A Muddied Murder

A MUDDIED MURDER (Greenhouse Mystery #1)
Wendy Tyson
Henery Press
March 29, 2016

Megan Sawyer has moved back to her hometown of Winsome, PA to try to save her family's colonial era farm. After her husband's death in Afghanistan and several years of big city lawyering, Megan wants to get back to work that is satisfying. Besides, her 80-something grandmother, Bibi, needs help. Megan's father, Eddie, has gallivanted off to Italy with his new wife, leaving Bibi in the lurch; not that Eddie was much good at farm management. Megan's idea is to convert the farm to all organic methods and to add a cafe to the farm store. She has sunk her savings into the project but someone seems to want her to fail. Namely the town by dragging its' feet on permits and the Winsome Historical Society. Things go from annoying to critical when the battered body of a local zoning commissioner and chief thorn in Megan's side turns up in her barn. It becomes clear that a lot of people in Winsome are interested in getting their hands on the Washington Acres Farm, and even her grandmother is keeping secrets from her.

A Muddied Murder is an enjoyable beginning to a new series from a seasoned author. It has many of the elements I enjoy in a cozy; a developing relationship with a dishy local veterinarian, a well-drawn setting and a puzzle that kept me guessing. There are lots of suspects and secondary characters; perhaps too many as I had a little trouble keeping them sorted. I wished for more depth to some of the suspects, but that is my only quibble. I am looking forward to the second book in the series, Bitter Harvest, coming in 2017.

Thanks to Henery Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.

RATING- 4 Stars