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Orchard Mystery #1
One Bad Apple
There's a killer in the orchard, and he's rotten to the core.
INCLUDES RECIPES
Meg Corey has come to the quaint New England town of Granford, Massachusetts, to sell her mother's old colonial home and apple orchard. Instead, she becomes embroiled in development plans that include her land, and her former flame from Boston. When he's found dead in the new septic tank on her property, the police immediately suspect Meg, whose only ally in town is the plumber Seth Chapin. Together, they'll have to peel back the layers of secrecy that surround the deal in order to find the real murderer, and save the orchard.
INCLUDES RECIPES
Meg Corey has come to the quaint New England town of Granford, Massachusetts, to sell her mother's old colonial home and apple orchard. Instead, she becomes embroiled in development plans that include her land, and her former flame from Boston. When he's found dead in the new septic tank on her property, the police immediately suspect Meg, whose only ally in town is the plumber Seth Chapin. Together, they'll have to peel back the layers of secrecy that surround the deal in order to find the real murderer, and save the orchard.
262 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 5, 2008
293 people are currently reading
4542 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Connolly
73 books1,392 followersSheila Connolly taught art history, structured and marketed municipal bonds for major cities, worked as a staff member on two statewide political campaigns, and served as a fundraiser for several non-profit organizations. She also managed her own consulting company providing genealogical research services.
She was a member of Sisters in Crime-New England (president 2011), the national Sisters in Crime, and the fabulous on-line SinC chapter, the Guppies. She also belonged to Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.
Sheila was Regent of her local DAR chapter, and a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. She was also the grandchild of Irish immigrants. In addition to genealogy, Sheila loved restoring old houses, visiting cemeteries, and traveling.
She was a member of Sisters in Crime-New England (president 2011), the national Sisters in Crime, and the fabulous on-line SinC chapter, the Guppies. She also belonged to Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.
Sheila was Regent of her local DAR chapter, and a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. She was also the grandchild of Irish immigrants. In addition to genealogy, Sheila loved restoring old houses, visiting cemeteries, and traveling.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
September 14, 2009
A satisfying and well-written cozy mystery. Meg Corey relocates to rural Massachusetts from Boston to remodel the family’s colonial home. The setting was ideal for a cozy mystery: a beautiful old home set on a great tract of land with an apple orchard. Needless to say, a murder occurs and Meg gets involved in the mess. Meg was extremely likable and her involvement in the mystery didn’t seem too forced (which is sometimes a problem in these kinds of books). The novel had everything I want in a cozy mystery: interesting, likable characters, a comfortable setting, and all kinds of cozy fun like remodeling and baking. The book even contains a few great apple recipes that I can’t wait to try out. The mystery felt like it developed a touch too slowly in the beginning and then wrapped up much too quickly in the last 25 pages. Still, I liked the fact that the romance in the book was very subtle and that Meg’s salvation came through herself rather than a man. Overall, a light and enjoyable read.
October 23, 2017
One Bad Apple was an interesting opening to the small town of Granford, Massachusetts and our heroine, Meg Corey. Her mother had inherited a money pit but she was clueless as to its condition. Around the same time, Meg was let go from her financial position when she was downsized out of her job in Boston. Unaware of the house beforehand, Meg became co-owner and agreed to fix it up before selling. Her goal was to sell it for a profit, share the proceeds with her parents and establish a new life elsewhere.
If only it was this simple.
The murder of a former lover, her septic tank and an engaging group of townspeople/suspects provided motive, means and opportunity. Meg needed to connect the dots since the detective in charge placed her at the top of the list of perpetrators. Apples, a plumber and some biting cold weather affected her thoughts and choices.
This was a pleasant who-done-it with a solid conclusion to the mystery but enough open ends for more things to come. I look forward to reading the second story in this mystery series.
If only it was this simple.
The murder of a former lover, her septic tank and an engaging group of townspeople/suspects provided motive, means and opportunity. Meg needed to connect the dots since the detective in charge placed her at the top of the list of perpetrators. Apples, a plumber and some biting cold weather affected her thoughts and choices.
