It’s late spring in Winsome, and Washington Acres is alive with the sights and sounds of farm life. The flowers are blossoming, the vegetable gardens are thriving, the pollinators are buzzing, and the Pennsylvania countryside has fully awakened from its deep winter slumber. Only this season, rebirth comes with a price.College friends of Megan’s beau, the handsome veterinarian Dr. Denver Finn, are … are in Winsome for a corporate volunteer event. They will be mentoring troubled kids from a nearby school during a hiking and camping trip. When one of Dr. Finn’s friends is murdered at the state park, a student-a boy with a brutal history-becomes the prime suspect. With a teen’s life at stake, Megan digs into the victim’s past to clear the boy’s name. She learns that the victim sowed conflict wherever he went. As Megan worms her way closer to the truth, she realizes her own life is at stake, as well as the lives of those she loves.
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Some of Denver Finn’s friends are coming to town, and Megan Sawyer is excited to see a different side of her boyfriend. They don’t make a good first impression, however, when their dinner together is filled with not so hidden tension. These friends are in town as part of a corporate charity weekend to mentor kids at a nearby school for troubled teens, but that event goes wrong when one of the adults is murdered. The police are looking at a teen as the likely killer, but Megan doesn’t think the teen did it. Can she find the real killer?
This series always has strong characters, and this book is no different. We get to know everyone involved in this case well, and as events unfold, their reactions and the impact on their live help pull us into the story. Those looking for a twist a minute might find the pace a little slow, but I found the book compelling since I was so drawn to the characters. Not to say that this book doesn’t have some good twists and an ending that surprised me. We do get to see the series regulars and those introduced in previous books, but they are in supporting roles, so they don’t take over from the characters important to this case. There is a little foul language, and the more serious tone helps put this on the traditional side of the spectrum for me. Just make sure that your mood matches the book, and you’ll be fine. This isn’t to say that it is all serious; we get a fun sub-plot involving a pig and plenty of cuteness from the animals on Megan’s farm to help lighten things. Plan to set aside quite a bit of time when you open this book because you won’t want to stop reading.
Wendy Tyson has done a great job of making you love Winsome Va. Megan Sawyer left a good law practice to come home to save the family farm. She saved the farm, opened a great café and now is trying to turn an old home and barn next to her property into a bed and breakfast and a barn for training people how to . have organic gardens….. To add to the story she has a very caring rugged Scottish
veterinarian boyfriend, Dr. Denver Finn. When some of Denver’s college friends come to Windsome for a weekend to highlight a school for troubled children, things take a nasty turn when one of the friends is brutally murdered. Denver and Megan must work to find the killer who is all to happy to try to kill others
“Ripe for Vengeance” earns 5/5 Calls from Karma…Blooming Entertainment!
Washington Acres is filled with signs of spring emerging: flowers blooming, rows of colorful leafy veggies blossoming, and a new member arriving…a Vietnamese potbellied piglet found in a storage unit needs to be fostered until its owner is located. Megan’s grandmother is completely taken. With everyone fine at home, Megan heads off to an evening with her boyfriend and his college buddies who are in town to participate in a corporate mentoring event. The idea is to pair up with a student from a local school who struggle with behavioral and emotional challenges. They’ll go on a hike-in-and-camp outing, engage with the students, and gauge interest in a career in STEM. A worthwhile endeavor until one of Denver’s friends ends up dead and one of the troubled students the prime suspect…of course, the kid found the body, and is that blood? Megan and Denver know the young man who has his own present and past issues, but the victim seems ripe for karma. Soon delving into details puts Megan and others in danger…
What a delightfully exciting book with just the right amount of an “edge!” Wendy Tyson kept me totally engaged with her entertaining writing style using a third-person narrative. Although not my favorite perspective, the reader is placed right in the middle of all the drama. Her strong characters, especially Megan, have developed well over the series and with vivid descriptions and dialogue she aptly illustrates the tone, conflicts, and good, bad, and ugly personalities. I really enjoyed the murder mystery, pleasantly punctuated by a bit of Karma, with enough twists, turns, and some exciting personal peril adding to this engaging page-turner! I was fascinated by the personal stories of the Denver’s college mates and the young kids making it more complex and intriguing than just investigating and asking questions. All in all…excellent!
Newbies? It is the fifth book, and of course, life goes on with strengthening relationships, ups and downs of business interests, and dealing with a few murders, but this is a great place to start. I warn you, you’ll be hooked and need to read the other books!