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Orchard Mystery #3
Red Delicious Death
In this latest Orchard mystery, amateur sleuth Meg Corey takes a bite out of crime... Some baby-faced chefs, fresh out of cooking school, are looking to open a restaurant in Granford. They plan on using local foods-great news for city girl banker-turned orchard owner Meg Corey. Yet when one of the chefs is found dead, face-down in a farmer's pig wallow, plans come to a screeching halt. And Meg soon discovers they may have a locally grown killer on their hands.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
90 people are currently reading
1137 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 164 reviews
December 24, 2018
This series just keeps getting better and better!
May 3, 2018
"They're all dead."
"What?" Meg Corey dragged her gaze from the orderly rows of apple trees that marched over the hill. Almost all were in bloom now, and some of them had what even a novice farmer like Meg could identify as apples. Small, maybe, but it was a start. She turned her attention to Carl Fredrickson, her beekeeper. Until this morning, Meg hadn't even known she had a beekeeper, but it seemed like every day since she'd inherited the orchard, something - or someone - new she hadn't known about turned up. "Who's dead?"
"The entire hive."
So begins Red Delicious Death.
I'm thinking to myself, awesome! This book is going to deal with the problem of bee colony collapse disorder which when you consider that much of the food we eat relies on honey bees as pollinators is quite a serious threat to our food security. I have to admit I was a little giddy that an author had finally decided to go into bat for the humble honey bee.
Sad to say after the first few paragraphs bees hardly get a mention. What is left is a fairly conventional cozy mystery. It's pretty good, quite entertaining, but I wanted bees!
June 27, 2010
This should really be a one and a half star, but they don't have to select. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it much, either.
I find the books in this series to be harder and harder to read as they go along. There's so much repetition and padding. Plus, Meg isn't really easy to warm up to. There's just something missing in the mix and it's hard to describe what that is. It should all work, nice setting, small town, an orchard, but it doesn't at least not for me.
Disappointing.
I find the books in this series to be harder and harder to read as they go along. There's so much repetition and padding. Plus, Meg isn't really easy to warm up to. There's just something missing in the mix and it's hard to describe what that is. It should all work, nice setting, small town, an orchard, but it doesn't at least not for me.
Disappointing.
February 12, 2018
Meg's friend Lauren asks Meg what are the prospects for a young trio wanting to open a restaurant (the Head Chef and the front of house/admin are married with a close friend being the third member and the sous chef). Meg puts them in contact with the local Realtor and before long they have secured a house and with Seth's help are turning it into a restaurant where they plan to serve as much local food as possible. The bump in the road occurs when the sous chef is found dead in a pig wallow and it appears that again it appears to be someone local who has done the deed. Meg ends up balancing her orchard work (the first fruits are getting close to picking so that needs organizing), the local bees seem to be dying off and Nicky and Brian need her help sorting out suppliers!
May 26, 2018
this didn't really feel like a mystery. a majority of the story is about Meg helping a young couple start a business or explaining to others why she is helping the young couple. there's also quite a bit of puttering around in an orchard and a romantic subplot without much chemistry. I would have just enjoyed this more if there were more elements of mystery and less interpersonal drama.
May 14, 2018
Enjoyable, and an improvement on the second one in the series. Less about a murder, and more about the pitfalls of setting up a restaurant, as well as how to maintain an orchard.
January 13, 2023
Sto leggendo questa serie saltando un po' in qua e là, ma non mi trovo male, sebbene lungo i vari libri si sviluppi la storia privata della protagonista. Per quanto riguarda questo libro, non è male, la lettura è stata piacevole, ma per essere un cozy mystery il mistero della morte di un giovane ristoratore resta sullo sfondo, non ci sono delle grandi indagini. La protagonista incappa quasi per caso nella soluzione è sinceramente quest'ultima non mi ha sorpreso, visto che alla fin fine c'erano solo due possibili colpevoli per quanto ci era detto lungo la storia.
May 26, 2020
With the third book in Sheila Connolly's Orchard Mystery series I find myself in a bit of a pickle.
I found myself enjoying the first two books in the series a lot. But with RED DELICIOUS DEATH, I came away a little disappointed.
The story centers on Meg Corey as always. She's running the apple orchard and getting ready for the first harvest since taking over. She's got a budding relationship with Seth Chapin and is navigating the ins-and-outs of her new life as a "farmer".
