I happened to be browsing in my Kindle the other day and saw a description of this novel. I downloaded a sample and over a rainy weekend proceeded to read up to book three in this wonderful series. I have never heard of Sheila Connolly before but am definitely looking forward to reading her other series and continuing with her "An Orchard Mystery" series.

The main protagonist in this series is Meg Corey. Meg after being laid off from her job as financial planner in Boston, moves to a home that her mother was left to her by distant aunts. The house in Granford, Massachusetts is dying a slow death due to no businesses operating in the small town.

Meg plans on renovating her mother's home, splitting the profits, and returning to Boston. However, when an ex-boyfriend comes to Granford she finds herself quickly embroiled in a murder on her property and how her land comes to play with development plans in the town.

I really love books that highlight renovations and this one was great about describing the home that Meg lived in. Also Meg finds out that she owns an orchard and so readers get a quick run down on orchard businesses and the types of apples that can be grown (I admit I had no idea). There were also many characters who come to play in this novel however, a reader will not get confused. Also I like that due to so many people's motives in this novel at any one time I pretty much suspected everyone for the murder except the real culprit.

I do have one con which is why I marked the novel down a star. Meg at times can be whiny and you do want to shake her a bit when she goes about sticking her nose in things that have nothing to do with her (no matter what she says). Also I really didn't understand why Meg just didn't call her family and let them know that she needed money and help. When characters do things like that it always baffles me since in real life, unless you are estranged from your parents, you don't decide to not tell them when you need help or what is going on in your life.

The next novel in this series is, Rotten to the Core (An Orchard Mystery)! I would recommend to those who really do just want a good mystery to read. ( )

There weren't enough clues - although I guessed the murderer. She was clueless and often inappropriate. Are women really that dumb when it comes to themselves and their feelings? Still, it was set in western Mass, that part was cute.

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Ok ( )

Book 1 of the Orchard Mystery series has Meg moving to Massachusetts to remodel and sell her mother's aunts' home after she loses her job and boyfriend. Her ex-boyfriend comes knocking on her door with an offer to have her putting a good word in for him with the citizens of the town where he wants to do business. He ends up dead and she ends up a suspect in his murder along with her plumber. Now they have to solve it before either or both go down for the murder.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. The world building is good as the characters are introduced and a brief outline is given as to who they are and where they fit in the town. Meg and Seth are good characters and possible love interests. The mystery was good. I figured who it was only because he was a bad apple (pun not intended) but I needed the ending before putting it all together as to why. And what a stupid reason to do it.

It's a fun read and I look forward to reading more of the series. ( )

One Bad Apple
3 Stars

Made redundant from her position at a Boston bank, Meg Corey relocates to Granford, Massachusetts to prepare the house her mother inherited for sale. Meg soon realizes that she has bitten off more than she can chew when her plumbing packs it in and a body is found in her newly installed septic tank. Unfortunately, the corpse is none other than Meg's ex-boyfriend and now she is the prime suspect in his murder …

Although the story is quite readable and the heroine is engaging, there is very little tension or suspense. Not only is the ultimate solution of the mystery anti-climactic, but the killer is rather miserable and pathetic.

While stories involving home repair and renovation are often entertaining, the descriptions of Meg’s cleaning, scraping and remodeling are excessive and her attempts at learning the history of the house are tedious, especially as their is nothing particularly interesting about her family’s past. All of this comes at the expense of the murder investigation.

The characters are not fleshed out well and the small town vibe that is one of the mainstays of the cozy mystery genre is sorely missing. Finally, Meg’s budding relationship with her next-door neighbor / plumber has potential, but there is a point in the story where he undergoes a personality transplant and becomes an insufferable jerk - so much for that.

Not sure that I'll continue. ( )