Perfect for fans of B. B. Haywood and Peg Cochran, Ellie B. White’s whimsical series debut is full of farm fun, complete with a helpful baby pig.Reluctant farmer Charlotte Finn needs the help of the livestock to sleuth a mysterious death.Charlotte Finn never wanted to inherit the family’s produce farm–much less plow a heap of money into it. Her plan is to hammer a great big FOR SALE sign into … a great big FOR SALE sign into the farm’s fallow furrows–but Charlotte’s sunny hopes of a quick sale succumb to a killing frost when she finds a dead body entwined supine in the tomato vines. The poor man, it seems, was run through…with a pitchfork?
Now, Charlotte is stuck with running the farm in the midst of a murder investigation. Charlotte’s knowledge of farming is smaller than her bank balance, so she relies on caretakers Joe and Alice Wong and their farmhands. Can she trust them? She doesn’t know them. There’s also farmer Samuel Brown, who still carries a childhood grudge. But the case gets personal when Charlotte learns that the victim might have been her own kin–and seeds of suspicion grow into a fertile field of suspects.
Charlotte turns to the farm’s pig to help root out the killer. Soon, the goats, geese, and horse join in, but will Charlotte harvest a murderer–or buy the farm?
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“DEAD ON THE VINE” by Elle Brooke White is the first book in the A Finn Family Farm Mystery series. It’s the delightful story of Charlotte Finn. After inheriting her great Uncle Tobias’ farm, she becomes the typical “Green Acres” character – going from Penthouse to produce farm.
Charlotte meets up with her two BFFs, brother and sister team Diane and Beau Mason, accompanied by Mrs. Robinson, a lady bug that came along for the ride. Their plan is to go out the farm, check it out, and then putting it on the market. On arriving and meeting the caregivers, Joe and Alice Wong, a cute little pig endears himself both to Charlotte and Mrs. Robinson. Charlotte, having a great talent in giving animals their proper names, names him Horse, because he eats like one. The trio of Charlotte, Horse and Mrs. Robinson become a team.
From day one, Charlotte is hit with the intense feelings between the Finns and the Averys and rumor of the possibility that they are not only related but may have a partial claim on the farm.
When a dead body is found in the tomato fields with a pitchfork stuck in him, the bad news puts a damper on the prospects of finding a buyer for the farm. Everyone pitches in to fix the place up with thoughts that by the time things die down in the rumor mill that they can get people to think of produce and not murder. Part of the renovations include getting the old pond fixed up and filled up not only to increase the value of the place, but to have an access to water in case of a fire for all the local farmers around and to bring back the place Charlotte has such fond memories of. In the process, Charlotte finds the farm expert, Samuel, who she nicknamed Farmer Brown, friendlier than the harder to read hot and cold opinion she had of him earlier.
Charlotte, Diane and Beau all end up falling in love with the farm and the peace and tranquility it brings. They get excited about opening up a country store, having a You Pick ‘Em part of the farm, and having an event venue like for the upcoming fund raising event for the fire department. Can they turn around a farm that is on the brink of bankruptcy? Will it be enough to convince Charlotte not to sell?
Who had the motive to kill Marcus Cordero? What was he doing on the farm? Is the rumor true that she may be kin to the Averys? Do they have a claim on her farm or will her relative’s will hold up? Will Charlotte’s amateur sleuthing cause her physical harm? Can Charlotte teach Horse how to communicate so he can reveal what he knows? Who beat Serge and is it connected to the murder? Will a truck fire lead to disastrous damage? Will knowledge of childhood hatreds bring question to Charlotte about Samuel? Will profit skimming be enough reason to commit murder? Will they be able to set a trap to catch a killer?
DEAD ON THE VINE is an amazing cozy mystery and a wonderful way to start a new series. Elle Brooke White did a fabulous job in writing a story that will have you guessing and second guessing whodunit while following the clues as your turning pages on this mystery. It was fun that while trying to figure out who murdered Marcus, you were also trying to figure out if Charlotte could possibly be related to the vastly different characters in the Avery clan making it a mystery within a mystery. Love the way she put personality into the animal critters from Horse, the pig, to the real live horse. DEAD ON THE VINE was a delightful read from the first page to the last. I would highly recommend it to anyone that loves the cozy genre, loves a good clean read or just loves a great book!
