Well-Offed in Vermont by Amy Patricia Meade is the first book in the new “Pret’ Near Perfect” mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, November 2011

In bucolic small-town Vermont, Stella Thornton Buckley feels out of her element—and not just because she’s fresh from Manhattan. Mere hours after moving to maple syrup country, she and her husband, Nick, find a dead man, Allen Weston, in their well. The police investigation forces the couple out of their lovely farmhouse and—since the motels are packed with leafpeepers—into a less than luxurious deer camp. Instead of mourning the loss of electricity and running water, Stella and Nick drive their Smart Car all over the Vermont hamlet to question the quirky locals about Weston, a shrewd businessman who rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way.

Stella and Nick may never shed their flatlander reputation, but they just might be able to make a few friends and help Sheriff Mills solve a murder.

What a great start! Stella and Nick are excited to move into their new home until a ghastly discovery and now they are homeless. At a loss, this husband and wife team decides a little sleuthing will help free their home, but will it find a killer? This was a fun-filled, fast-paced and nicely-written who-dun-it that I did not want to put down. This was a good mystery that had me involved in following the clues, but I also enjoyed the relationship and witty repartee between Stella and Nick that kept me turning the pages. I love the eccentric and lovable secondary casts and the small-town atmosphere of this charming and delightful series and I look forward to a very long visit with the Buckleys.