When a friend from her old life as a banker calls regarding some younger adults looking to start up a restaurant, Meg ends up being the catalyst for them to choose Granford as their new home. They are young and enthusiastic but perhaps a bit of the dreamer resides in them as well.
The dream takes a darker turn when one of the chefs turns up dead in a local pig wallow. And that's where the story kind of loses the mystery aspect of things for me. You see, the subplots about Meg's evolution from banker to orchard owner and all plotlines surrounding the actual construction and planning for the new restaurant make the actual death play second fiddle in the book.
It's not that those things weren't interesting to read about and see how the characters dealt with the roadblocks they come up against. But it made the death and the investigation of it seem like it was given short shrift.
The eventual resolution to the death was a bit accidental and lack of justice delivered left me with a less than positive feeling about this particular book. I'm not abandoning the series or anything because I generally enjoy the author's work but other than a literal last sentence development fueling anticipation for the next book, I just didn't find RED DELICIOUS DEATH to be my slice of pie.
I found myself enjoying the first two books in the series a lot. But with RED DELICIOUS DEATH, I came away a little disappointed.
The story centers on Meg Corey as always. She's running the apple orchard and getting ready for the first harvest since taking over. She's got a budding relationship with Seth Chapin and is navigating the ins-and-outs of her new life as a "farmer".
When a friend from her old life as a banker calls regarding some younger adults looking to start up a restaurant, Meg ends up being the catalyst for them to choose Granford as their new home. They are young and enthusiastic but perhaps a bit of the dreamer resides in them as well.
The dream takes a darker turn when one of the chefs turns up dead in a local pig wallow. And that's where the story kind of loses the mystery aspect of things for me. You see, the subplots about Meg's evolution from banker to orchard owner and all plotlines surrounding the actual construction and planning for the new restaurant make the actual death play second fiddle in the book.
It's not that those things weren't interesting to read about and see how the characters dealt with the roadblocks they come up against. But it made the death and the investigation of it seem like it was given short shrift.
The eventual resolution to the death was a bit accidental and lack of justice delivered left me with a less than positive feeling about this particular book. I'm not abandoning the series or anything because I generally enjoy the author's work but other than a literal last sentence development fueling anticipation for the next book, I just didn't find RED DELICIOUS DEATH to be my slice of pie.
September 8, 2018
I'm beginning to think that maybe I'm not fond of this series after all. Maybe it's just that I really like the author's other series and was reading these in light of that. The main character, Meg, is becoming a bit tiresome to me, with all of her worrying and general lack of positivity. Seth, on the other hand, I still love and I'm glad Meg is finally not being dense where he is concerned. The other characters are okay, although Bree lost some of her luster for me in this one. But my main issue with the book is that the murder doesn't seem at all important to the story, like it's a side issue that exists only so the book can be called a mystery. The main subjects of the book are the opening of the restaurant and the coming harvest of the orchard. Not really the topics of a book that I would knowingly choose to read. I will continue with the next book in the series, primarily because I own it and can't stand to not read a book I own, but I will have to see what happens after that.
September 28, 2021
It may have taken me awhile to complete this book but it had nothing to do with the story, it took me some time due to busy home stuff. I enjoy reading about what problems land on Meg's door even when it has nothing to do with her. I have to say this time it wasn't anywhere on her orchard but as always she gets caught up in the whys. The new couple, Nicky and Brian and their close friend Sam, came to Granford to open a restaurant but one of the chefs end up dead and no one knows why and that's when the start of the problems begin. It really does make you wonder why would someone have a problem with the newcomers but there are some grouchy old timers and some who don't like things to change but in a quiet town you would think that they would all be welcoming but not so much but is fun to read the twists and turns to the story and having Meg getting involved and stepping on some toes that aren't to happy about her butting her noise in and finally Steph and Meg coming together. This is a fun series. Can't wait for the adventure for Meg.
May 3, 2018
Great cozy mystery with a few yummy recipes at the end. I generally like the characters in this book, though a few seem a bit prickly for no apparent reason. The mystery is a slow builder, because though there's a crime fairly early on, there aren't any suspects until much later in the book. That doesn't mean the book itself is slow or boring. There is plenty going on aside from the mystery, some of which may or may not be connected to the mystery. I didn't guess the culprit until the very end, and I was fairly surprised by the outcome. And there's a bit of a cliffhanger at the tail end, whetting my appetite for the next book in the series!
