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Orchard Mystery #10
Seeds of Deception
The New York Times bestselling author of A Gala Event returns with newlyweds Meg and Seth Chapin who should be worried about writing thank you notes, not taking a juicy bite out of crime... With the bushels of time they spent organizing their wedding, Meg and Seth didn’t have a chance to plan a honeymoon. But now that winter has arrived, there’s not much to do at the orchard. So with their shared love of history and all things apple, they pick Thomas Jefferson’s orchards at Monticello as the perfect getaway. While they enjoy the beautiful sights, there’s a rotten addition to the agenda when Meg’s parents discover their handyman dead in the backyard. With a bitter police chief eyeing Meg’s father as a suspect, Meg and Seth have to cut their honeymoon short to find the root of the problem. Includes Delicious Recipes
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2016
150 people are currently reading
947 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Connolly
65 books1,389 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 112 reviews
May 17, 2017
I have read this entire series. I have never liked Bree as a character, she adds nothing to the plots of the books, so I am tempted to read the next one, even though I generally didn't like this one. This has long been a favorite series of mine, so I am sadly disappointed. Meg was a completely unlikable character. The dialogue was repetitive and tired. Seth, who in the past, has been a strong character was weak and useless. Too much musing on Meg and Seth's new marriage. Too much musing on Meg's parents marriage. If Phillip said "My dear" one more time when referring to Meg, I was going to quit reading the book. The red herrings were not well done. The villain was obvious from first mention. It was... lackluster at best. Maybe it was the travel aspect- that didn't help. So many descriptions of things that were unnecessary (I think this is a problem in many cozies). The sheriff disliking Phillip plot was... poorly done. This book felt... unfinished and lacked the charm of the others in the series. I'd almost rather see a series end than become a badly done series. I hope the next one is on par with the others, I loved the beginning books in this series. Also, as always the cover art was very appealing, so well done there.
January 10, 2024
3.5 stars
October 28, 2016
I am done with reading this series. The only reason I picked up this book was the mention of Meg and Seth traveling to Monitcello. I hoped it would provide a change of pace. Too much lame dialog between the characters and persistent nagging and meddling by Meg makes this my last Orchard book.
March 26, 2018
Things are quiet for Meg and Seth and so they decide to take a short honeymoon, concentrating on orchards and historical buildings, thereby joining their two interests together. They have a meal with Meg's parents before they set off and during that time the Corey's car is badly damaged (so damaged that they end up getting a rental car), the main problems arise when the Corey's arrive home and discover their handyman dead, killed indeed, in their back garden.
Meg and Seth cut their journeying short and head to New Jersey to support her parents as the local Police Chief, whilst being fair, would dearly love to pin the killing on Philip Corey!
Meg and Seth cut their journeying short and head to New Jersey to support her parents as the local Police Chief, whilst being fair, would dearly love to pin the killing on Philip Corey!
September 1, 2019
I enjoyed that this book was different than others in the series. It was that dead time of year between harvest and spring planting so Meg and Seth got to take a honeymoon. It was fun seeing them out of Granford and adjusting to each other. The mystery was done well and I enjoyed their trip as well.
December 25, 2016
http://openbooksociety.com/article/se...
Seeds of Deception
An Orchard Mystery #10
By Sheila Connolly
ISBN#9780425275825
Sheilaconnolly.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
With the bushels of time they spent organizing their wedding, Meg and Seth didn’t have a chance to plan a honeymoon. But now that winter has arrived, there’s not much to do at the orchard. So with their shared love of history and all things apple, they pick Thomas Jefferson’s orchards at Monticello as the perfect getaway.
While they enjoy the beautiful sights, there’s a rotten addition to the agenda when Meg’s parents discover their handyman dead in the backyard. With a bitter police chief eyeing Meg’s father as a suspect, Meg and Seth have to cut their honeymoon short to find the root of the problem.
Review:
Orchard owner Meg and her love Seth are now married, and with a little down time for the orchard they decide to take an impromptu road trip honeymoon. They work their way from home in Massachusetts to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and then plan to visit Meg’s parents in New Jersey before heading home. Their trip is cut short when Meg’s parents call to tell her that they found their caretaker Enrique murdered in their backyard. Not knowing what she can do to help, Meg still feels compelled to be at her parents’ side. Meg feels like her reserved parents are hiding something or simply ignoring the matter in hopes that it will all go away. When Meg’s law partner is attacked in much the same manner as Enrique, Meg and Seth do their best to get to the bottom of things.