This was a pleasant who-done-it with a solid conclusion to the mystery but enough open ends for more things to come. I look forward to reading the second story in this mystery series.
July 23, 2019
It was cute. Although I had a hard time getting into it. I'm not a fan of apples so I think that made it harder for me. I will not be reading the rest of the series.
I did figure it out right after my last update too. :) It was a nice twist.
I did figure it out right after my last update too. :) It was a nice twist.
January 20, 2020
This is another series I'd been wanting to start. I quickly got interested in Meg and her new friend Seth and the situation they had with finding a body on her property. I really liked the character of Christopher, the man from the university working with agriculture students. Police chief Art seemed like a decent guy too. He was stuck not being able to help with the case due to it being turned over to the state police.
Meg learned quite a bit about the guy she used to date when she lived in Boston and his connections to a development project in her new home of Granford, MA. Mainly she was learning what a user he was of other people. I had an idea of who was behind it but it was fun to see it play out. The showdown was a little nail biting at first, but the killer was found and justice wheels started to roll. I read all the rest of the book blurbs just to get an idea of what was coming up in future installments, and now I can't wait to continue!
Meg learned quite a bit about the guy she used to date when she lived in Boston and his connections to a development project in her new home of Granford, MA. Mainly she was learning what a user he was of other people. I had an idea of who was behind it but it was fun to see it play out. The showdown was a little nail biting at first, but the killer was found and justice wheels started to roll. I read all the rest of the book blurbs just to get an idea of what was coming up in future installments, and now I can't wait to continue!
August 26, 2014
After Meg loses her job in Boston, she moves to the small rural New England town of Granford with plans to fix up an old house she owns with her mother to sell. But she quickly discovers the house is in need of some serious attention and a big city bank has eyes on the land the house sits on to make way for a mall.
And then her ex-boyfriend who worked for the bank turns up dead in her septic tank and she's the number one suspect. With the State Police not really interested in looking further than her she needs to find the killer and clear her name.
One Bad Apple is kind of obvious, I had pretty much figured out who the killer was before the guy was even killed. There were a few surprises along the way and I found myself quite enjoying the author's little digressions into the world of growing apples, a subject which she is quite obviously passionate about. As a cozy mystery it was pretty good and I bought book two for no other reason than I enjoyed this one. I'm not really sure how many people can die in Meg's back yard before I give up on the series but for now I'll continue.
And then her ex-boyfriend who worked for the bank turns up dead in her septic tank and she's the number one suspect. With the State Police not really interested in looking further than her she needs to find the killer and clear her name.
One Bad Apple is kind of obvious, I had pretty much figured out who the killer was before the guy was even killed. There were a few surprises along the way and I found myself quite enjoying the author's little digressions into the world of growing apples, a subject which she is quite obviously passionate about. As a cozy mystery it was pretty good and I bought book two for no other reason than I enjoyed this one. I'm not really sure how many people can die in Meg's back yard before I give up on the series but for now I'll continue.
February 23, 2017
This quintessential cozy mystery was a charming read that didn't take much emotional commitment which makes it perfect as a pleasant February distraction from the dreary realities of a cold, grey reality. This first book in Sheila Connolly's Orchard series offers a pastoral setting with Colonial American tones, a likable amateur sleuth, a budding romance, and the introduction of several endearing and potentially recurring characters--all without graphic violence, profanity, and explicit sex--what more could anyone ask from a "cozy"?
Don't miss the apple recipes in the back of the book.
Don't miss the apple recipes in the back of the book.
January 9, 2018
The start of a new (to me) series (although I read the prequel Novella a few days back!), Meg has lost her job at a bank following a merger and her Mum suggests she takes some time out to plan what to do next and at the same time refurbish a house they have been left ready for sale. A month in and Meg is finding things are not really going smoothly! Every time she starts to do something in the house it seems to kick off another few jobs and then to add insult to injury the plumbing goes wrong, leading to the replacement of the septic tank. Add in that on the same day her old boyfriend turns up on her doorstep and all signs lead to panic!