Charlotte Finn inherited her great uncle’s farm and moves from Chicago to Little Acorn, California to decide whether she should sell or keep it. While touring the property with a realtor, the body of a young man is discovered in the tomato vines. To make matters worse, someone has been intentionally sabotaging the farm and breaking into the cellar at night. With the help of her childhood friends, her staff, and a pig named Horse, she becomes determined to catch the culprit and save the farm.
Death on the Vine is a promising start to a new series. It is an enjoyable, easy read, with an intriguing murder mystery and an interesting cast of characters. I thought it was really well-written and the descriptions made it very easy for me to picture the rural town of Little Acorn. Charlotte is a likable main character who is not afraid to stand up for herself. I enjoyed getting to know her and look forward to seeing what’s in store for her and the farm. I will definitely be reading the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White was an entertaining beginning to this new cozy mystery series.
Charlotte Finn is a savvy marketing professional but totally ignorant about farming as she moves to her Uncle Tobias’ produce farm that she has inherited in Little Acorn, CA. She’s not sure if she should sell the farm or try to revive the failing business until she finds a young man murdered on the property. With her best friends, Diane and Beau, the current staff and a teacup pig named Horse she becomes determined to solve the murder and save the farm. Ms. White’s narrative is quickly paced and very descriptive so that I felt like I was actually with Charlotte throughout the story. I’m hooked on this new series and look forward to more adventures in Little Acorn, California with Charlotte and Horse.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
Y’all know those stories that make you go “aweeee”, and “that’s so sweetttt”, and has animals you talk to in baby talk? This is one of those books to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Charlotte Finn’s traveled a long way to claim her inheritance from her Great Uncle Tobias Finn. It’s a farm located in Little Acorn, California. Her wonderful and fun-to-be-with besties; Diane (chef), and Beau (event planner), meet her there. You’ve heard of money pits? They’re looking at one. Uncle Tobias hasn’t lifted a finger on the farm in years, and the caretakers and farm manager can only do so much.
Attempting to stay positive, Charlotte falls in love with Horse—a soft and cuddly pink tiny toy pig who shares her bed and her dreams to make the Finn Family Farm a thriving organic business. Diane and Beau are her pep squad and their enthusiasm is uplifting.
A mysterious murder; dealing with mean, juvenile-acting brothers, Wade and Clark Avery; bugs chomping on the crops; sabotage; and someone shorting the books makes for a tale full of laughter, hard work, sensible planning, and new friends made. I suspected who the murderer was and the author confirmed it at the end. I loved all the cute, smart, and funny farm animals who made my heart happy through the written words of this story. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book!
Dead on the Vine earns 5/5 Heirloom Tomatoes…Delightfully Engaging!
Elle Brooke White [insert lightbulb…E.B. White?] has penned a delightful first-in-a-series! She is a new author to me, and how fun it is to have found her and her well written story. I love the farm setting with all the ins and outs of managing a farm and animal antics. Charlotte Finn, a marketing expert, inherited the Finn Farm from her great-uncle, and although she moves from Chicago to Little Acorn, California, the condition of the farm and her limited knowledge of farming makes her seriously consider putting it on the market and moving on. However, the dead body in the tomato vines, sabotage of the farm, and break ins put a hold on her thoughts of selling. She has close friends, the farmhands, and a childhood friend who holds a grudge to support her amateur detecting, but her teacup pig is quite the companion. White’s well-paced drama, descriptive language, and entertaining dialogue made this an excellent read. It was not lost on me the author E. B. White, character Charlotte, and a helpful baby pig seemingly reminiscent of a childhood favorite. I love puns, twists on classics, and clever quips. For me it added to my enjoyment.
Dead On The Vine is the first book in the A Finn Family Farm Mystery series.