I have not read all of the books in the Orchard Series, but if memory serves correct, I enjoyed them. Seeds of Deception is the tenth book in the series, and it was okay but, by far, not the best of the lot. This book takes us away from the small town setting of the apple orchards to New Jersey. Though this could have provided a nice change of pace, I feel like this different venue suffered from a lack of hominess that is a hallmark of the cozy genre. It is nice to learn a little more about Meg, her parents, and where she comes from, but parents Phillip and Elizabeth come across as rather cold and boring. There are only so many family meals I want to plod through before I want to pull my own hair out. I do not think Meg’s trip down memory lane showing Seth the town that she grew up adds anything to the story.
There are very few characters introduced this time around. All of our time is spent with Meg, Seth, and her parents. There is no information provided about the victim, and I feel like he was an afterthought. Unfortunately, the mystery presented here is rather weak. As soon as the perpetrator is introduced, I pegged him as the villain. There are no real red herrings, no puzzle to figure out, and no suspense. It all fell flat. I think Seth and Meg should have just gone home. I do enjoy and recommend the Orchard series, but Seeds of Deception is a miss for me. I will, however, continue to read forthcoming books.
Seeds of Deception
An Orchard Mystery #10
By Sheila Connolly
ISBN#9780425275825
Sheilaconnolly.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
With the bushels of time they spent organizing their wedding, Meg and Seth didn’t have a chance to plan a honeymoon. But now that winter has arrived, there’s not much to do at the orchard. So with their shared love of history and all things apple, they pick Thomas Jefferson’s orchards at Monticello as the perfect getaway.
While they enjoy the beautiful sights, there’s a rotten addition to the agenda when Meg’s parents discover their handyman dead in the backyard. With a bitter police chief eyeing Meg’s father as a suspect, Meg and Seth have to cut their honeymoon short to find the root of the problem.
Review:
Orchard owner Meg and her love Seth are now married, and with a little down time for the orchard they decide to take an impromptu road trip honeymoon. They work their way from home in Massachusetts to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and then plan to visit Meg’s parents in New Jersey before heading home. Their trip is cut short when Meg’s parents call to tell her that they found their caretaker Enrique murdered in their backyard. Not knowing what she can do to help, Meg still feels compelled to be at her parents’ side. Meg feels like her reserved parents are hiding something or simply ignoring the matter in hopes that it will all go away. When Meg’s law partner is attacked in much the same manner as Enrique, Meg and Seth do their best to get to the bottom of things.
I have not read all of the books in the Orchard Series, but if memory serves correct, I enjoyed them. Seeds of Deception is the tenth book in the series, and it was okay but, by far, not the best of the lot. This book takes us away from the small town setting of the apple orchards to New Jersey. Though this could have provided a nice change of pace, I feel like this different venue suffered from a lack of hominess that is a hallmark of the cozy genre. It is nice to learn a little more about Meg, her parents, and where she comes from, but parents Phillip and Elizabeth come across as rather cold and boring. There are only so many family meals I want to plod through before I want to pull my own hair out. I do not think Meg’s trip down memory lane showing Seth the town that she grew up adds anything to the story.
There are very few characters introduced this time around. All of our time is spent with Meg, Seth, and her parents. There is no information provided about the victim, and I feel like he was an afterthought. Unfortunately, the mystery presented here is rather weak. As soon as the perpetrator is introduced, I pegged him as the villain. There are no real red herrings, no puzzle to figure out, and no suspense. It all fell flat. I think Seth and Meg should have just gone home. I do enjoy and recommend the Orchard series, but Seeds of Deception is a miss for me. I will, however, continue to read forthcoming books.
October 4, 2016
Seeds Of Deception is the tenth book in the An Orchard Mystery series.
This was another enjoyable visit with Meg Corey and Seth Chapin, even though they weren’t in Granford.
It’s winter and Meg and Seth have recently tied the knot and have decided that while they are having a slow time it is perfect for them to get away on their honeymoon. They have decided to visit Monticello and on their way back home will stop off in New Jersey and visit with Meg’s parents.