June 14, 2013
One Bad Apple was my first read from Sheila Connolly. This cozy mystery is set in a small rural Massachusetts town. The cast of characters are likable, and the plot is entertaining. Overall I enjoyed the book. My only complaint is that I found some of the parts to be redundant. Besides murder, this book has a little something for any cozy fan -- taking care of an orchard, renovating a house, antiquing, and cooking. The apple recipes sound yummy! I would read more from this author. 3 stars
I certainly did not expect to find words I did not know the meaning of in a cozy, but I was pleasantly surprised: moribound, bucolic, and bellwether. Always glad to learn a new word or three.
Favorite passages:
The main character, Meg, describes feeling sorry for the house she is renovating because of some of the tacky thing people had done to it. Seth, her plumber, replies "If you can tell that, you can see what lies beneath. And the place has good bones." I just liked the idea of being able to see beyond what's there.
When Meg was showing the house she is renovating to someone she mentions that she always sees the flaws and everything that needed to be fixed or updated. She implied she wished she was someone who could see the potential and see the beauty that could come from the renovation. I just found that this was a good antidote for life. Try and see beyond what's there. Try and see the positive.
I certainly did not expect to find words I did not know the meaning of in a cozy, but I was pleasantly surprised: moribound, bucolic, and bellwether. Always glad to learn a new word or three.
Favorite passages:
The main character, Meg, describes feeling sorry for the house she is renovating because of some of the tacky thing people had done to it. Seth, her plumber, replies "If you can tell that, you can see what lies beneath. And the place has good bones." I just liked the idea of being able to see beyond what's there.
When Meg was showing the house she is renovating to someone she mentions that she always sees the flaws and everything that needed to be fixed or updated. She implied she wished she was someone who could see the potential and see the beauty that could come from the renovation. I just found that this was a good antidote for life. Try and see beyond what's there. Try and see the positive.
August 17, 2016
From the book jacket - When Meg Corey unexpectedly finds herself out of a job, an apartment, and a relationship, she seizes the opportunity to renovate the Massachusetts colonial house her mother has inherited and to sell it quickly for a share of the profits. But Meg gets more than she bargained for when she learns that renovating a two-hundred-year-old house is no easy task and that the gorgeous fifteen-acre apple orchard on the property is in danger of being paved over by developers. And she definitely isn’t expecting to run into her ex-boyfriend … floating dead in her new septic tank.
My reactions
This is a strong opening for a cozy mystery series. I like Meg; she’s intelligent, relatively self-sufficient, and not easily intimidated. I also like that she doesn’t immediately jump into the arms of the first handsome guy to show up to fix the plumbing. On the other hand, the way she jumps to conclusions and her awkward efforts to clear her name seem a little over-the-top to me.
I figured out the culprit long before Meg or the police, and I thought the ending was less than satisfying. Still, we have a likable lead character, and I like the way Connolly is developing Meg’s relationships with the town’s residents. And there are some delicious recipes featuring apples at the end. I’d be willing to read more of this cozy series.
My reactions
This is a strong opening for a cozy mystery series. I like Meg; she’s intelligent, relatively self-sufficient, and not easily intimidated. I also like that she doesn’t immediately jump into the arms of the first handsome guy to show up to fix the plumbing. On the other hand, the way she jumps to conclusions and her awkward efforts to clear her name seem a little over-the-top to me.
I figured out the culprit long before Meg or the police, and I thought the ending was less than satisfying. Still, we have a likable lead character, and I like the way Connolly is developing Meg’s relationships with the town’s residents. And there are some delicious recipes featuring apples at the end. I’d be willing to read more of this cozy series.
April 29, 2018
Awww I loved this book! Great start! I enjoyed the premise and the characters and really loved how it ended. Glad I got some more in this series
May 4, 2020
In Sheila Connolly's first Orchard Mystery novel 'One Bad Apple', we are introduced to Meg Corey. She's a former banker, downsized out of her job and recently dumped by her boyfriend. She's come to small town Granford, Massachusetts to recharge and rethink as she renovates an old house that's been in her family for years.
What she doesn't realize is the scope the renovation job will be, the magnitude of which seems to grow each time she starts a project. What she never realized is the house and property comes complete with an apple orchard (thus the central premise of the series).
