The Larkspur Hollow Garden Club Mysteries: Book 2
Publication Date: July 17, 2026
Preston Hartwell came home to Larkspur Hollow the golden boy everyone remembered. By the week of the Strawberry Social, he’d made an enemy of nearly everyone. By the end of it, he was dead.
Everyone calls it a tragedy — a good heart giving out in the summer heat. Retired schoolteacher Nell Ashworth calls it murder, and she means to name who’s behind it. But this time, the detective is you.
Solve each chapter’s word search, and the leftover letters reveal a hidden clue: a suspect cleared, a motive exposed, a secret long buried. Across forty-eight puzzles, you’ll gather everything you need to name the killer, the motive, the means, and the place — then find out whether you’ve cracked the case.
Six suspects. One sweet summer social, one bitter secret. A verdict only you can reach.
A complete solve-along cozy mystery — no apps required. Just you, a pencil, and the truth waiting in the grid.
The Bitter Berry is Book Two of the The Larkspur Hollow Garden Club Mysteries. Like every book in the series, it’s a standalone whodunit you can enjoy on its own.
It’s time to return to Larkspur Hollow for another mystery.
Author Jody Chaffin delivers The Bitter Berry as the series’ second installment. This interactive approach provides readers with 48 clues found in a word search format.
The short chapters set the stage for a cozy whodunit to unfold. From a practical standpoint, I tested this selection out on my new Kindle Scribe Colorfast, and it was easy to pick out the leftover letters for the clues.
The story can easily be enjoyed as a standalone, but I will admit I am hooked for the entire six-volume series. The small-town atmosphere and engaging characters make this an enjoyable, and relaxing experience.
The Bitter Berry allows readers to test their detective skills by solving a murder mystery.
Jody Chaffin writes cozy mysteries for readers who like to do more than turn the page, pairing small-town whodunits with word-search puzzles you solve right alongside the characters. When he isn’t hiding a secret in a grid, he’s building software or out playing sports. He lives in Missouri.
His debut series, The Larkspur Hollow Garden Club Mysteries, follows a tight-knit Vermont garden club through small-town secrets with every solution hidden in the puzzle pages for readers to find.