When they arrive at her parents home they find that the dead body of the parent’s gardener/handyman was found in their backyard, after they returned from Meg’s wedding. Meg thinks that her parents are hoping if they ignore the situation, it will go away. But Meg’s sleuthing mind tells her it won’t and begins to investigate. Soon her father’s law partner is attacked as he enters their law office, her father begins to change his mind. As Meg is going through some legal files in the attic, she finds notes that she finds will lead her to the person who killed the gardener and attacked the law partner.
Although I missed being at the orchard, it was very interesting to see Meg analyze her parents, seeing not only the bad things, as she perceives them, and the good things and how she plans to do for an even better marriage for her Seth.
Recipes are also included with the book.
Definitely, will be watching for the next book in this informative series.
This was another enjoyable visit with Meg Corey and Seth Chapin, even though they weren’t in Granford.
It’s winter and Meg and Seth have recently tied the knot and have decided that while they are having a slow time it is perfect for them to get away on their honeymoon. They have decided to visit Monticello and on their way back home will stop off in New Jersey and visit with Meg’s parents.
When they arrive at her parents home they find that the dead body of the parent’s gardener/handyman was found in their backyard, after they returned from Meg’s wedding. Meg thinks that her parents are hoping if they ignore the situation, it will go away. But Meg’s sleuthing mind tells her it won’t and begins to investigate. Soon her father’s law partner is attacked as he enters their law office, her father begins to change his mind. As Meg is going through some legal files in the attic, she finds notes that she finds will lead her to the person who killed the gardener and attacked the law partner.
Although I missed being at the orchard, it was very interesting to see Meg analyze her parents, seeing not only the bad things, as she perceives them, and the good things and how she plans to do for an even better marriage for her Seth.
Recipes are also included with the book.
Definitely, will be watching for the next book in this informative series.
October 4, 2016
An ambrosia of sweet mystery, I breezed through SEEDS OF DECEPTION and became smitten with this series all over again.
I’ve been a fan of the Orchard Mysteries since the very beginning after reading book one, ONE BAD APPLE. Trust me, there isn’t a bad apple in this series! Throughout the ten books in this series, author Sheila Connolly has penned amazing characters, visual descriptions that make the reader feel they are watching events rather than reading them, and excellent plots that deliver mystery, action, education, and fun!
While I love all the books in the Orchard Mysteries, I do have favorites, and SEEDS OF DECEPTION is now one of them. Author Connolly has done an incredible job growing this series and this title is proof of that. Ten books in and this story is crisp, fresh and filled with a bushel of intrigue.
You’re going to want to take a bite out of this golden delicious mystery!
Make sure to check out the tasty recipes at the back of the book when you have your own copy of SEEDS OF DECEPTION!
I’ve been a fan of the Orchard Mysteries since the very beginning after reading book one, ONE BAD APPLE. Trust me, there isn’t a bad apple in this series! Throughout the ten books in this series, author Sheila Connolly has penned amazing characters, visual descriptions that make the reader feel they are watching events rather than reading them, and excellent plots that deliver mystery, action, education, and fun!
While I love all the books in the Orchard Mysteries, I do have favorites, and SEEDS OF DECEPTION is now one of them. Author Connolly has done an incredible job growing this series and this title is proof of that. Ten books in and this story is crisp, fresh and filled with a bushel of intrigue.
You’re going to want to take a bite out of this golden delicious mystery!
Make sure to check out the tasty recipes at the back of the book when you have your own copy of SEEDS OF DECEPTION!
December 31, 2016
This will be the last of the series for me. Meg is thoroughly unlikable and some of the interactions with Seth were ridiculous. Who's husband would be complaining and wanting to go home when his spouse's parents needed help?
February 21, 2017
Again, Meg is the gutter sniping, nasty character in this series. She treats her parents like dirt and has emasculated her husband. She is not a likeable character at all.
October 17, 2016
Dollycas’s Thoughts
It’s honeymoon time for Meg and Seth and they set off on a road trip. The trip gets a huge detour when they get a call from Meg’s mom saying when they returned home to New Jersey there was a dead body in their backyard. Seems the police chief and her dad have a bit of a conflict so Meg and Seth head to Jersey to aid in the investigation, who am I kidding, Meg butts her way into the investigation to follow the seeds of deception as only she can.
