Apple Cider Slaying

Apple Cider Slaying (2019) Julie Anne Lindsey (A Cider Shop Mystery)

Winona Mae Montgomery was raised by her Granny and Grampy Smythe. Right now she is doing everything she can to help her grandmother save their business: Smythe Orchard, and she has just the plan to do it.

But murder sabotages her attempts to apply for a business loan to open her own cider shop, and when Granny is a suspect in that murder, Winnie decides to take the investigation into her own hands.

I picked this up because it was on sale, and because I really liked her Geek Girl Mysteries (it’s a joy to read) I decided to pick up this book. I start reading, and all of a sudden she says she’s in WV and I’m seeing references to New River Gorge (I’ll take umbrage with her geography, since the New River is not near Winchester VA).

But geography issues aside, I’ll take it, because she did a good job with the feel of a WV town, particularly the sense of community. And the eastern panhandle is definitely full of apple orchards.

OK, I did have another issue, which made the mystery a little confusing, and that is in most of WV, landowners don’t actually own their mineral rights–they only have surface rights. (A legacy of our coal mining heritage, and how we’ve always been screwed by out-of-state companies.) But as this is something an outside would be unlikely to know, and this is a cozy mystery, I’ll let that slide as well.

Why? Because I loved the characters.

And she did casually drop important things.

(T)he baker throws in a bag of pepperoni rolls every ten visits if you complete your punch card.”

But mostly the characters. Winnie gets involved for good reasons, and doesn’t do extremely stupid things (although sometimes she makes stupid mistakes, which is normal).

I love how her characters feel real and true, and believe strongly in the things that are important to them.

“Having a significant other should make us better versions of ourselves, not worse.”

So although it has errors, I’m willing to forgive them since the story was enjoyable.

Publisher: Kensington Books
Rating: 7.5/10

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