As usual, Seth, the love interest, is too perfect. And as usual, the book is more about village life, and running an orchard. I continue to appreciate Meg's relationship with the orchard manager, and her housemate, Bree. Bree is of African/Jamaican descent, and is a no-nonsense, straightforward, and private person, and I like that her and Meg's relationship is prickly. This book is a nice rebound from the previous book in the series. ( )

PICKED TO DIE is #8 of the Orchard Mystery series by Shelia Connolly.
I liked reading this title for many reasons; a slice of New England small-town life, learning about local agriculture and orchard management, the book cover, the evolving characters, genealogy, restoration work, local history, the end-of-the-book recipes and, of course, a puzzle or two.
PICKED TO DIE is extremely light, yet enjoyable reading. ( )

Sour Apples is the sixth book in the An Orchard Mystery series. It keeps blooming.

Spring is coming soon to the small town of Granford. Time for Meg Cory and her orchard manager, Bree, to access any damage that might have happened during the winter.

Seth is visited by neighbor, Joyce Tuesdell a dairy farmer, about soil contamination she has found on the land she she is leasing from the town of Granford. She has had a cow die from lead poisoning and would like Seth, as a Selectman for town, to learn the history of the property and what can be done to clean it up. Before Seth has a chance to look into the matter, Joyce is found dead, apparently from a kick the cow she was milking. But, the results of the autopsy show that she dies from two hard blows to the head. Right about this time Meg's friend and former co-worker, Lauren sails into town and announces that she is now th campaign manager for Rick Sainsbury. Sainsbury is considering running for Congress from the district that Granford is located. At Grandord's annual Spring Fling, Rick is busy shaking hands and renewing old friendships. But Seth refuses to explain why he's not happy to see his high school acquaintance.

Before Meg and Seth can really get started researching the history of the land, Joyce's husband dies from an apparent suicide. As they uncover information of the land, Meg becomes concerned about Lauren and her current job. Meg knows that if she shares too much information their friendship may be lost. But still they have a murderer to find and with Seth's and his mother's homes being broken into, they need to keep digging before there are any more deaths.

I love this series as it always is a well written story and a cast of interesting characters. And a wonderful addition is the information about caring for an orchard and about apples with taking away from the mystery. There are also recipes included.

Looking forward to the next book. ( )