December 24, 2023
@40% Okay... In the first installment of this series, it was stated that Seth and Detective Marcus have a history due to Seth (while in High School) beat up Marcus' son when he tried to go too far with Seth's sister, Rachel.
But in this book, Lauren goes on a date with Detective Marcus and tells Meg, that he has no kids, no pets and no alimony. Does that mean he has no kids living with him? Or have they already rewritten history in the third book of the series. If he no longer has children and is now much younger, what is the supposed history between Seth and Marcus for which Marcus holds a grudge?
But in this book, Lauren goes on a date with Detective Marcus and tells Meg, that he has no kids, no pets and no alimony. Does that mean he has no kids living with him? Or have they already rewritten history in the third book of the series. If he no longer has children and is now much younger, what is the supposed history between Seth and Marcus for which Marcus holds a grudge?
March 10, 2020
I like this series more and more as I continue through it. This was a delightful next installment, though a lot of it focused away from the orchard. I hope we learn more about the harvest season in the next one, as I really enjoy all those details. I did like the new young couple opening a restaurant theme and how it showcased all the process and pitfalls, and even the end result. I wasn't that surprised by the murderer to be honest, as I think there was a severe lack of any suspects. I love seeing Meg and Seth's relationship progress and really want to see more of him! I do think they book started to drag a bit by the end and had kind of an anticlimactic ending, but I loved the epilogue.
June 19, 2022
A good mystery. I've always wanted to read one of this authors books and glad I found it in my own Little Free Library. This was the 3rd of the series and even though it would have been nice to get the background of Meg inheriting the house and orchard and some of the background of the other characters it was easy enough to follow. I also liked it because it didn't just focus on the death but on people's lives in this small town of Granbury, MA.
February 27, 2018
The whole story and mystery were fairly interesting, but the reveal was a bit anti-climatic. I hate that. I will say that after reading the first of the series, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read the other 2 on my shelf. Despite the ending, I plan on reading the remaining Orchard series book on my shelf. It really drew me in and I didn't want to put it down!
February 6, 2022
I am enjoying this series, in spite of the fact that the mystery seems to be sort of the background info ... and the orchard, running it, house transformation, in this one a house made into a restaurant transformation, all seem to take center stage. But I like the characters, and am enjoying the narrative, so I'm glad I picked up this series.
October 10, 2022
Three and a half stars. The heritage apple orchard setting is lovely, but the writing was still a bit too repetitive and there's not enough plot development.
July 11, 2011
I'm a third of the way through this book, and I see another reviewer pretty much summed up what I'm running into with this series:
"I find the books in this series to be harder and harder to read as they go along. There's so much repetition and padding. Plus, Meg isn't really easy to warm up to. There's just something missing in the mix and it's hard to describe what that is. It should all work, nice setting, small town, an orchard, but it doesn't at least not for me."
Agree. This will likely be the last of the books for me. Which is a bummer, because the premise is so appealing, but the dialog and character development are falling flat for me. Plus, a third of the way through, and no real suspects presented? And way too much infodumping going on. Not good.
OK, what an anti-climactic finish. That was one of the more boring whodunits I think I've ever read. As much as I really really like all the possibility in these books, the character development and storytelling is not developing, in my opinion, well at all. Methinks I be done with this series.
"I find the books in this series to be harder and harder to read as they go along. There's so much repetition and padding. Plus, Meg isn't really easy to warm up to. There's just something missing in the mix and it's hard to describe what that is. It should all work, nice setting, small town, an orchard, but it doesn't at least not for me."
Agree. This will likely be the last of the books for me. Which is a bummer, because the premise is so appealing, but the dialog and character development are falling flat for me. Plus, a third of the way through, and no real suspects presented? And way too much infodumping going on. Not good.
OK, what an anti-climactic finish. That was one of the more boring whodunits I think I've ever read. As much as I really really like all the possibility in these books, the character development and storytelling is not developing, in my opinion, well at all. Methinks I be done with this series.
