A Tine to live a tine to dieA Tine to Live, a Tine to Die by Edith Maxwell is the first book in the new “Local Food” mystery series. Publisher: Kensington, May 2013

It’s harvest time in Westbury, Massachusetts, and novice farmer Cameron Flaherty hopes to make a killing selling organic produce. But when a killer strikes on her property, her first foray into the world of organic farming yields a bumper crop of locally sourced murder. . .

Cam’s first growing season has gotten off to a slow start, but her CSA is flourishing thanks to a colorful group of subscribers led by Lucinda DaSilva, an enthusiastic Brazilian volunteer who’s vowed to eat nothing but locally produced food for one year. When Cam fires her only employee, local handyman Mike Montgomery, because he won’t follow organic growing practices, it seems like just another day at the office–until she finds him with a pitchfork sticking out of his neck.

The police suspect Cam of Mike’s murder, but when their investigation goes nowhere, Lucinda joins Cam in the hunt for the real killer. In a small New England town full of eccentric locavores, there’s no shortage of possibilities–from a neighboring farmer who competes with Cam for customers to a Swedish chef whose romantic designs on her have recently taken a turn for the odd. And then there’s the local militia group with its decidedly nonlocal agenda. . .

To clear her name, Cam will have to dig up secrets buried deep beneath the soil of Produce Plus Plus Farm. And she’ll have to catch a murderer whose motto seems to be “Eat local. Kill local.”

When her ex-employee is found dead on her farm, Cameron Flaherty is initially the prime suspect but later when her good friend is arrested, Cam starts digging up dirt to expose a killer. What a great beginning and welcome addition to the cozy genre in this pleasantly appealing new debut that boasts an exciting cast of characters, great dialogue, a foray into organic gardening and a tantalizing whodunit. Be prepared to enter a cornucopia of intriguing subplots in this well-crafted mystery that will have you hungry for the next book in this delightfully charming series.

FTC Full Disclosure – The author sent me this book, in hopes I would review it.