Book Review: Sowing Malice by Wendy Tyson (Greenhouse Mysteries #6)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, compelling mystery

Cons: No cons were sown into this book

The Bottom Line:

Disappearance, death

Megan must investigate

In great mystery

Reaping Another Great Mystery

I was excited when I saw that Wendy Tyson had a new Greenhouse Mystery coming out.  I really enjoy this series, and Sowing Malice was another great entry.

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 hiring the contracts in town to build their giant mansion.  They caused some contractors to break their previous agreements, including the contractor that Megan Sawyer had hired to do the renovations she planned on the neighboring farm she recently purchased.

Now, David von Tressler has died, and most of the mourners are from out of town.  That includes three women that Megan 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?

This is a wonderful book.  It captured me from the first chapter, and the twists and turns kept me engaged until I reached the last page.  The events and twists all kept me puzzled until Megan figured it out, yet the ending made perfect sense.

Over the course of the series, we’ve gotten to meet a great cast of characters who work on the farm and the café in town that Megan also owns.  All of them appear here, although Megan, her grandmother, and her boyfriend get the majority of the character development.  I loved spending time with all of them again.  The suspects come across as real and helped me continue to care about the outcome.

Just how engrossed in this book was I?  I finished it in just two days.  Okay, so some insomnia might have helped with that, but these characters and this story was a great companion during those late hours when I couldn’t sleep.

This series leans toward the traditional side of the spectrum.  While this one isn’t quite as serious as some of the earlier books in the series, it still isn’t quite as light as a typical cozy.  Just know that going in and you’ll be fine.

This is the sixth book in the series, and we get to see the next chapter in the lives of characters we know and love.  However, there isn’t anything here that spoils earlier books in the series, so you could jump in here if you so desire.  Of course, I’ll always recommend you start a series from the beginning, since I love seeing how characters and their relationships grow.

Whether you let this be your introduction to the series or you are already a fan, you are in for a great mystery when you pick up Sowing Malice.  Set aside some time to enjoy our latest visit with Megan.

Looking for more?  Here are the rest of the Greenhouse Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.