Berried Secrets by Peg Cochran is the first book in the NEW “Cranberry Cove” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, August 2015

It’s cranberry picking time—in an all-new mystery series from the national bestselling author of the Gourmet De-Lite Mysteries. . .

When Monica Albertson comes to Cranberry Cove—a charming town on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan—to help her half-brother Jeff on his cranberry farm, the last thing she expects to harvest is a dead body.

It seems that Sam Culbert, who ran the farm while Jeff was deployed overseas, had some juicy secrets that soon prove fatal, and Jeff is ripe for the picking as a prime suspect. Forming an uneasy alliance with her high-maintenance stepmother, Monica has her hands full trying to save the farm while searching for a killer. Culbert made plenty of enemies in the quaint small town. . .but which one was desperate enough to kill?

I enjoyed this light drama that was fun to read and easy to follow all that was happening in Cranberry Cove, Michigan.

A dead body in the bog and a determined heroine out to save her brother and his farm brings this wonderfully executed tale to life in what I hope is a long-running series. I like the way the mystery was presented scene by scene that gave way to a significant pool of suspects who had stronger motives to kill, and uncovering those secrets plays a strong role in keeping the story fresh with each pivotal clue closing the gap on the killer’s identity. It was fun watching how all the pieces fell into place as Monica serendipitously got the answers that she needed. With a great cast of characters that includes Monica, her brother Jeff, stepmother Gina, the eccentrically quirky twin sisters and the bookstore owner, I’ve come to like visiting the small town of Cranberry Cove and I look forward to more adventures with Monica and her friends.

previously posted on the Cozy Chicks blog