Granford is a town in flux. While trying to retain the small town ethos, they are caught with a shrinking tax base and when a bank comes to town with designs on developing business there, the down is divided by those for and those against progress.
Meg has been focused on the house so she is relatively unaware of what's going on around her. But when her old boyfriend shows up on her doorstep, she's unwillingly dragged into the middle of the controversy. That would be bad enough, but when the old boyfriend turns up dead in her recently installed septic tank (Kudos to the author on a new way to dispose of a body!), she instantly becomes the prime suspect.
Small town attitudes would seem to want an "outsider" guilty of the crime rather than any of the townsfolk. Meg ends up having to work at solving the murder in order to clear her name, particularly when it doesn't appear that the police are making any progress in finding the real killer.
Along the way, Meg starts to make inroads into Granford's citizenry. There's Seth Chapin, the local plumber who is also her neighbor and a member of the town government. They commiserate over being seen as suspects because Seth would be affected personally if the project gets the go-ahead.
But as Meg digs deeper, she learns a lot about her ex-boyfriend and the ins and outs of what the deal could mean to the town, for both the good and the bad. But the question becomes can Meg clear her name before the killer targets her next.
I have read Sheila Connolly's County Cork series but hadn't yet started the Orchard Mysteries. The author's passing gave me the kick in the pants to get started and I really found myself enjoying 'One Bad Apple' a lot. Meg herself was an instant draw as a character. I liked how she started off wanting to fix the house up and get the hell out of Granford as soon as possible but then kind of softened to the slower pace in town. Obviously that had to happen in order for the series to continue, but they way Connolly developed this change over the course of the book was fantastic.
I enjoyed the introduction of the supporting cast. Seth is the obvious love interest but his sister Rachel is primed to be "the best friend" and she's got her own life in the plot too. Some of the other characters may only be around here and there but they do make an impression.
Though I am not a baker, even the recipes in the book (apple centric, of course) sound great and boy would I love to taste some of them.
In the end, it may have been a long time getting to this series but going off this first book I think apples are about to play a huge role in my choice of mystery reading material.
What she doesn't realize is the scope the renovation job will be, the magnitude of which seems to grow each time she starts a project. What she never realized is the house and property comes complete with an apple orchard (thus the central premise of the series).
Granford is a town in flux. While trying to retain the small town ethos, they are caught with a shrinking tax base and when a bank comes to town with designs on developing business there, the down is divided by those for and those against progress.
Meg has been focused on the house so she is relatively unaware of what's going on around her. But when her old boyfriend shows up on her doorstep, she's unwillingly dragged into the middle of the controversy. That would be bad enough, but when the old boyfriend turns up dead in her recently installed septic tank (Kudos to the author on a new way to dispose of a body!), she instantly becomes the prime suspect.
Small town attitudes would seem to want an "outsider" guilty of the crime rather than any of the townsfolk. Meg ends up having to work at solving the murder in order to clear her name, particularly when it doesn't appear that the police are making any progress in finding the real killer.
Along the way, Meg starts to make inroads into Granford's citizenry. There's Seth Chapin, the local plumber who is also her neighbor and a member of the town government. They commiserate over being seen as suspects because Seth would be affected personally if the project gets the go-ahead.
But as Meg digs deeper, she learns a lot about her ex-boyfriend and the ins and outs of what the deal could mean to the town, for both the good and the bad. But the question becomes can Meg clear her name before the killer targets her next.
I have read Sheila Connolly's County Cork series but hadn't yet started the Orchard Mysteries. The author's passing gave me the kick in the pants to get started and I really found myself enjoying 'One Bad Apple' a lot. Meg herself was an instant draw as a character. I liked how she started off wanting to fix the house up and get the hell out of Granford as soon as possible but then kind of softened to the slower pace in town. Obviously that had to happen in order for the series to continue, but they way Connolly developed this change over the course of the book was fantastic.
I enjoyed the introduction of the supporting cast. Seth is the obvious love interest but his sister Rachel is primed to be "the best friend" and she's got her own life in the plot too. Some of the other characters may only be around here and there but they do make an impression.
Though I am not a baker, even the recipes in the book (apple centric, of course) sound great and boy would I love to taste some of them.
