‘Til Dirt Do Us Part
Reviewed
by Lisa Haselton
Fall
has arrived in Westbury, Massachusetts and self-professed geek turned gardener
Cameron Flaherty finds herself mixed up in murder – again.
With
the summer warmth and long days behind her, Cameron is grateful to have her barn
rebuilt. And although the busiest gardening season is over, there is still
plenty of work around the farm to be done and vegetables to be harvested.
The day
after hosting an outdoor farm-to-table dinner at her farm, Cameron learns that
one of the attendees has been found dead at a neighboring farm. Irene Burr had
been raising a lot of ire around town with her desire to turn the old town hall
into a museum. Did someone murder her, or was it a horrible accident? When Detective
Pappas arrives at her doorstep, Cam knows murder is again in the air. She doesn’t
want to be drawn in to the mystery, as the farm needs her full attention, but
when strange events start happening to her, Cameron can’t help but be drawn in
to try to find answers.
Maxwell’s
ability to combine personal experience with a fictional world gives the story a
nice balance. She entertains and educates at the same time. Young Ellie is back
in this story and is excited about fulfilling the requirements for a Girl Scout
badge thanks to Cameron’s assistance. Chef Jake is masterful with preparing the
food for the farm-to-table dinner, yet his mood swings have Cameron wondering
what is going on with him. The cast of characters adds the right amount of
neighborly conflict, jealousies, and suspicions to make the reader as uncertain
about who to trust, as the protagonist.
I
enjoyed learning a bit more about organic food, farmer’s markets, and CSAs when
reading this novel. The main character will soon be adding fresh eggs to her
CSA, as chickens have moved onto Cameron’s farm. The novel is a wonderful
glimpse into how being involved in the community can make a difference in
people’s lives in various ways, too.
This is
the second novel in Edith Maxwell’s Local Food Mystery Series. The first is A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die. Maxwell
has published several mystery short stories, and has a traditional mystery, Speaking of Murder, published under the
pseudonym Tace Baker.
I
enjoyed ‘Til Dirt Do Us Part and it
was difficult to stop turning the pages. The
twists and turns kept me guessing right until the end, and even then there’s a
cliffhanger. I found the romantic aspect just as intriguing as trying to solve
the whodunnit. Who will Cam end up with? What kind of trouble will she find
herself involved with next? This reader is looking forward to the next book in
the series. I consider this a highly recommended, pleasurable read.
If you’re
interested in learning more, visit the author’s
website, or check out her Wednesday
posts on the Sisters in Crime New England blog where her protagonist shares
gardening tips.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-8464-8
Publisher: Kensington Books
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