Charlotte had a successful advertising job until one bad ad, she finds herself jobless. Then she finds out that she has inherited her great-uncle Tobias produce farm in California. So she packs up her belongings and heads for the farm. Charlotte has no idea what it takes to run a farm and decides that she will sell the farm and settle down in California. Her childhood friends, Diane and Beau, meet her at the farm shortly after her arrival. They meet the farm’s caretaker, Joe Wong and his wife Alice and farmhand Sam Brown. When Charlotte is in town, she is approached by a real estate agent who wants to list her property schedules a meeting at the farm to appraise the farm. When the agent arrives at the farm they head out to the fields to survey the crops and the land he stumbles over the body of a young man with a pitchfork. Police Chief Goodacre arrives to investigate and it is soon learned that no one knows who the victim might be. It is also learned that someone has been trying to sabotage the farm by disabling the ingratiation system and infecting the tomato fields with aphids.
Charlotte, Diane, and Beau set out to find the killer and hopefully remove the stigma attached to the farm by the murder. Two bullying brothers who live on the next farm are high on her list, as is the agent who is selling their produce to the local market and others.
I enjoyed this new series a lot. It’s well-written plotted and moves at a nice pace. It has an interesting cast of well-developed and believable. The characters that I enjoyed the most, are Mrs. Robinson, a ladybug and Horse the pig. They both helped Charlotte sort out the clues to the killer, particularly Horse.
I will be watching for the next book in this very interesting series.
What a fun story. City girl goes country because of memories and an inheritance. Thank goodness Charlotte has her two BFF’s Beau and Diane to help her through some of the situations that arise when they arrive in the small town of Little Acorn. Being greedy and spiteful are not good qualities to have. Charlotte has some decisions to make but just how will she gain the trust of her now employees? I want to visit this farm and see the animals in action. Who wouldn’t want a friend like Horse? I giggled at times at the antics that were going on. It was refreshing to read a story where law enforcement didn’t hate the person helping them solve the cases. I enjoyed this story line and loved the characters. I hope I can join them on Finn Family Farm again sometime. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.
Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White has Charlotte Finn heading to Little Acorn, California after inheriting Finn Family Farm from her great-uncle Tobias. Charlotte has fond memories of a magical summer she spent there as a child. While touring the property with a realtor, they find a man dead with a pitchfork in his neck. Charlotte also learns that someone has been sabotaging the farm and two local yokels claim the farm should belong to them. Charlotte works with her two best friends plus a pig named Horse and a ladybug named Mrs. Robinson to catch the culprit and save Finn Family Farm. Dead on the Vine is the debut of A Finn Family Farm Mystery series. I enjoyed this engaging cozy mystery with an interesting cast of characters. Charlotte Finn has been living in Chicago working in advertising. She has thoughts of putting the farm up for sale, but Charlotte quickly falls under the farms spell. Her two best friends, Diane and Beau (brother and sister) are joining her at the farm. Diane is a chef who loves all the fresh produce available and Beau is a flamboyant event planner (imagine Beau picking produce in a blue speedo with the score to Oklahoma blaring in the background). Alice and Ben Wong are the farm’s caretakers and Samuel Brown is the hunky farmer. My favorite character is Horse, the adorable and intelligent pig who follows Charlotte around the farm. Horse is an smart little fellow who has Mrs. Robinson, the ladybug, traveling on his head. There are other animals on the farm who add humor to the story. There is a barn scene with goat yoga that had me laughing out loud. Dead on the Vine is well-written and moves along at a steady pace. I dived into the story and stayed up very late to finish it. The mystery is interesting with a variety of suspects. The whodunit suited the story and the characters. Dead on the Vine is a cute cozy mystery that made me laugh and smile (a rarity). I look forward to the next A Finn Family Farm Mystery. Dead on the Vine is a witty whodunit with a precious pig, a little ladybug, sneaky sabotage, a pointy pitchfork, fun friends, and a family farm.
As the first book in a new cozy mystery series, I thought this one was pretty cute. Charlotte inherits her great uncle’s farm at a time when she is at a crossroads in her professional career. I liked Charlotte and I thought she has a lot of promise as the protagonist and amateur sleuth. Her two best friends are along for the ride and in general, I liked them both. The show a lot of promise for future books as reoccurring secondary characters. I liked the rest of the cast, which include farmhands and the chief of police. Charlotte also takes to a pig on the farm, who she names Horse (because he eats like one) that plays a central role in the story as well. For me, perhaps a bit too much but it’s not enough to be a deal-breaker.
