Review of Edith Maxwell's cozy mystery 'Til Dirt Do Us Part

‘Til Dirt Do Us Part

by Edith Maxwell

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. 

This book's release date is May 27. Edith is having a preorder contest where the gift is a lovely hand-painted silk scarf for you or someone you know. Click here for all the details.

ISBN: 978-0-7582-8464-8

Publisher: Kensington Books

Review of cozy mystery A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die by Edith Maxwell

A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die

by Edith Maxwell

Cameron Flaherty is a self-professed geek turned gardener. She’s given up a cubical for the outdoors. She prefers her fingers in soil rather than clicking across a keyboard. It’s a new life and a new world for Cameron as she turns her great-uncle’s home into her own.

Taking the plunge from salaried, experienced, corporate employee to self-employed, newbie organic CSA (community supported agriculture) farmer is quite an adjustment. But before Cameron can really start to appreciate the new life she is starting to create for herself, she finds her recently fired employee dead on her property. It’s obviously murder and is not a great way to close out the first day of her share program. The challenges and mysteries don’t stop as Cameron struggles to settle into a routine on her farm, with her share program, or with building her new business.

Maxwell combines personal experience with fiction in this novel featuring a cast of characters who have their own opinions about eating local food. For example, young Ellie is working on a Girl Scout badge and is learning to appreciate home-grown food; Portuguese immigrant Lucinda is determined to eat only locally grown food for an entire year; and Chef Jake prides himself on serving meals with as many local ingredients as possible. Other cast members add the right amount of neighborly conflict, jealousies, and suspicions to make the reader nod her head and think, “I know people like that.”

Although set in fictional Westbury, Massachusetts, the novel includes real locations, such as Newburyport and Gloucester. The novel is a wonderful introduction to farmer’s markets, organic gardening, CSAs, and CSFs (fishing).

This novel is Edith Maxwell’s first and is also the start of her Local Food Mystery Series. Maxwell has published several mystery short stories, and has a traditional mystery, Speaking of Murder, published under the pseudonym Tace Baker.

A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die is comfortable to read, which is appropriate since it’s a cozy, but I call it comfortable because as a reader, I felt like part of the cast and included in the conversations. It has a nice pace and is definitely a page turner. This is a highly recommended read for cozy readers, gardeners, and anyone seeking a pleasurable read.

Title: A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die

Author: Edith Maxwell

Published: June 2013

ISBN: 978-0-7582-8461-7

Publisher: Kensington Publishing