In the end, it may have been a long time getting to this series but going off this first book I think apples are about to play a huge role in my choice of mystery reading material.
June 6, 2017
Meg Corey has come to the small but quaint Granford, MA. She's been downsized from her Boston Bank and dumped by her boyfriend. She and her mother own a 3 Century old Home and an orchard, and Meg thought she'd ready the old Colonial to sell. But the old home needs a lot of TLC. Can any one say, money pit? So consumed is she with the renovation to-do-list, she hasn't kept up with the local news, nor has she bothered making friends in the small town. But that begins to change when she's forced to put in a new septic tank.
Local plumber and Selectman Jake Chapmin comes to her rescue. At first Meg is grateful, but before the long narrow trench can be filled in, dark icky water is again backing up into her kitchen sink. Seth rushes over to see just what is going on with the new tank and a bit green around the gills tells Meg that he knows what the problem is - the dead body of Chandler Hale is clogging up the works.
Meg's first thoughts are "What's a dead body going to do to the resale value of her house?" But the State Police Detective has both Meg and Seth in his sights. Chandler is Meg's ex-boyfriend and the bank's point man for the development plans that will affect Granford in not a good way. And both Meg and Seth seem to have good motives for wanting Hale dead. They must peel back the layers of motives to catch the real killer before one or both of them are in jail for a murder they didn't commit.
Sheila Connolly spins a nice cozy mystery that will entertain fans of this genre. The back story of the main characters are developed as the investigation is progressing rather than up front. The murder is committed early and that is a plus. The recipes at the back of the novel? I copied them down, of course.
But one thing did bother me a little. Meg's constant whining about her to-do-list and what she wants to do with her life. Some musings were indeed funny, but it did old after a while. And Seth broke the stereotype of what a plumber looks and acts like. I wish I had a plumber like Seth :)
Local plumber and Selectman Jake Chapmin comes to her rescue. At first Meg is grateful, but before the long narrow trench can be filled in, dark icky water is again backing up into her kitchen sink. Seth rushes over to see just what is going on with the new tank and a bit green around the gills tells Meg that he knows what the problem is - the dead body of Chandler Hale is clogging up the works.
Meg's first thoughts are "What's a dead body going to do to the resale value of her house?" But the State Police Detective has both Meg and Seth in his sights. Chandler is Meg's ex-boyfriend and the bank's point man for the development plans that will affect Granford in not a good way. And both Meg and Seth seem to have good motives for wanting Hale dead. They must peel back the layers of motives to catch the real killer before one or both of them are in jail for a murder they didn't commit.
Sheila Connolly spins a nice cozy mystery that will entertain fans of this genre. The back story of the main characters are developed as the investigation is progressing rather than up front. The murder is committed early and that is a plus. The recipes at the back of the novel? I copied them down, of course.
But one thing did bother me a little. Meg's constant whining about her to-do-list and what she wants to do with her life. Some musings were indeed funny, but it did old after a while. And Seth broke the stereotype of what a plumber looks and acts like. I wish I had a plumber like Seth :)
January 17, 2022
A simple cozy mystery ... not a great deal of literary value, but it is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading! A good cozy, also the typical bit of romance, maybe ... an old house to renovate ... and a quaint little New England town. And an apple orchard! I'm anxious to read more in this series!!!
January 3, 2021
This is the first book in a fun little series. Super easy reading about a woman who moves to a small town in Massachusetts and ends up in the middle of a crime that takes place on her property. She's immediately involved in the drama of small town life and learns some more about the apple orchard on her property while the crime is being solved. A nice way to kick off the year and get back into some quick reads.
June 21, 2010
This book seems about 20 pages too long, not because it drags, but because it is very repetitive. The same points of self-reflection were gone over and over and over... It was also not edited very well, as there were unintentionally repeated phrases, giving the prose a stilted feeling. The descriptive narrative was lacking. I don't even remember the color of the main character's hair, and I'm not certain her age was ever discussed. We are let assume she is an attractive, white twenty-something.
