When lawyer-turned-farmer Megan Sawyer witnesses a seemingly innocent scene between three strangers, she learns they’re headed to the von Tressler memorial—the talk of scenic Winsome, Pennsylvania. The von Tressler family has more money than manners. The newcomers recently bought coveted hilltop property to build their oversized Greek Revival, tempting away local contractors and snubbing the … locals.
Soon one of those three strangers goes missing and another is murdered, her body found at Washington Acres—Megan’s family farm. The local police turn to Megan, as she was one of the last people to have seen them both.
With her family’s safety at stake, Megan must pick her way through the von Tresslers’ sordid family secrets and colorful personalities. She discovers that the malice that’s befallen Winsome has roots in the past, and she’ll need to dig deep to weed truth from lies and innocence from guilt, or the body count will grow even higher.
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SOWING MALICE by Wendy Tyson | A Henery Press Mystery. If you like one, you’ll probably like them all.
Author Bio:
Wendy Tyson’s background in law and psychology has provided inspiration for her mysteries and thrillers. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Wendy has returned to her roots and lives there again on a micro-farm with her husband, three sons and three dogs. Wendy’s short fiction has appeared in literary journals, and she’s a contributing editor and columnist for The Big Thrill and The Thrill Begins, International Thriller Writers’ online magazines. Wendy is the author of the Allison Campbell Mystery Series and the Greenhouse Mystery Series.
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When the von Tresslers moved to town, they didn’t make the residents of Winsome, Pennsylvania, very happy. They’ve mostly kept to themselves except when they were pushing to do things their way. Now, David von Tressler has died, and most of the mourners are from out of town. That includes three women that Megan Sawyer runs into at the local nursery. Shortly after Megan meets them, one of the women disappears. Then a body turns up at Megan’s farm. What is going on?
I was thrilled to see another entry in this great series, and I wasn’t disappointed. The mystery is strong. It starts quickly and there are plenty of twists and turns before we reach the end. The characters continue to be wonderful. We got updates on the series regulars and the new characters were well developed. There’s nothing here that spoils previous books in the series, so you could jump in here, but to fully appreciate the character growth, I do recommend reading the series in order. This series is more of a traditional mystery than a lighter cozy, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. I definitely recommend this book and the entire series.
Sowing Malice earns 5/5 Café Treats…Engaging Entertainment!
Wendy Tyson’s sixth Greenhouse Mystery book has been added to an already delightful and favorite series. Her new mystery, riddled with disappearances and a dead body, was twisty with many surprises and characters to weed through. Family dynamics. Sibling connections. Inheritance claims. Secrets. Selfishness. The von Tresslers are not normal members of the small Pennsylvanian community of Winsome. With their wealth and attitude they keep themselves separated and shun invitations to join in, participate, or patronize local businesses along with poaching all the contractors in the area to build their mansion no matter to what projects those contractors had already committed. Even with the sudden death of patriarch David von Tressler, his memorial would be not be attended by many from town, at least with an invite. Megan, picking up supplies in Merry’s garden shop, sadly witnesses the uncontrolled emotional outburst from Claire von Tressler, whose connection to the family is unknown. But then there’s a report of a missing person, a second missing person, and a dead body found on her farm’s property. Megan wanted to have a successful farmers’ market, Fourth of July events, and time with friends and family, but quickly adds a murder investigation to her “To Do” list.
Wendy’s writing style is one to keep readers engaged and entertained. In this series, she uses a third-person narrative, not my favorite, but done very well. Her expressive description creates a small town, a farm, and delightful characters along with adding emotion and suspense to the drama. The dialogue does well to illustrate tone from everyday busy to threatening and personalities from caring to aloof, friendly to suspicious, and quirky to manipulative. In my experience, although the mystery needs to be well developed, it’s the characters that need to be realistic in their manner and their reaction; Wendy does well with this, too. I enjoy Megan’s “courage” to broaden the family farm experience and the café, and expand Washington Acres, as well as, navigate a romantic relationship with her post-widow status. But, her amateur investigation does not circumvent official channels, her informal interrogations are smooth, and her critical thinking narrows the suspect list well. Absolutely loved it…page 1 to the “Wow!” end!
No bonus included which is a disappointment with a marvelous menu at the café and such expertise on gardening, fruits and veggies, and crafting among her characters. In several of the other books she included a recipe and gardening tip, so don’t forget to check them out, too.