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Blood Honey by Poppy Koval
Beasley Cherries in Brooklyn, New York, is going through some difficult times. Teddy Beasley has made every effort to resurrect the maraschino cherry industry by putting money into new lines and organic operations.
However, his business choices haven’t been fully successful, and he becomes involved in some shady activities by adding labels reading “Made in Vermont” to smuggled Chinese honey in an effort to pay off business debt. The factory is now experiencing an increase in bee activity, and Teddy is certain that the neighbourhood bees are aware of his plans.
Mims Walsh, who lives across the city, is similarly fighting a losing battle in her quest to succeed as a freelance writer. Her journalism peers appear to be moving on in their professions faster than she is. It’s not so much about fame and fortune at the moment as getting enough writing jobs to put food on the table.
Mims, who is looking for the next big story, comes across a local beekeeper who is pleading for assistance from the town council. She meets Charlie to personally witness the Blood Honey his bees are generating, and she makes the decision to focus her investigation on what the bees might be eating based on where the other impacted hives are located in the city. Mims zeroes down on Beasley Cherries as a potential epicentre and on a collision course as Teddy seeks to escape the illicit honey smuggling business.
I was drawn in right away by the idea that the plot involved bees, so I was thrilled when this book turned out to be such an easy read starting on page one! I was drawn into the story right away and didn’t want to put the book down. It strikes a good balance between seriousness and humour. Additionally, Poppy Koval has done a fantastic job creating likeable characters that the reader comes to care about. I liked how each contributed to the plot and wasn’t there to fill up space on the page. You must read it!
About The Read
It would be financially prudent for Mims Walsh to stick to writing celebrity gossip articles rather than investigate why an elderly beekeeper’s honey has turned red. The death of her journalism dreams won’t hurt so much once she has the money for avocado toast… not to mention toilet paper and rent. On the other hand, a career win would give her the confidence to show her face again among her successful friends.
In another part of NYC, Teddy Beasley’s illegal side gig is getting out of hand. He’d been desperate to start clearing the debts he racked up modernizing his family’s business after his beloved grandfather died. His shadowy new partner won’t let him walk away, and he’s convinced that the honeybees that have started showing up each day know what he’s up to and are out to get him as punishment.
Combining sharp emotional insights with a quirky crime fiction premise, Koval explores the depths we sink to for money and the ways we negotiate friendships, family, and dating as best we can while struggling to survive.
The Review
Blood Honey
8.3 Score
Blood Honey has the perfect ratio of character development-to-action. You *know* the main characters well enough to really care what happens to them if the plot doesn’t go their way. Mims Walsh is desperate to not let her journalism career entirely fizzle out, even though it never took off in the first place. She’s feeling firmly late 20s as all of her friends are becoming successful and she’s 100% not. Faced with either committing to tabloid writing or taking on an investigation into why NYC’s rooftop bee hives are making red honey, she decides to give the career she loves one more shot.
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