In disappointment, I knew when the murderer was first introduced, before the murder had even occurred. It was very telegraphed, like watching "Murder, She Wrote" or knowing which Star Trek red-shirted ensign would die on the away team.
Some readers of light mysteries would probably enjoy this book, and despite all my negatives, I actually stuck with it and finished it out, so it couldn't be all bad.
In disappointment, I knew when the murderer was first introduced, before the murder had even occurred. It was very telegraphed, like watching "Murder, She Wrote" or knowing which Star Trek red-shirted ensign would die on the away team.
Some readers of light mysteries would probably enjoy this book, and despite all my negatives, I actually stuck with it and finished it out, so it couldn't be all bad.
February 9, 2012
Sheila Connolly has done it again-good characters, excellent mystery story with a lot of research regarding small town government in Massachusetts and growing apples. Informative and very well written. Meg has been dumped by her boyfriend, lost her big bucks job in Boston due to downsizing. She decides to go to a small town to fix up a house that her mother had inherited from maiden aunts. The more she does in the house the more problems she faces, including finding a body in her new septic tank. The body happens to that of her ex-boyfriend-that's how the mystery begins-read it and enjoy-looking forward to her next story.
June 10, 2015
If it wasn't for the amount of coffee being made, poured out and drunk, this book would have been a good 30 pages shorter. Better for it too. But then, there was hardly anything going on by way of sleuthing in this book and the pages needed to be filled somehow. The coffee, and a lot of repetitive introspection made up the pages. In most cozies I do not like, there is some spunk (wrong-headed or not) to the heroines. This Meg was very wishy-washy. Even her big scene, where she goes off on a woman she doesn't like in a public forum, spectacularly stupid though it was, was very flat. Oh well. I'll probably read another book in this series to see if it improves.
May 4, 2016
Slow slow slow
Unemployed financial exec moves to small Mass. town to gussy up neglected old house to sell. Former boyfriend, trying to ram a strip mall development through town, shows up dead on her land. The next few hundred pages go nowhere, but take forever. All is resolved in the last couple dozen pages, and our heroine finds herself at last. Huzzah. Or maybe just zzzzzzz.
Unemployed financial exec moves to small Mass. town to gussy up neglected old house to sell. Former boyfriend, trying to ram a strip mall development through town, shows up dead on her land. The next few hundred pages go nowhere, but take forever. All is resolved in the last couple dozen pages, and our heroine finds herself at last. Huzzah. Or maybe just zzzzzzz.
November 19, 2024
One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly [Sarah Atwell]
Orchard Mystery #1
310-page Kindle Ebook
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Featuring: Opening Preview Highlight Before Title Page, Inheritance Trope, 200-Year-Old House, Acreage, Western Massachusetts, Orchardist, Scientists, Agricultural Science, Genealogy, Bankers, Boston, Massachusetts; January, Scienct Ex-Boyfriend, Development Trope, Home Renovations, Plumber, Northampton, Massachusetts; Springfield, Massachusetts; Murder Investigation, Sex- Off-Camera, Detectives, World of Apples, Apple Recipes (5)
Rating as a movie: PG-15 for sexual innuendos
Books and Authors mentioned: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, Apples by Roger Yepsen
My rating: ⭐️⭐️🏦🍎🍏🌳
My thoughts: 🔖Page 38 of 310 [8 pages into] [Chapter] 3 -Only stopped because of a phone call. This woman is on my nerves but there's a story here.
🔖69 [Chapter] 7 - Finally! I was starting to think this was a different type of cozy. The dead body finally showed up and it was just who I hoped it would be.
🔖212 [Chapter] 23 - I won't be continuing this series. The plot is thin the MC is dull and I'm thinking of moving on this late in the game.
This is not the kind of cozy mystery you read with your family, they spent a lot of time talking about who was sleeping with who, and who was "good in bed." There wasn't much of a mystery here, the suspects pop up before the murder occurs, and the killer is so obvious I knew who it was the moment they showed up. The motive was thinner than the plot. It's a no for me.
Recommend to others: Honestly, nope.