We really don’t know too much about Meg and her parents or her life before coming to Granford. Her parents married right after her dad received his law degree. He eventually went to work for the New York firm, Blackwell, Hyzy and Cates
It’s honeymoon time for Meg and Seth and they set off on a road trip. The trip gets a huge detour when they get a call from Meg’s mom saying when they returned home to New Jersey there was a dead body in their backyard. Seems the police chief and her dad have a bit of a conflict so Meg and Seth head to Jersey to aid in the investigation, who am I kidding, Meg butts her way into the investigation to follow the seeds of deception as only she can.
We really don’t know too much about Meg and her parents or her life before coming to Granford. Her parents married right after her dad received his law degree. He eventually went to work for the New York firm, Blackwell, Hyzy and Cates
March 12, 2017
The mystery part of the book was enjoyable. It was nice to see a spot outside of the orchard.
The romance between Seth and Meg is just too outlandish sometimes. They just go married and Meg is curious about a lot of major character pieces about Seth. I know these are mysteries and not romances but I feel like I know more about some acquaintances than she does her husband.
The romance between Seth and Meg is just too outlandish sometimes. They just go married and Meg is curious about a lot of major character pieces about Seth. I know these are mysteries and not romances but I feel like I know more about some acquaintances than she does her husband.
November 4, 2016
I had read the last 3 books in this series and enjoyed all 3...I like the characters and the story line. With this book the author has turned the main character into a very disagreeable, arrogant, opinionated, unlikeable person which took a lot away from the story.
December 31, 2016
The first 7 1/2 chapters needlessly dragged on.
The dialogue was BORING! and unimaginative, seemingly there only to fill up pages.
This storyline was sooo bad, (how bad was it?) it was so bad, I forgot I was reading the book!
The dialogue was BORING! and unimaginative, seemingly there only to fill up pages.
This storyline was sooo bad, (how bad was it?) it was so bad, I forgot I was reading the book!
January 5, 2017
I feel like all they did was sit around and talk--there was very little action. I got bored and started seriously skimming towards the end. Plus it got on my nerves that when talking to each other they kept using each other's names--no one does that that often in normal conversation.
October 20, 2017
The book begins the day after the marriage of Meg and Seth. They decide since it is a slow time they can and should take a honeymoon trip. The trip begins great but then Meg gets a call from her mother who tells her that a dead body was found in the parents backyard. Meg and Seth immediately go to her parents. Meg can't believe that her parents are more upset and willing to ask questions especially since her father is a lawyer. Meg does have questions - lots of them and tries to find answers but doesn't get very far. Seth is her sounding board but also ask her why she is pushing her parents so hard. The book was a quick easy read.
December 14, 2017
I really liked this edition of the series. At least the murder took place in a location other than that little town. They will be running out of people to kill soon! Meg and Seth are trying to take a honeymoon, when a body is found in her parent's backyard. The relationship between Meg and her parents is explored a bit more, and it is a bit formal and strange, to be honest. The mystery was wrapped up satisfactorily, and I would love to see Meg and Seth's relationship grow a bit in the next book.
August 30, 2019
I returned to this series after a long absence and was a little disappointed because the book dealt more with marriage and relationships, while the mystery took a backseat. I'm tending to read less cozy mysteries because of this trend that I have observed in a few of the series I used to avidly follow. I will read the next installment of this series to see if Connolly returns to her previous focus on the meat of the mystery rather than the love life of her main character.
November 16, 2024
I continue to enjoy this series & am working toward the end. The characters are interesting, but I didn't find this story quite as compelling as the previous novels. Maybe because Meg & Seth are out of Granford helping her parents in New Jersey when their handyman is found dead on their property. While it was fun to see the places Meg grew up, they are more interesting characters in their hime base with the supporting cast.
September 15, 2018
Fairly routine story for this series. A lot of it was spent describing the honeymoon -- like the previous book that spent almost a third of the story relating what to do when you are snowed in for the winter. The murderer kind of fell into Meg's lap. Not sure if I'd go for the type of honeymoon she and Seth chose -- driving around an awful lot but given their personalities it worked.
