Meg Miller is notified of an inheritance. It will rock her world, a world she was perfectly happy to inhabit. The deceased is Meg’s maternal uncle, Neal Calihan, a man Meg has never met. She hadn’t met any of her mother’s family. As she will learn, her mother left home when she was seventeen and never returned. Meg’s brother encourages her to visit the property and learn about the family they’d … family they’d never met. Her best friends, Jean and Tom agree to accompany her on a road trip. The history is rich, the scenery captivating, the caretakers are charming, but there’s a mystery.
If Meg investigates she could expose a family secret. But the county sheriff is intent on removing evidence and has a hidden agenda. Does she sell the ranch and enjoy the profits, or will Meg be driven by her sense of justice? Book Three of the Meg Miller Cozy Mystery Series takes Meg out of her element to a coastal ranch and a memorable Thanksgiving with family.
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Mystery on Inheritance Ranch is the latest book in the Meg Miller cozy mystery series by Phyllis H. Moore. I enjoyed the first two books last year and was looking forward to reading this one. Just when I was looking for a few books to read in January, I saw this was available as an ARC, so I jumped on the opportunity and was thrilled with the story.
Meg inherits a ranch further away in Texas from an uncle she never knew existed. Apparently, her mother kept a lot of secrets about that side of the family. When she travels to the ranch with two good friends, she meets a few people in the town, including the caretakers of her uncle’s estate. Apparently, their families grew up together and they loved him a lot. By the time Megs learns all about her family, she finds her mother’s journal which explains a deadly secret from years ago. The sad part, many members of her mother’s family committed suicide years ago, and now we know the possible reasons why.
Moore’s story is strong. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in more depth this time. I also love tales that take place decades earlier, letting us as an audience unravel the truth from a distance. My only concern with the book, and the reason I couldn’t push it up to a 5, is that there really isn’t any murder in this book. Someone was killed a long time ago, and it connects to a situation now, but it’s not traditional in the sense that we play amateur sleuth to find who killed a current victim. We never really get to know the victim from 50+ years ago, so… it felt a little disconnecting to me.
That said, I loved the story and really felt immersed in getting to know all the players. Meg is realistic… sometimes she does something smart, and others she makes mistakes that could hurt her. I think her friendship with Tom is great — he’s a son, nephew, friend, younger brother, etc… and it’s clear there is nothing romantic, but we really want them to be close (not romantically) so I root for them. That’s why I like this author’s books and storytelling skills! Can’t wait to read another one.
A coastal ranch consisting of thousand of
acres, herd of cattle, a ranch house, guest
house, two barns, stables plus a caretaker’s
house is the inheritance that Meg Miller
receives from an uncle she had no idea had
existed. Meg is a retired librarian who has
downsized to cottage. She lives near her
daughter so she is able to babysit her
granddaughter often.
What would she do with a ranch and who
was her unknown maternal uncle??
Off Meg goes on an adventure to see and
explore her new inheritance with her good
friends, Jean and Tom.
The ranch is huge with two gates plus a
cattle guard at the entrance, a whopping
crane reserve nearby, the ranch house is
huge with a commercial kitchen and many
rooms available. The reader will experience
the resources available on the property from
the deft description provided.
There is even a small cemetery on the ranch.
Meg is looking forward to learning about
her maternal family as a way to better
understanding her mother’s behavior.
Meg also needs to come to grip with her gift
involving the spirit world.
A journal, unpaid IOU’s, deceit, retribution,
a young girl’s remembrance of a horrible
fateful night combine with a successful
fishing trip, wonderful food, a bountiful
Thanksgiving meal at the ranch plus many
well thought out decisions by Meg and her
family will keep the reader spellbound from
the first to the final word.
The book is extremely ably plotted.
The characters are all skillfully written and
they will pull on the reader’s emotions.
This is book # 3 in the Meg Miller Cozy
Mystery Series. I can be read as a stand alone
as the author provides sufficient back history.
I volunteered to read Mystery on Inheritance Ranch.
Thanks to the author via the Cozy Mystery Review
Crew for the opportunity. My opinion is voluntary
and my own.
The third book in the Meg Miller mystery series. Meg inherits a ranch from an uncle she didn’t know she had. The mystery of her family and the history surrounding the ranch come to light in this story. I love the character of Meg and how she starts to devilish her ability to tap into the paranormal. This is a very good read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven’t read the first 2 books in the series but will go back and read those. This is not only a mystery but has a good background story.
This book is the 3rd in a series; I haven’t read the first book, but I have read the second book. This 3rd book was even more enjoyable for me than the last book. I loved the ranch setting–the writing was just fantastic. I enjoyed learning more able the characters and having new ones introduced. Meg was somehow warmer and more likable in this book and I especially loved her relationship with her friends. I learned some new things about Texas and its history, but not in a preachy way–in a very colorful and engrossing way. I’m eager to read more in this series and recommend it and especially this book. (I still want to go back and read the first book.) I was provided an arc of this book, but these opinions are my own.
Mystery on Inheritance Ranch by Phyllis Moore was a new to me Author and Book. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and storyline of this book. Having never read the other 2 books in the series I was able to catch up and enjoy the characters from the beginning. If you haven’t read this series I believe you will be happy as well.
“Meg Miller, retired librarian, recently downsized to a cottage, happy with her simple life, was the owner of thousands of acres, a ranch house, guest house, caretaker’s house, two barns, stables, and a herd of cattle. There were papers waiting for her signature, a formality, the lawyer had said.”
When she arrives at the family inheritance, she is drawn back into memories of dreams and visions and voices that she had experienced since childhood. Memories exhorting her to find the truth; right a decades old wrong.
This tale fascinated and absorbed me. As Meg learns about her maternal family and its history, she also learns about and becomes comfortable with her familial gifts. It’s a fascinating journey, that had me captivated. She’s at first reluctant, but after a friend gives her a figurative head shake, she realizes and accepts that this is something she needs to embrace. Moore has written Meg’s coming to terms with her abilities masterfully.
Moore’s story takes her readers along many pathways and side roads before reaching destination. It includes a trip to a better understanding of her own mother by means of a journal. A letter. And an unresolved mystery. The experience was spell-binding; it made the book one that I was loathe to put down. I highly recommend it!
[Many thanks to the author for the opportunity to read an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This is my honest review, the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own. ]