Concession Stand Crimes (Ball Park Mysteries Book # 2) by Nicole Asselin

MADELINE BOUCHER is still reeling from her first few weeks of working for her family’s Independent League Baseball Team, the Abington Armadillos. She found a dead body and survived a kidnapping before finally clearing her brother of a murder. She didn’t think anything could be as dramatic as that, but she was wrong.

Her parents have given her more responsibility in running ballpark events in the hopes that they could retire and leave the team in her hands. Her brother is moving on to the big leagues, so this is her time to shine. Her first task? Deal with a concession stand kerfuffle. Redmond Brewery heiress, Alaska Redmond, storms her way into the ballpark making demands.

The next day, the son of the concession’s manager finds Redmond’s body in one of the beer stands along the ballpark concourse. Again, Madeline finds herself immersed in an investigation. While the suspects start piling up, including a promising young player on the team, Madeline knows she must get involved. With the help of Davis, her new love interest and head of the security department, she delves deeper into the death of the heiress.

Trying to run team events, solve a murder, and have a normal life take their toll as Madeline comes to depend on those in her baseball-loving community, including Bronia, her old family friend who runs a garden center and helps her make sense of things. She even chances a psychic for advice while at a Salem Warlock’s away game. Will anyone help her untangle the mess of suspects including the victim’s family?

Can she clear the name of the Abington Armadillos and start focusing on the season?  (Summary via Goodreads)

There is a line in the book Concession Stand Crimes that readers will totally relate the book and the series to .... "hotdogs and crackerjacks, not murder and lawsuits" .... that is what you would think when you are sitting down to read a book centered around a baseball team and everything related to it.  Even though the Ball Park Mysteries series written by Nicole Asselin is about an Independent League Baseball Team and not a Major League Team it still reads like Red Sox or Yankee status.

Concession Stand Crimes follows the Boucher family as they run the Abington Armadillos baseball stadium.  Madeline, the daughter, is slowly taking over running the family business as her parents are working at retiring and her brother, Ben, is going to be working for the Red Sox.  Madeline is fine with that as she loves baseball, the stadium and everything else her job will entail .... except when a dead body interfers.

Madeline is still recovering from finding a dead body, proving her brother's innocence when he is looked at as the killer, and also herself being kidnapped by the actual killer so when she is doing the rounds and another dead body is discovered, she may pack it in.  

Alaska Redmond is rude to Madeline's friend Eliza who runs the front desk for the office and bumps into Madeline while storming out.  Alaska's family owns Redmond Brewery and they want to do business with the Boucher family but before any negotiating can begin, Alaska's body is found by the concession stands.

There is really no reason for Madeline to look into Alaska's death as the police are not focusing on anyone she knows but her curious mind cannot let it go.  Even though she insists that she will not put herself in any kind of danger, her family and boyfriend Davis aren't so sure.

Readers will love this book and series.  You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it but that wouldn't hurt.  Luckily I am a huge baseball fan, Red Sox, I will watch any baseball !!!  I can imagine running the park like Madeline is about to do would be so fun !!!  I would totally walk the park, sit in the stands and eat a hotdog every day !!!  

I highly recommend grabbing your copy and having a ball !!!