September 13, 2023
This was a miss for me. I love this series, but this book felt like someone else wrote it. Meg was a jerk, Seth was boring and her “Mother and Daddy” were so pretentious. The setting and mystery were pretty boring too. About half way through of repetitive conversations, I skimmed to the end.
July 21, 2019
Sorry to much melodrama and not enough mystery.
September 2, 2019
3.5 Stars
rounded up to 4 Stars.
December 4, 2023
This was another good addition to the series.
I loved that their honeymoon plans were as laid-back as their wedding plans had been. it reminds me of our unstructured honeymoon, wandering around seeing waterfalls.
I enjoyed their trip to Monticello, having been there before as well. The place really is impressive, grander than this book makes it seem.
In fact, I was hoping that the mystery part of the story wouldn't come too soon, so that we could linger in Monticello for awhile. I imagine that other readers would be impatient for the mystery part, though, and they would wonder why we were wandering around Monticello. I personally wondered if the author just wanted to vacation there and count it as part of her research for a book, since it didn't have much to do with the mystery. Not that I blame her.
It was a nice change of pace from being so closely tied to the apple orchard. There were apples in this book, too, though - ones that Meg's mom happened to have on hand.
It seemed odd to me how disconnected Meg was to her past. I had a friend once, who scorned her past, but once told me, "Nostalgia gets us all, in the end." I have often wondered about that, and if it's true, that we always find something to be nostalgic about. I don't know. Do people exist who are truly this dispassionate about their childhoods and pasts? Or has nostalgia just not kicked in yet?
Meg's mom was so detached that it made me suspect her. (I won't tell you whether or not my suspicions were correct.)
"I promised myself years ago that I'd never be a whiny parent, or worse, an in-law. If you'd like to get together, we'd love it, but if you have other plans, I won't guilt-trip you."
I love this, and have similar aspirations. I do think there are times (not in this book and not in my personal life, either), when it is important to break that and ask adult children for help or attention, during medical crisis or depression, etc.
"I don't know that there's anything that you can do."
"Help if we can. Hold your hand if we can't."
I love this! Especially having visited someone in the ER recently. She called and asked us to come. I'm not sure we were much help, but we were present. The gift of presence, I've heard it called.
"I think they want to see themselves as nice people. Dirty things like crime don't happen to nice people."
First of all, we all know that's not true, although it may make us feel safer to think it. Secondly, Meg's parents never actually indicated that. She's putting words in their mouths, which, if it had been done to me, would've been annoying. I don't know that they associated being nice with being crime-free.
Our paramedic adult child says that her patients' family are frequently saying that the patient "would never" do this or that, but they obviously had.
"Seth, I don't want us to end up like them. There's a kind of distance between them, and that's kind of how I was raised."
It's good to know where and how you want to be different. It's better to have a plan to overcome that.
"And that's what I mean about being oblivious; they could've angered someone without even noticing, because they don't really connect well with other people."
I feel like this could be me. I feel like I wander around with my head in the clouds thinking of other things, and only half-aware of the world around me. My dad was the absent-minded professor, but I've gotten some of that tendency from him.
"You'll find out, over time, that you and your husband fall into routines, patterns you're both comfortable with. And the longer that goes on, the harder it is to break out of them."
That's why I want to resist the urge, in our newly-empty nest, to watch TV with dinner rather than eat together and talk over our days. There are so many older couples that have devolved into TV couples. I'm sure there are other habits we need guard ourselves against, too. Particularly with food choices, etc.
Here's another quote on habits that our WW workshop leader gave us about building good habits.
"Habits are safer than rules; you don't have to watch them. And you don't have to keep them either. They keep you."
Some reviewers felt like Seth was portrayed as a weaker character and taking less initiative than in the earlier books. That's probably an appropriate attitude when dealing with Meg's family. Interference is generally taken better from someone who's been there from the beginning and knows how to navigate the family dynamics and not from a new acquaintance, an interloper, who would be saying, "No, you're doing this all wrong. Do it that way." That's generally not taken well. Besides, their goals are not to correct them, but to help them during this crisis.
It would be different if Seth felt he physically had to protect Meg from them, but that is not this story.