July 9, 2012
I can certainly say that this book is where the author is beginning to hit her stride as far as the characters developing. I do find that it doesn't draw me in as much as other series that I have read in the past. The stories are well-written, just maybe I would like to feel that a bit more humor was injected into them. Sometimes it is hard to put one's finger on what is lacking and for me I think it is that the characters are though better developed are still uptight and maybe that would be okay if they were a secondary character. I think that Sheila Connolly is a good writer,maybe this series is just not my cup of tea. Although, I am going to read the next one as this one leaves a cliff-hanger ending. Which was welcome! Maybe it will turn out to be a series that I enjoy after all. As I say the writing is solid.
April 2, 2019
I enjoyed the previous two books in the series, but this one was weak. Fluff, fluff, and more fluff! The actual mystery seemed like an afterthought. There was no sleuthing, only endless talk about business ownership and how much of a struggle it is to get a restaurant up and running in a small town, and permits, and apples... my God, the apples! Will they ever be ripe enough to pick?! I normally love cozy mysteries and their comforting familiarity, but this book made me feel like my brain was going to start oozing out of my ears. The solution to the crime was uninspired and anticlimactic. It couldn't possibly be that glaringly obvious, could it? Yes. Yes, it could. What should have been a huge scandal, a horrible tragedy made even worse was again swept under the rug because THE RESTAURANT. Who has time to worry about death when grand openings are afoot?
April 1, 2013
Ooooh. This one was so good. The romance is heating up and they begin to provide support to two very naive chefs who want to open a Whole Foods inspired-restaurant in a town where it might be a tough sell. The tension and pacing of this book is perfect and it just makes me want to read more about these characters. Very near the perfect cozy mystery.
Oh, I read some other reviews of this book after I posted mine and I think that there is something wrong with those people. Not able to warm up to Meg? What? If she was my neighbour I'd feel lucky and if she were my co-worker I'd feel even more blessed. Maybe someone like that can only exist in a book? I'm glad Sheila Connolly created her.
Oh, I read some other reviews of this book after I posted mine and I think that there is something wrong with those people. Not able to warm up to Meg? What? If she was my neighbour I'd feel lucky and if she were my co-worker I'd feel even more blessed. Maybe someone like that can only exist in a book? I'm glad Sheila Connolly created her.
March 28, 2018
I enjoy cozy mysteries with some humor. Some of the humor is over the top and annoying. Red Delicious Death was dull. The main character is Meg, who has taken over her mother's inherited apple orchard. Meg is new to a tiny town in Massachusetts and new to farming. Her handyman boyfriend helps her. In Red Delicious Death Meg is nervously awaiting her first crop of apples while helping a young married couple who are new to the town and want to open a restaurant. Most of the story is about Meg and boyfriend Seth helping the restauranteurs find local food for their menu. The murder of the young chefs' best friend is kind of an afterthought, and the murder is solved rather quickly. I don't know if I will read any more of this series.
August 6, 2012
A fun cozy series. If you are a cozy mystery lover, then you are likely the Orchard Mystery series. The main character is a bit of a fish out of water in small town New England (having spent most of her life in the city). Her attempts at running an apple orchard with the help of a few locals are enjoyable to read and sets a great background for a mystery.
February 18, 2012
If I wanted to learn how to grow apples or run an organic foods restaurant, I would have picked up a nonfiction book and actually learned something. However, I picked up this book to enjoy a mystery and I could barely find any mystery in this at all. I am definitely done with this series.
August 20, 2013
I got this from the free pile at the library, so at least I have the satisfaction of knowing I didn't shell out any money for this wooden mystery with an unlikeable meddling heroine who disregards law enforcement and solves mysteries they can't, despite no background or training.
January 12, 2018
Just okay, nothing special. The annoying part of this book: Bree tries to keep Meg focused on planning for her first harvest but she spends more time helping the two chefs with their problems in opening their restaurant.
July 14, 2020
A juicy third addition, "Red Delicious Death" is book 3 in the Orchard Mystery series by Sheila Connolly. And wouldn't you know it? With encouragement from our main sleuth Meg, a nice, twenty-something couple and their friend Seth (all from Boston) have bought a house on main street in Granford where they intend to open a restaurant. Meg is busy getting the orchard ready for the picking season but she's keen to help them since they're all in it together when it comes to reviving Granford. But when Seth turns up dead in a pigsty with no other clues than a footprint it threatens not only all of their progress, but begs the question of whyyy? And who?
