Posies and Poison
by Wendy Meadows
Series: Sweetfern Harbor Mystery #1
Series Rating:
Published by Majestic Owl Publishing LLC on July 28, 2017
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 150
Format: Kindle
Goodreads
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Ghostly Tours , Dead in Bed, Captain Dead Man, Turkey, Pies and Alibis
When Brenda Sheffield receives the letter from Edward Graham she knows her life will change drastically. She is now the proud owner of Sheffield Bed and Breakfast in the seaboard town of Sweetfern Harbor, willed to her by her uncle Randolph Sheffield. After pursuing a career as an amateur sleuth, she looks forward to the new challenge.
Once she arrives in the picturesque village, the colorful shops and enticing townspeople hold her spellbound. Assured crime never happens in the safest place along the New England coast, she delves into her new career. Brenda learns that not all is as it seems in Sweetfern Harbor. A despicable woman named Lady Pendleton not only owns most of the town, but she also makes it her mission to continue vendettas against everyone by regularly raising rents on businesses and homes. She is known to have ruined people financially more than once.
The day Lady Pendleton’s car comes barreling toward the Sheffield Bed and Breakfast, Brenda watches in horror until it comes to an abrupt stop. When Lady Pendleton does not emerge from the car, Brenda discovers her slumped over the steering wheel. She is pronounced dead by the Coroner and he deems it a homicide. Most of the townspeople become suspects.
The very handsome Detective Mac Rivers enlists Brenda’s help in solving the case. Brenda discovers twists and turns in every tidbit of new information that reaches her. The intertwining of loyalties and fierce protection of one another in Sweetfern Harbor adds to the difficulty in solving the case. On top of that, Brenda must keep focused on the case, and not on Mac Rivers’ charm. Sweetfern Harbor Bed and Breakfast Cozy Mysteries can be read in one to two hours. It is perfect for those moments when you are waiting at an appointment or want to enjoy a quick read.
Who is the ghost?
Posies and Poison by Wendy Meadows is the first book in the Sweetfern Harbor Mystery series. I read the 4th and Halloween book called Ghostly Tours. I like the characters so much I decided to start at the beginning of the series.
Brenda Sheffield
Brenda inherits the Sheffield Bed and Breakfast from her Uncle Randolph. The B&B is a 1890s Queen Anne mansion located in Sweetfern Harbor. Sweetfern Harbor is a small town where everyone is family.
Brenda being from Michigan isn’t used to the small town dynamics that Sweetfern Harbor has. However, Brenda adores the town and is becoming close to the citizens. This a welcome change as she is the last of her family and she seems to enjoy being part of the community.
While living in Michigan, Brenda worked as an assistant for a private investigator. She always wanted to get into that business but never made the leap.
OK, that catches us up on Brenda. I like her as a character; she seems to be happy to find a place in life. I hope to see our sleuth strive in this series.
The victim
Lady Pendleton owns most of the town including all of the buildings on Main Street. She is a shrewd businesswoman and has no mercy. The citizens of Sweetfern Harbor all dislike her since she is continually raising their rents.
Lady Pendleton as she likes to be called is married to a charming man. She is not kind to him at all.
When Lady Pendleton erratically parks her car at the B&B, Brenda is first on the scene, but the whole town is suspect.
Honestly, I don’t feel sorry about what happened to Lady Pendleton. Talk about a great case of karma.
The mystery
The mystery is good. There are plenty of red herrings. The main suspect is, however, Mac’s daughter Jenny, who owns the flower shop. Hence the title Posies and Poison.
Brenda is asked by Detective Mac Williams to assist with questioning the townsfolk. She finds that there are a few people keeping secrets in the small town. But, not everyone is blabbing about the past either. Brenda and Mac find the killer, but justice is different in Sweetfern Harbor.
However, Brenda and Mac have hit it off. I think that Brenda will be staying in Sweetfern Harbor indefinitely.
5 Stars for Posies and Poison by Wendy Meadows
My rating for Posies and Poison by Wendy Meadows is five stars. I enjoyed the story, and the characters are lovely. These books are short cozy mysteries. I like that I can sit down and knock it out in a couple of hours or less.
I am off to read the second book Dead in Bed; I’ll let you know how it goes.
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book on your site.
About Wendy Meadows
Wendy Meadows is a USA Today best-selling author whose meticulously crafted stories showcase witty women sleuths and engaging plots. Her primary influences include but are not limited to mystery genre greats Joanne Fluke, Ellery Adams, and James Patterson. To date, she has published dozens of books, which include her popular Sweetfern Harbor Series, Maple Hill Series, and Alaska Cozy Series, to name a few.
In a previous life, Wendy worked as a Graphic Designer, earning her Graphic Design Certification at the prestigious New York based Sessions School of Design. With this valuable artistic background, she designs her own book covers. In fact, she began writing fiction soon after designing numerous book covers for other fiction authors.
When she isn’t writing about female detectives and their tactful crime solving, you can find Wendy either tending to her hobby farm, playing video games, relaxing on her back porch, or coloring in her growing collection of adult coloring books. She also loves spending quality time with her husband, two sons, two cats, and one adorable Labradoodle. Together, they call “The Granite State” home sweet home.
The bio above and picture were taken from the author’s website.
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