The mystery is not overly complex and the suspects are not a surprise, nor is the outcome. However, the author does a decent job of layering clues throughout the story to cast doubt on the actual outcome. Where I did have a bit of trouble is how the Chief of Police had Charlotte so involved with her in solving the crime. I found that a bit hard to believe.
Overall, though, I thought the story was cute and the series has promise. I’ll check out the next book to see what the author has in store for her readers.
I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.
This is a fun start to a new series. The protagonist, Charlotte Finn, has inherited her family’s produce farm. Charlotte and her friends are interesting and entertaining characters. I love that the animals have personalities as big as their human counterparts. My favorite character is probably the baby pig. The mystery is fast-paced with a lot of twists and turns. I am excited to see how this series develops.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.
Charlotte Finn has come to a crossroad in her life when her marketing career goes pear shaped. As she says, she feels like a character in the tv show, Green Acres. She is going from a Chicago penthouse to a produce farm in a small town – Acorn, California. Trouble is, she hasn’t got the proverbial clue how to run one. Her great-uncle Tobias has willed it her and it’s her best choice given her current lack of them.
Joining her two childhood friends, Diane and Beau, she sets out to claim her inheritance only to discover that it’s more than a produce farm….it’s a money pit. Next move, find a realtor to find out its actual worth and sell it. Well, the place is a bit run down but she had no idea it would include a dead body with a pitch fork in its neck. It’s a lot to take in almost from her first moment in town. Who wanted the young man dead, on her property and, by the way, who has been doing the sabotage and why? With the help of Diane, Beau, the farm caretakers, Joe and Alice and a couple of extra special helpers – a little pig named Horse and a hitchhiking ladybug she has christened Mrs. Robinson. All in all this is the perfect escape reading and I will be adding the series to my TBR series.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Synopsis:
Perfect for fans of B. B. Haywood and Peg Cochran, Ellie B. White’s whimsical series debut is full of farm fun, complete with a helpful baby pig.
Reluctant farmer Charlotte Finn needs the help of the livestock to sleuth a mysterious death.
Charlotte Finn never wanted to inherit the family’s produce farm–much less plow a heap of money into it. Her plan is to hammer a great big FOR SALE sign into the farm’s fallow furrows–but Charlotte’s sunny hopes of a quick sale succumb to a killing frost when she finds a dead body entwined supine in the tomato vines. The poor man, it seems, was run through…with a pitchfork?
Now, Charlotte is stuck with running the farm in the midst of a murder investigation. Charlotte’s knowledge of farming is smaller than her bank balance, so she relies on caretakers Joe and Alice Wong and their farmhands. Can she trust them? She doesn’t know them. There’s also farmer Samuel Brown, who still carries a childhood grudge. But the case gets personal when Charlotte learns that the victim might have been her own kin–and seeds of suspicion grow into a fertile field of suspects.
Charlotte turns to the farm’s baby pig to help root out the killer. Soon, the goats, geese, and horse join in, but will Charlotte harvest a murderer–or buy the farm? (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. Charlotte, Diane and Beau have been friends for a long time and now they have to figure out a murderer before their dream of farm life gets thrown away. They can also count on Joe, Alice and Sam to help them figure it out. And the best sleuth of all is Horse, Charlotte’s pig and his sidekick, Mrs. Robinson. No killer stands a chance when Horse is on the case.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. I did not know who the killer was for sure until it was revealed at the end.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you give it a try, I think you will enjoy it.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Crooked Lane, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
A refreshing new series with engaging characters. Charlotte Finn inherits a produce farm in California and is not certain about whether to keep or sell the farm. However, when someone is murdered on the farm Charlotte feels she has no choice but to stay for now.
I really enjoyed the characters in this story with Beau and his flamboyant personality being my favorite. I see a lot of potential for upcoming books and plan on following this new series. Thanks to Crooked Lane and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.
fun, friendship, farm-animals, greed, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement
The Finn Family Farm is fantastic fun! Even though there are villains and nasties and even a murder, it was good fun having a mini pig and a lady bug as part of the investigation team. The whodunit is a good one and the characters certainly are. No need for spoilers or plot summary, just enjoy some time away from reality with this one! Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!