Several reviewers commented on Meg's character being "nasty" - arrogant, opinionated, treating her parents poorly, etc. I can't remember all the adjectives people used.
First of all, she didn't express her concerns with their marriage or personalities to them directly. That would truly rude. We have to remember that they didn't hear those conversations.
Instead, she evaluated their relationship in order to figure out how she wanted her relationship with Seth to develop. That's pretty normal. We take the good, and sometimes the bad, of relationships around us, and a little introspection is not a bad thing.
Wasn't it Socrates who said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."? That may be going to extremes, because there's much good in life that does come reflexively to us. But sometimes we have to decide how we want to navigate life in order to develop the characteristics that we want.
Secondly, Meg was frustrated over the lack of closeness in her family, but they are taking positive steps with that, including planning a future vacation together with them.
Thirdly, Meg does care about her parents. She hasn't really treated her family badly, despite her frustration. She's abbreviated her honeymoon in order to see them through this difficulty. That says a lot. That's not treating them poorly. That's actually very admirable in the face of their differing viewpoints.
So, does Meg have "nasty" secret thoughts about her parents, that she shares only with her husband, who is supposed to be a confidante? Sure.
Is she arrogant about it? Well, she's convinced she's right, and she's adamant about wanting more equality in her marriage, but I'm not sure that's arrogance. It could be conviction. Sometimes there's a fine line between the two. We can be convinced something is better without having thought we have perfected it or are living on a higher plane. We can feel right without feeling superior, and know that others can be right on other issues or do better in practice.
I have heard that our society has a new definition of humilty/arrogance. It used to be humility was a mistrust of self and a trust in God (or perhaps authority). Today, humility is seen as a mistrust in certainty of any sort (God included) and a a trust in self. This is a complete opposite of what it used to mean.
So whether you consider Meg to be arrogant may depend on where you are in the spectrum of defining it. I lean more towards the concept of humility being a mistrust of self, and Meg did wonder/worry about developing emotionally distant attitudes on her own. So I don't think she felt superior in her capacity for behaving better. She may have felt superior in her convictions in what relationships should look like. I rather think she did. So, there may be some arrogance involved, but not as much, perhaps, as what some reviewers described.
Other reviewers also brought up the topic of Meg's parents treating her like she wasn't an adult... My newly-minted adult child has said the same. We are both still learning and growing.
I loved that their honeymoon plans were as laid-back as their wedding plans had been. it reminds me of our unstructured honeymoon, wandering around seeing waterfalls.
I enjoyed their trip to Monticello, having been there before as well. The place really is impressive, grander than this book makes it seem.
In fact, I was hoping that the mystery part of the story wouldn't come too soon, so that we could linger in Monticello for awhile. I imagine that other readers would be impatient for the mystery part, though, and they would wonder why we were wandering around Monticello. I personally wondered if the author just wanted to vacation there and count it as part of her research for a book, since it didn't have much to do with the mystery. Not that I blame her.
It was a nice change of pace from being so closely tied to the apple orchard. There were apples in this book, too, though - ones that Meg's mom happened to have on hand.
It seemed odd to me how disconnected Meg was to her past. I had a friend once, who scorned her past, but once told me, "Nostalgia gets us all, in the end." I have often wondered about that, and if it's true, that we always find something to be nostalgic about. I don't know. Do people exist who are truly this dispassionate about their childhoods and pasts? Or has nostalgia just not kicked in yet?
Meg's mom was so detached that it made me suspect her. (I won't tell you whether or not my suspicions were correct.)
"I promised myself years ago that I'd never be a whiny parent, or worse, an in-law. If you'd like to get together, we'd love it, but if you have other plans, I won't guilt-trip you."
I love this, and have similar aspirations. I do think there are times (not in this book and not in my personal life, either), when it is important to break that and ask adult children for help or attention, during medical crisis or depression, etc.
"I don't know that there's anything that you can do."
"Help if we can. Hold your hand if we can't."
I love this! Especially having visited someone in the ER recently. She called and asked us to come. I'm not sure we were much help, but we were present. The gift of presence, I've heard it called.
"I think they want to see themselves as nice people. Dirty things like crime don't happen to nice people."
