Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Deadly to the Core

by Joyce Tremel

Series: Cider House Mystery #1
Series Rating:
Published by Crooked Lane Books on January 16, 2024
Setting: Orchardville, Pennsylvania
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Format: Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Bookhype
BookBub
Storygraph
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook

Perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Julie Anne Lindsey, when Kate Mulligan inherits her great uncle’s fruit orchard, she quickly realizes that apples aren’t the only thing that can have rotten cores.

After losing her husband in a terrible car crash, thirty-five-year-old Kate is left to pick up the pieces of her life alone. Although she has physically recovered, she worries her spirit never will. But when she learns that she has inherited a fruit orchard in a small town just outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, from her great uncle Stan, she takes this as an opportunity ripe for the picking. Kate knew immediately what to do with open a cider house. Her hopeful plans fall far from the tree when she finds the body of the orchard manager, Carl Randolph, leaving her to figure out who is at the core of this murder.

She had been in correspondence with Carl, who had agreed with her brilliant idea of opening a cider house. But not everyone is so quick to buy what she was selling—Uncle Stan’s lawyer, Robert Larabee, paints a less rosy financial outlook of the orchard’s past, present, and future.

Kate discovers that Carl had large, unexplained deposits to his bank account and it becomes clear that either he was blackmailing someone, or someone was paying him to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Kate and her neighbors receive offers to buy their property from a mysterious buyer. And there’s more than meets the eye with the neighboring orchard owner, Daniel Martinez, although Kate can’t quite put her finger on if it’s sweet or sour.

Will she be able to pick out the bad apple among the bunch before it’s too late?

Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel has Kate Mulligan returning home to her family’s orchard farm.

Can Kate solve the mystery?

Kate Mulligan

Kate Mulligan lost her husband a year ago and is finally feeling better when she decides to come home. Home is the property that has been in her family for generations and one that was left to her by her great-uncle. The property has their house and a fruit orchard on it. Kate has been wanting to do her own cider house for a while now, and she can finally do it. Kate is sad about losing her husband and wants to move on at her own pace. I like Kate as she tells you what she is thinking about and doesn’t care what you think. She is a go-getter who wants to keep the family business going, especially with adding in a cider house. She knows what she is doing with the cider making as well.

The Mystery

Kate Mulligan goes to see what Carl wants to talk about one day when she finds him dead. She decides to investigate, especially when she is put on the suspect list by the chief of police. Kate doesn’t think he knows what he is doing, so she decides to investigate. I have to say that for a small town, when they don’t want to tell someone a secret, they sure won’t, even if that person happens to have had family there for quite a while. I solved the mystery a bit before the sleuth did, and I’m glad I got it right.

Five Stars

I am giving five stars to Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel. Ms. Tremel entertained me and made me want to learn more about the mystery she was weaving as I plowed through the story. For that, I am recommending this book to whoever loves a good, Cozy Culinary Mystery. Kate and the rest of the crew are a great cast of characters with many more mysteries to solve.

Don’t forget to check out the recipes in the back of the book. The recipes are Dill Aioli, Apple Pie, Tomato Bisque, Kate’s Homemade Pasta Sauce, and Marguerite’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

Baroness’ Book Trove is an Amazon, Books A Million, and Barnes and Noble affiliate, meaning that if you click on a link that takes you to one of those retailers and purchase something, this blog gets a tiny percentage back. Mainly, this helps with the cost of the website and a few giveaways.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2023 Beachcombers Mystery RC
• 2023 Cloak and Dagger
• 2023 Craving the Cozies
• 2023 Cruisin' thru the Cozies
• 2023 Goodreads RC
• 2023 Medical Examiner RC

Related Posts