Wow! So folks aren't kidding in the other reviews I've read - you learn A LOT about the orchard business in these books and especially in this third book - but I'm not mad at it. There are times when the mystery seems to take a back seat but the business details are important for setting up future books in the series and making the whole story line feasible. Normally we're given so many suspects and clues in cozy mysteries that we're all over the place trying to figure out but this books gives us one clue and not more than a handful of folks to consider - and still - I was guessing to the end. I actually found the culprit and the motive unnerving and eerie in an altogether new way than I'm used to.
I'm pleased that our main sleuth's love life is picking up! I like a little PDA in my cozy reads. As always I love Sheila's writing style and the flow of her writing, and I feel like I learn something in her books. As a business owner myself I appreciate the thoroughness of her world creation and I see how it will help sustain the several other books in this series. I'm looking forward to book 4.
More Facts for Readers about our Sleuth:
Main Sleuth: Meg Corey
Age: 35
Physical Description: White female, Brunette, Brown eyes, family from Massachusetts
Business: Apple Orchard owner (formerly in banking)
Country: Granford, Massachusetts (moved from Boston)
Time of Year: July-September
Pet: Lavinia "Lolly", rescued cat, a tabby with white tummy and paws
Love Interest: Seth Chapin, a white male plumber, blond, hazel eyes
Family: A mother who we haven't met yet because she lives further away
Diversity? Yes! We still have the amazing orchard manager Bree who is of Jamaican descent. Her family had come to the area a few generations ago as apple pickers, stayed, and now a few generations later she is an American of Jamaican ancestry. Bree is an almost graduate from the nearby university and has been hired on as the apple orchard manager, and she is currently living with our sleuth Meg Corey. In the third book we've met even more Jamaican characters who are just returning to the orchard in time for picking season. I think they'll develop as characters even more in the fourth book.
Wow! So folks aren't kidding in the other reviews I've read - you learn A LOT about the orchard business in these books and especially in this third book - but I'm not mad at it. There are times when the mystery seems to take a back seat but the business details are important for setting up future books in the series and making the whole story line feasible. Normally we're given so many suspects and clues in cozy mysteries that we're all over the place trying to figure out but this books gives us one clue and not more than a handful of folks to consider - and still - I was guessing to the end. I actually found the culprit and the motive unnerving and eerie in an altogether new way than I'm used to.
I'm pleased that our main sleuth's love life is picking up! I like a little PDA in my cozy reads. As always I love Sheila's writing style and the flow of her writing, and I feel like I learn something in her books. As a business owner myself I appreciate the thoroughness of her world creation and I see how it will help sustain the several other books in this series. I'm looking forward to book 4.
More Facts for Readers about our Sleuth:
Main Sleuth: Meg Corey
Age: 35
Physical Description: White female, Brunette, Brown eyes, family from Massachusetts
Business: Apple Orchard owner (formerly in banking)
Country: Granford, Massachusetts (moved from Boston)
Time of Year: July-September
Pet: Lavinia "Lolly", rescued cat, a tabby with white tummy and paws
Love Interest: Seth Chapin, a white male plumber, blond, hazel eyes
Family: A mother who we haven't met yet because she lives further away
Diversity? Yes! We still have the amazing orchard manager Bree who is of Jamaican descent. Her family had come to the area a few generations ago as apple pickers, stayed, and now a few generations later she is an American of Jamaican ancestry. Bree is an almost graduate from the nearby university and has been hired on as the apple orchard manager, and she is currently living with our sleuth Meg Corey. In the third book we've met even more Jamaican characters who are just returning to the orchard in time for picking season. I think they'll develop as characters even more in the fourth book.
July 21, 2018
#3 in the Orchard cozy mystery series
This turned out to be much better than I expected. I think it's because I'm getting to know Meg a little better, and she's not trying so hard. She took over the orchard 6 months ago and she's getting a little more comfortable about her new job, although she's still a real newbie. I personally think she should spend a little more time paying attention to her orchard and a lot less time getting involved in other people's business, but it seems to work for her. Her orchard manager Bree is shouldering a lot of the workload, but she doesn't seem to mind. In any case, Meg kind of gets involved in the introduction of a restaurant into town when she suggests that a young couple check it out for their new venture. When one of their team gets murdered, then Meg feels partly responsible and does some sleuthing on her own. There were several reasons that I liked this book better than the first two in this series. First, there's a bit of a romance going between Meg and Seth, a local man who has been helping her out. Romance is always good. Plus, much of the book was about the set up of the restaurant as well as preparing for Meg's first harvest, so there was less investigation and more discussion about the community. I really felt more a part of the town this time, and we were able to get to know a few more of the townsfolk. I know this is a cozy mystery, but actually the murder was less of a feature, with more focus on the restaurant and on Meg's orchard. I think Connolly is settling more into this series, creating a warm and friendly town with some interesting characters. I'll definitely continue with this series sooner rather than later.