First of all, we all know that's not true, although it may make us feel safer to think it. Secondly, Meg's parents never actually indicated that. She's putting words in their mouths, which, if it had been done to me, would've been annoying. I don't know that they associated being nice with being crime-free.
Our paramedic adult child says that her patients' family are frequently saying that the patient "would never" do this or that, but they obviously had.
"Seth, I don't want us to end up like them. There's a kind of distance between them, and that's kind of how I was raised."
It's good to know where and how you want to be different. It's better to have a plan to overcome that.
"And that's what I mean about being oblivious; they could've angered someone without even noticing, because they don't really connect well with other people."
I feel like this could be me. I feel like I wander around with my head in the clouds thinking of other things, and only half-aware of the world around me. My dad was the absent-minded professor, but I've gotten some of that tendency from him.
"You'll find out, over time, that you and your husband fall into routines, patterns you're both comfortable with. And the longer that goes on, the harder it is to break out of them."
That's why I want to resist the urge, in our newly-empty nest, to watch TV with dinner rather than eat together and talk over our days. There are so many older couples that have devolved into TV couples. I'm sure there are other habits we need guard ourselves against, too. Particularly with food choices, etc.
Here's another quote on habits that our WW workshop leader gave us about building good habits.
"Habits are safer than rules; you don't have to watch them. And you don't have to keep them either. They keep you."
Some reviewers felt like Seth was portrayed as a weaker character and taking less initiative than in the earlier books. That's probably an appropriate attitude when dealing with Meg's family. Interference is generally taken better from someone who's been there from the beginning and knows how to navigate the family dynamics and not from a new acquaintance, an interloper, who would be saying, "No, you're doing this all wrong. Do it that way." That's generally not taken well. Besides, their goals are not to correct them, but to help them during this crisis.
It would be different if Seth felt he physically had to protect Meg from them, but that is not this story.
Several reviewers commented on Meg's character being "nasty" - arrogant, opinionated, treating her parents poorly, etc. I can't remember all the adjectives people used.
First of all, she didn't express her concerns with their marriage or personalities to them directly. That would truly rude. We have to remember that they didn't hear those conversations.
Instead, she evaluated their relationship in order to figure out how she wanted her relationship with Seth to develop. That's pretty normal. We take the good, and sometimes the bad, of relationships around us, and a little introspection is not a bad thing.
Wasn't it Socrates who said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."? That may be going to extremes, because there's much good in life that does come reflexively to us. But sometimes we have to decide how we want to navigate life in order to develop the characteristics that we want.
Secondly, Meg was frustrated over the lack of closeness in her family, but they are taking positive steps with that, including planning a future vacation together with them.
Thirdly, Meg does care about her parents. She hasn't really treated her family badly, despite her frustration. She's abbreviated her honeymoon in order to see them through this difficulty. That says a lot. That's not treating them poorly. That's actually very admirable in the face of their differing viewpoints.
So, does Meg have "nasty" secret thoughts about her parents, that she shares only with her husband, who is supposed to be a confidante? Sure.
Is she arrogant about it? Well, she's convinced she's right, and she's adamant about wanting more equality in her marriage, but I'm not sure that's arrogance. It could be conviction. Sometimes there's a fine line between the two. We can be convinced something is better without having thought we have perfected it or are living on a higher plane. We can feel right without feeling superior, and know that others can be right on other issues or do better in practice.
I have heard that our society has a new definition of humilty/arrogance. It used to be humility was a mistrust of self and a trust in God (or perhaps authority). Today, humility is seen as a mistrust in certainty of any sort (God included) and a a trust in self. This is a complete opposite of what it used to mean.
So whether you consider Meg to be arrogant may depend on where you are in the spectrum of defining it. I lean more towards the concept of humility being a mistrust of self, and Meg did wonder/worry about developing emotionally distant attitudes on her own. So I don't think she felt superior in her capacity for behaving better. She may have felt superior in her convictions in what relationships should look like. I rather think she did. So, there may be some arrogance involved, but not as much, perhaps, as what some reviewers described.
Other reviewers also brought up the topic of Meg's parents treating her like she wasn't an adult... My newly-minted adult child has said the same. We are both still learning and growing.