Orchard Mystery
0.5. Called Home (2011)
1. One Bad Apple (2008)
2. Rotten to the Core (2009)
3. Red Delicious Death (2010)
4. A Killer Crop (2010)
5. Bitter Harvest (2011)
6. Sour Apples (2012)
7. Golden Malicious (2013)
8. Picked to Die (2014)
9. A Gala Event (2015)
10. Seeds of Deception (2016)
11. A Late Frost (2017)
12. Nipped in the Bud (2018)
Orchard Mystery #1
310-page Kindle Ebook
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Featuring: Opening Preview Highlight Before Title Page, Inheritance Trope, 200-Year-Old House, Acreage, Western Massachusetts, Orchardist, Scientists, Agricultural Science, Genealogy, Bankers, Boston, Massachusetts; January, Scienct Ex-Boyfriend, Development Trope, Home Renovations, Plumber, Northampton, Massachusetts; Springfield, Massachusetts; Murder Investigation, Sex- Off-Camera, Detectives, World of Apples, Apple Recipes (5)
Rating as a movie: PG-15 for sexual innuendos
Books and Authors mentioned: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, Apples by Roger Yepsen
My rating: ⭐️⭐️🏦🍎🍏🌳
My thoughts: 🔖Page 38 of 310 [8 pages into] [Chapter] 3 -Only stopped because of a phone call. This woman is on my nerves but there's a story here.
🔖69 [Chapter] 7 - Finally! I was starting to think this was a different type of cozy. The dead body finally showed up and it was just who I hoped it would be.
🔖212 [Chapter] 23 - I won't be continuing this series. The plot is thin the MC is dull and I'm thinking of moving on this late in the game.
This is not the kind of cozy mystery you read with your family, they spent a lot of time talking about who was sleeping with who, and who was "good in bed." There wasn't much of a mystery here, the suspects pop up before the murder occurs, and the killer is so obvious I knew who it was the moment they showed up. The motive was thinner than the plot. It's a no for me.
Recommend to others: Honestly, nope.
Orchard Mystery
0.5. Called Home (2011)
1. One Bad Apple (2008)
2. Rotten to the Core (2009)
3. Red Delicious Death (2010)
4. A Killer Crop (2010)
5. Bitter Harvest (2011)
6. Sour Apples (2012)
7. Golden Malicious (2013)
8. Picked to Die (2014)
9. A Gala Event (2015)
10. Seeds of Deception (2016)
11. A Late Frost (2017)
12. Nipped in the Bud (2018)
June 15, 2015
#1 in the Orchard series. This was OK, not bad enough to not continue the series, not good enough to jump right into the next book. I liked the main character, although Meg could be a little whiny at times. Seth, next-door neighbor and plumber, seemed a little hot and cold--usually friendly but sometimes giving her a bit of a cold shoulder. In this cozy mystery, Meg finds the body of her ex-flame hidden in her septic system--yuck. Since she's under a cloud of suspicion, she decides to "help" the police by finding the real killer. And she also feels responsible because the town is considering a vote on a new business plan, which Chandler was heading until his death. She doesn't spend a lot of time going around and detecting--just thinking about things and making a phone call or two. And I suppose a lot of detecting is just that--low key. I liked that she didn't go off half-cocked like so many cozy heroines do. But I didn't like that she didn't bother to find out much about the building project, even when she knew her orchard would be directly affected. Nor did she try to get to know any of the townspeople, she just complained that they'd consider her guilty since she's an outsider. Well, maybe that's true, but she didn't make any attempt to change that. I found it unrealistic that the historical society was in such a lamentable condition. I've been associated with small-town organizations like this, and although there's a lot more that could be done with more money, there are generally a number of people who get involved on a volunteer basis and keep records, get things organized, raise money. I don't think they would have let the holdings get so out of control, nor would they have let Gail handle it all on her own. Even Meg offered to help, after having lived there only a short time. The mystery was good, the story moved forward well, and I will continue with this series but not right away.
September 25, 2016
I have a new cozy series to follow. I thought this was a good beginning to a cozy mystery, I was in the mood for something autumnal and this worked perfectly. I'm not going to give up the spoilers but I will say if you want a quick, fun, seasonal light mystery with well hewn characters & setting, pick this one up. I'll be getting back to my harder murder thrillers soon enough but this was a nice three day jaunt on the lighter side of murder yarns. And there were recipes too!
