doesn’t want to date right now (despite her family and friends trying to set her up on blind dates), she wouldn’t mind getting to know the town’s fire chief better; Mentions of girlfriends/boyfriends, dating, & dates; Mentions of a couple falling in love & her parents not approving of the man (due to wanting her to marry a rich man); A few mentions of a man trying to give a woman a kiss (that she doesn’t want so she pushes him away); A mention of chaperones.
-Hannah Prentiss, age 35
P.O.V. switches between them
Contemporary & Scenes from 1932
275 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
While I might not be a fan of onions, I do enjoy gardening and learning about heirloom seeds, so I found this mystery very interesting! Add in the fun of the town’s blackberry festival—which totally made me crave blackberries the whole time I was reading—and it was a fun book!
I will say that this one started off a little strong and quickly jumped into the plot. A few things that were mentioned felt like I should have already knew the information, but I don’t recall them being said before (such as Elaine having a large garden or adopting a dog). But besides the slightly rough start, the pacing worked else wise. I didn’t care for the almost-dual-time-period historical parts, personally. There was a lot of jumping to conclusions and some slightly questionable advice in those scenes. I almost dropped my rating to 3.5 because of it, but I did really enjoyed the rest of the book.
I was absolutely thrilled at the end of the book because it had a recipe for the blackberry pizza recipe that Hannah references and makes throughout the whole book! For half the book, I was picturing it to be the blackberries on top of pizza, but it’s actually a blackberry sauce instead of tomato sauce. I think I would rather try them on top of the pizza as I don’t know about this no-tomato sauce concept. But regardless, I was excited the recipe was shared because I was expecting it to be the blackberry jam cake one instead. I definitely plan on trying this pizza! ;)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“It’s Blackberry Festival time, and the whole town is gearing up for the chefs’ cook-off and other exciting events. But right before the big weekend, Hannah Prentiss is disturbed to hear about prowlers roaming the grounds and items going missing from her friend Elaine Wilby’s hundred-year-old-farm. The incidents seem to coincide with an article in the local paper about another festival, held ninety years ago, when the newly crowned Onion Queen disappeared without a trace.
Elaine believes someone might be after her family’s special heirloom onion seeds. The uniquely flavored vegetable was grown on the farm decades ago but has long since disappeared.
Could the perpetrator have a connection to the long-lost seeds… and to the missing Onion Queen?”
Series: Book #3 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley”
Spiritual Content- Ephesians 4:15 at the beginning; A couple Scripture are quoted & referenced; Thanking God; Church going; A few talks about God & praying; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, hymns, Sunday school, a woman’s group at church, & a pastor; A mention of Bible reading & a morning devotional; A mention of doing something the Christian way;
*Note: Mentions of luck.
Negative Content- Some eye rolling; All about & many mentions of thieves, thefts, stolen items, robberies, intruders, break-ins, & trespassing; Mentions of crimes, criminals, & jail; Mentions of someone being attacked & injured; Mentions of a fight & a man punching another; Mentions of a dog getting injured (twice) & stopping in front of a moving vehicle (but is okay); Mentions of lies, lying, & deceit; A few mentions of the Great Depression; A couple mentions of death (Hannah’s mom & another’s father); A couple mentions of farm accidents & injuries; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of a child disappearing being a nightmare for parents; A mention of a car accident; A mention of tobacco;
*Note: A few mentions of car brands; A mention of a brand name (Kewpie dolls); A mention of a movie (Tarzan).
Sexual Content- Hannah notes that while she insists she doesn’t want to date right now (despite her family and friends trying to set her up on blind dates), she wouldn’t mind getting to know the town’s fire chief better; Mentions of girlfriends/boyfriends, dating, & dates; Mentions of a couple falling in love & her parents not approving of the man (due to wanting her to marry a rich man); A few mentions of a man trying to give a woman a kiss (that she doesn’t want so she pushes him away); A mention of chaperones.
-Hannah Prentiss, age 35
P.O.V. switches between them
Contemporary & Scenes from 1932
275 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
While I might not be a fan of onions, I do enjoy gardening and learning about heirloom seeds, so I found this mystery very interesting! Add in the fun of the town’s blackberry festival—which totally made me crave blackberries the whole time I was reading—and it was a fun book!
I will say that this one started off a little strong and quickly jumped into the plot. A few things that were mentioned felt like I should have already knew the information, but I don’t recall them being said before (such as Elaine having a large garden or adopting a dog). But besides the slightly rough start, the pacing worked else wise. I didn’t care for the almost-dual-time-period historical parts, personally. There was a lot of jumping to conclusions and some slightly questionable advice in those scenes. I almost dropped my rating to 3.5 because of it, but I did really enjoyed the rest of the book.
I was absolutely thrilled at the end of the book because it had a recipe for the blackberry pizza recipe that Hannah references and makes throughout the whole book! For half the book, I was picturing it to be the blackberries on top of pizza, but it’s actually a blackberry sauce instead of tomato sauce. I think I would rather try them on top of the pizza as I don’t know about this no-tomato sauce concept. But regardless, I was excited the recipe was shared because I was expecting it to be the blackberry jam cake one instead. I definitely plan on trying this pizza! ;)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
August 1, 2025
Of the Blackberry Valley series, this has been my favorite thus far. In this day and age it's nice to read a mystery that has no violence and no politics.
August 2, 2025
I enjoyed this book. The focus on heritage seeds and plants was very interesting and handled well. I'm enjoying getting to know the characters that show up again and again in this series. The multi-author approach is working very well. I'd love to visit Blackberry Valley. Warning - do not read while hungry :-)
June 28, 2025
Love it great start to a series written under the banner of Guideposts.
August 5, 2025
This was cute and just as nice a way to pass the afternoon. The only thing that irked me was that the journal entries were written in a third person narrative style and that was a bit odd.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews