Posies and Poison

Sweetfern Harbor Mystery, Book 1

By: Wendy Meadows

Narrated by: Kasey Logan

Brenda Sheffield can’t believe her luck when she finds out that the family business, The Sheffield Bed and Breakfast, has been handed down to her upon the death of a relative. For too long, she’s been idle as an assistant to a PI - a new challenge is precisely what she needs.

Uprooting to the idyllic village of Sweetfern Harbor was tough, but it doesn’t take long for Brenda to fall for the brightly painted shopfronts and the friendly residents. However, there’s always one who spoils the bouquet. Lady Pendleton owns half of the buildings in Sweetfern Harbor, and she rules with a green-fingered fist. With a personal vendetta against everyone, she ruthlessly raises rent and rates resulting in turning many people out of house, home, and business.

One day, her flashy car pulls up outside The Sheffield Bed and Breakfast, but Brenda is shocked to find her slumped over the wheel and failing to respond. The coroner pronounces her dead at the scene, ruling it as a homicide.

With the entire town a suspect, Brenda isn’t sure whom to turn to since crime isn’t usually a factor in this New England town. Enter the handsome detective Mac Rivers, who must unravel the twists and turns of this murder. But, can an outsider’s sleuthing experience help bring the perpetrator to justice? Or will they slip out of sight unnoticed? Or strike down another victim?

This cozy mystery is a clean listen: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language. It can be listened to in one to two hours. It is perfect for those moments when you are waiting at an appointment or want to enjoy a quick listen.

©2019 Wendy Meadows (P)2019 Wendy Meadows

Just okay

This wasn’t a bad book, but it is not one I would go back and read again. The writing was less than stellar, the narrator less than I would have expected and the story did not really catch my interest.

I requested this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.

Posies and Poison

I think I am just used to longer books so this book seemed a little rushed, but it is only 3 hours long. Hopefully this book does some of the situational set up so the subsequent books don't need to repeat the "how we got here" stuff. That being said, it is nice cozy mystery that does not take a great deal of focus to follow.

I found the cadence of the narration a little distracting, but that may be personal preference. I did get use to it!

Good cozy mystery.

This was a short easy listen. A lot of characters introduced in that time and I wish it had been a longer story. That said, the mystery keeps you guessing and you want to get the next book to see what happens to the characters. I was given a free copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I want to live here!!

The narrator for this book was very clear in enunciating and does a very good job of conveying the calmness and gentleness of this fabulous place. The only complaint I have is that she was so calm and gentle that there was no excitement in her voice - not even when dialing 9-1-1 when there was an accident. I did increase the speed of the playback to 1.2 and that helped a great deal.

The plot was very well done and it kept you guessing about who had committed murder. The biggest problem with this story is that you did not want anyone to be guilty. The only person in the entire town that was not beneficial to the town was the person who was killed so you were happy about them being gone and didn't really want anyone to be guilty. I have mixed feelings about the ending of the book. A part of me was happy about that, but part of me was concerned about what that says about the future endings for the books in the series.

Guess I will have to get the next one and see:)

Bottom line: A wonderful way to spend a morning or afternoon getting to know a fabulous place to visit - and maybe even live.

A Great Start!

Posies and Poison is a great start to a new cozy mystery series. Brenda Sheffield moves to the village of Sweetfern Harbor just in time for the town's enemy to die in her fancy car! Solving a murder is a great way to learn about everyone in your new town.

Good story

amateur-sleuth, bed-and-breakfast, law-enforcement, family, friendship, murder-investigation, novella

Basically the story is short but good, the narrator not so much.
A nice cozy involving a transplant to a small town on the New England shore who has inherited a lovely B&B with a reliable staff. She has a history of assisting with investigations so the local detective asks for her help in resolving the question of who actually murdered the most hated person in town. Good sleuthing is managed despite the short length of the book.
I was disappointed that the narrator had such a grating voice and the delivery was peculiar at best.

The Perfect Cozy Mystery

This Cozy Mystery has EXACTLY what you want. The characters are interesting. It is not obvious who the killer is, and there is a side love story to keep you engaged. I absolutely recommend this story and hope there are many more to come!

For once, a smart and savvy amateur sleuth!

When Brenda Sheffield inherits a bed and breakfast from her uncle, she packs up her life as an assistant to a private investigator in Michigan and relocates to the charming small town of Sweetfern Harbor. As is the way, the residents there know everyone and everyone’s business but, for the most part, all get along very well. There is an exception though, and in this case, it is the local grande dame and largest property owner, Priscilla Pendleton. Soon after Brenda arrives, the town gets into an uproar because “Lady” Pendleton has announced another rent increase and is really putting the squeeze on the small, local business owners. When Lady Pendleton suddenly ends up dead and everyone in town has a motive to get rid of her, the local police detective asks Brenda to help him work through the long list of suspects.

“Posies and Poisons” is a short and quick introduction to the “Sweetfern Harbor” cozy mystery series by Wendy Meadows. The author has created a quaint setting in the small seaside town, one every reader will want to visit, if it were possible, with a variety of interesting characters to populate it. The main character, Brenda Sheffield, is calm and canny and very observant of her fellow residents. This amateur sleuth did not do anything out of the ordinary or put herself in harm’s way as most do, and that was a nice change. She was smart, sensible, capable, and likable. The police detective on the case, Mac Rivers, seemed less so. Likable, yes, and definitely a candidate as a romantic interest for Brenda but he seemed to jump from suspect to suspect too quickly.

The Audible edition of the book was easy listening and didn’t require strict attention to detail. It was fun. The narrator, in this case, had a pleasant enough voice however her delivery was rife with odd pauses which were very distracting from the story itself. I slipped into my Kindle edition of this book and found it a much better reading experience than this audio version.

I recommend this book for cozy mystery readers especially those that like those small-town stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Excellent Beginning!

Posies and Poison is a wonderful cozy mystery. It is the first in the Sweetfern Harbor Mystery series, and an excellent beginning.
There are so many interesting characters, who's stories can potentially be learned more about in the future. The setting is amazing, and the main character, Brenda, has a lot of spunk, with room to grow with the series. The mystery was terrific, and fun to try to figure out. This was all made better by exceptional narration. Highly recommend this audiobook.

Fun and uncomplicated

This is a quick, light read obviously intended to present the characters who will be at the core of the series. So far, we get just a general idea of who these persons are, enough to understand their place into the story. There is also a romantic interest, and we'll see how this goes later.

The story is entertaining and the narration by Kasey Logan added a lot to my enjoyment. If you are looking for something easy and not too involving to listen, this is a good choice.