This turned out to be much better than I expected. I think it's because I'm getting to know Meg a little better, and she's not trying so hard. She took over the orchard 6 months ago and she's getting a little more comfortable about her new job, although she's still a real newbie. I personally think she should spend a little more time paying attention to her orchard and a lot less time getting involved in other people's business, but it seems to work for her. Her orchard manager Bree is shouldering a lot of the workload, but she doesn't seem to mind. In any case, Meg kind of gets involved in the introduction of a restaurant into town when she suggests that a young couple check it out for their new venture. When one of their team gets murdered, then Meg feels partly responsible and does some sleuthing on her own. There were several reasons that I liked this book better than the first two in this series. First, there's a bit of a romance going between Meg and Seth, a local man who has been helping her out. Romance is always good. Plus, much of the book was about the set up of the restaurant as well as preparing for Meg's first harvest, so there was less investigation and more discussion about the community. I really felt more a part of the town this time, and we were able to get to know a few more of the townsfolk. I know this is a cozy mystery, but actually the murder was less of a feature, with more focus on the restaurant and on Meg's orchard. I think Connolly is settling more into this series, creating a warm and friendly town with some interesting characters. I'll definitely continue with this series sooner rather than later.
June 20, 2025
Meg is learning there is a lot of work that goes into an apple harvest, and that preparations must begin months ahead of time, such as lining up pickers and finding buyers. Nevertheless, when her friend Lauren calls and says she knows a young couple who want to open a restaurant, Meg helps Brian and Nicky find a venue. Their friend Sam will be the sous chef, and part of his duties include visiting local farmers to source fresh food for the restaurant. When Sam is found dead in a pigsty, the police have reason to suspect it was homicide. Meg is too busy to get involved in any amateur investigation, but she does help out where she can. Sam wasn’t in town long enough to make any enemies, so Meg and everyone else is left wondering who would have wanted him dead?
The mystery took a backseat in this book, which was both refreshing and annoying. Most of the narrative was taken up with Meg’s orchard business, and her trying to help Brian and Nicky launch their restaurant endeavor. Meg’s relationship with Seth is progressing nicely, and it was VERY refreshing to read a cozy mystery wherein the main character neither stumbled over the victim’s dead body nor ended up in peril at the end of the book.
I was leaning towards an average score for this one, but my delight in the fact that Meg didn’t find the body or end up in danger at the end bumps the score up to four.
The mystery took a backseat in this book, which was both refreshing and annoying. Most of the narrative was taken up with Meg’s orchard business, and her trying to help Brian and Nicky launch their restaurant endeavor. Meg’s relationship with Seth is progressing nicely, and it was VERY refreshing to read a cozy mystery wherein the main character neither stumbled over the victim’s dead body nor ended up in peril at the end of the book.
I was leaning towards an average score for this one, but my delight in the fact that Meg didn’t find the body or end up in danger at the end bumps the score up to four.
December 27, 2018
In Sheila Connolly's Red Delicious Death, the third installment in the Orchard culinary cozy series, get ready to sink your teeth into a juicy mystery and take a bite out of crime too. It all started for Meg Corey, who was still new to Granford and the orchard harvesting business, when her best friend Lauren had asked her for help. The Czarneckis, Brian and Nicole, were fresh out of culinary school and newly married to start a local food restaurant of their own in their small-town community. Of course, when they first discovered the Stebbins old family home, they had some bumpy obstacles along the way. They needed to go through the proper paperwork to get everything approved and they needed Mrs. Goldwaithe's approval on the Select Board meeting. But when their sous chef Sam Anderson wound up dead in a pigsty, it shocked that small town on who could do such a thing. It made Meg wonder if it anything to do with his sexual orientation or something else entirely different. As she helped the Czarneckis anyway she could with their restaurant business, things are getting cozy between her and Seth Chapin, her neighbor among other things around the town. As soon as she figured it on whodunit, it had a shocking ending with a twist in the end.
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