May 17, 2016
Terrific first entry in a series. Some annoying typos or grammar errors in a couple of places.
Perhaps the result of the software used to convert things the E-book format. I'll be buying more books in this series.
Perhaps the result of the software used to convert things the E-book format. I'll be buying more books in this series.
April 2, 2023
Sto leggendo questa serie saltando da un libro all'altro senza seguire un ordine e a un certo punto mi sono accorta che già sapevo chi fosse il colpevole proprio per questo motivo, ma sono comunque riuscita ad apprezzare la storia. Confesso che mi sono piaciuti di più alcuni libri successivi, però.
August 28, 2019
While reading this great cozy this song line kept buzzing around in my head.
"They paved paradise to put up a parking lot" Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
"They paved paradise to put up a parking lot" Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
March 31, 2021
After losing her boyfriend and her job, Meg decides a change of pace is in order. She agrees to move into the old colonial home that's been in her family for generations so that she can get it ready to sell. Meg soon realizes the house is in worse shape than her mother led her to believe, but she's committed to seeing the project through. Another thing Meg didn't count on was running into her ex, Chandler Hale, who's in Granford to promote a new development that would mean the destruction of the small apple orchard on the family property. Meg isn't sure how she feels about that, especially when she learns that the citizens of Granford are somewhat split on going ahead with the development. When the plumber Meg hired finds Chandler's body in her new septic tank, she finds herself at the epicenter of a murder investigation. The state police seem keen on pinning the crime on her--the woman scorned. However, Meg soon discovers that there were plenty of other people who had reason to kill Chandler, including a string of women he'd charmed and dumped. As Meg becomes more embroiled in the investigation, she's also becoming more fond of the small town that she thought would only be a temporary home. Thinking of putting down roots of her own makes Meg all the more determined to clear her name and find out who really killed Chandler.
This story was a bit of a departure from most of the cozies I've read, in that Meg's employment background was in banking, and the erstwhile romantic interest was NOT someone in law enforcement. It was refreshing. Characters were portrayed well, although I wish the plot had been a tad more smooth. The ending sort of threw me when SPOILER! Meg attended the Town Meeting and basically used the forum to publicly accuse someone of murder. Er...that seemed quite outlandish. It was a cringe-worthy moment.
Entertaining enough. I'd love to award it 3 1/2 stars, but I'm bumping it down to a three for that ending.
This story was a bit of a departure from most of the cozies I've read, in that Meg's employment background was in banking, and the erstwhile romantic interest was NOT someone in law enforcement. It was refreshing. Characters were portrayed well, although I wish the plot had been a tad more smooth. The ending sort of threw me when SPOILER! Meg attended the Town Meeting and basically used the forum to publicly accuse someone of murder. Er...that seemed quite outlandish. It was a cringe-worthy moment.
Entertaining enough. I'd love to award it 3 1/2 stars, but I'm bumping it down to a three for that ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2021
After working my way through Connolly's County Cork series, I'm starting the Orchard series that I have on my shelf & kindle. It also has a plucky heroine thrown into a new place & trying to figure out her future. Meg Corey is fixing up an inherited colonial to sell off while she's between jobs, but finds more than she bargained for: a dead body in her septic tank who used to be her boyfriend. There's a helpful neighbor with a friendly sister, a university professor who does research in her orchard, & a host of town characters. It was a fun story with an interesting plot & setting, so more in my future.
January 9, 2026
I saw so many positive comments about this series. It is well written. The conversations flow naturally and seem realistic. The author gives you a sense of the characters emotions. However, this book was dull and unexciting to me. The characters just sat around drinking coffee in almost every scene. There were no action scenes. Perhaps the series gets better but this one did not make me want to continue. 2.5 stars.
April 30, 2019
Slow start, but picked up and was a great read. I look forward to reading more in this series
June 6, 2022
Cute, not very complex (in another word: simple), cozy mystery with pleasant likeable characters.
I plan to seek out and read Book 2 of this series.
I plan to seek out and read Book 2 of this series.
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