November 24, 2016
Meg and Seth have married and are deciding whether or not to take a Honeymoon. Luckily for us readers, they decide a nice road trip down to Monticello would be enjoyable. For persons not having the chance to visit the East Coast, this book was a delight to read. I feel that I got to see hotels, locations, and even a bit of Monticello.
However, what would a book with this couple be without a body? Don't worry, during their week together, a telephone call from Meg's Mother comes in...their gardener has been found dead in their backyard. After some discussion, after all this is Meg and Seth, they decide to go and see what is really happening.
Soon Meg is trying to get her parents to treat her as an adult, and also figure out why the body, why their house was burgled, why Meg's Dad's partner in his Law Firm was attacked, and oh yes, is there any connection to the rammed car back in Amherst?
What?, You ask. Well, I would have to hide this review if I told you any more. Do put on your reading seat belts as you will be on a whirlwind of a puzzle, with gangsters, and more. This is the tenth volume in this mystery series and is equally as well written as the debut was. I look forward to future novels.
However, what would a book with this couple be without a body? Don't worry, during their week together, a telephone call from Meg's Mother comes in...their gardener has been found dead in their backyard. After some discussion, after all this is Meg and Seth, they decide to go and see what is really happening.
Soon Meg is trying to get her parents to treat her as an adult, and also figure out why the body, why their house was burgled, why Meg's Dad's partner in his Law Firm was attacked, and oh yes, is there any connection to the rammed car back in Amherst?
What?, You ask. Well, I would have to hide this review if I told you any more. Do put on your reading seat belts as you will be on a whirlwind of a puzzle, with gangsters, and more. This is the tenth volume in this mystery series and is equally as well written as the debut was. I look forward to future novels.
January 21, 2018
Every series mystery author has to explain why their hero, if an amateur detective, keeps finding bodies. Ms. Connolly has made this problem much worse by choosing a very small town setting and then using it for 10 books that, in fictional time, span a 2-3 year time span. I know it is hard to juggle both the mysteries and the ongoing life story, and that readers want both, but a little planning ahead would make them more believable. From the beginning, I've wanted to like this series better than I do. I love the setting, and the heroine's attempt to run an apple orchard, and her forays into family history. Some of the mysteries are better plotted than others, though none has surprised me with its ending. In this story, Meg and Seth finally leave town, but unfortunately nothing about their beginning married life, nor the mysterym nor Meg's parents' actions, rings true. Strictly for series fans. #ps-ultimate-book-challenge-2017, #Read a book that involves travel.
March 10, 2017
I am sad that I have gotten caught up with this series because I have enjoyed it so much. In this book Meg and Seth are on a road trip for their honeymoon when they run into murder. At least they got to enjoy a little alone time first and crossed off a couple of things that they really wanted to see before a call from Meg's mom brings them to New Jersey and a dead handyman in her parents yard. While I miss the orchard and the town of Granford and the usual cast of characters, I really enjoyed the character development in Meg as see analyses her parents marriage and really decided what she wants from hers, and the growth in Meg's and Seth's relationship as she shares what she learns with him. Oh yeah and the mystery is pretty good too!!! Now I have to wait til fall for the next episode in the in saga.
May 17, 2017
I really like many of the books Sheila Connolly writes. I do. But, this book is just..lost. It feels like she had no idea what to do with these characters. (It's felt that for a little while now, actually.)
I have HUGE problems with the way this series is inconsistent. The birth order of Seth's siblings has changed since book one. And Meg and Seth HAVE talked about having children in more than one book. Also in many books, Meg talks about how she doesn't know where Seth stands on having children. Seriously? How does she not know? I can tell her.
So--read the beginning of the series. Read the Irish series. But skip this book.
I have HUGE problems with the way this series is inconsistent. The birth order of Seth's siblings has changed since book one. And Meg and Seth HAVE talked about having children in more than one book. Also in many books, Meg talks about how she doesn't know where Seth stands on having children. Seriously? How does she not know? I can tell her.
So--read the beginning of the series. Read the Irish series. But skip this book.
December 22, 2016
Definitely not up to this author's standards. The MC needs a serious attitude adjustment. I got so perturbed at Meg I kept putting the book down and almost did not finish.
July 9, 2017
7/9/17 Full review tk. I must say, it was really white tho.
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