Berried in the Past

Peg Cochran

Mar 2020 · A Cranberry Cove Mystery Book 5 · Beyond The Page

About this eBook

The dead of winter takes on a whole new meaning in the new Cranberry Cove Mystery from USA Today bestselling author Peg Cochran!

On a night of heavy snow and bitter cold, newlyweds Monica and Greg are comfortably nestled before a warm fire when they’re roused by a late-night knock at the door. Surprised to find a troubled and confused woman on the doorstep, Monica is even more shocked when the woman vacantly utters that someone is trying to kill her. Sensing distress but not danger, Monica decides to help this mysterious woman, but her clouded recollections yield little—until she dredges up memories of her sister and a nearby home, where they find the woman’s sister, dead.

 

Unable to deny her own curiosity or the woman’s request for help, Monica begins digging into the suspicious death, only to discover a murky family history of valuable land, a bullying brother, an unscrupulous real estate developer, and endless rumors of good deeds met with bad blood. And when the trail of the killer begins to turn cold, Monica realizes that while the family wants to bury their sister, someone is out to bury the clues—and if Monica’s not careful, to bury her as well . . .

Includes tasty recipes!

 

Praise for Berried Secrets:

“Cozy fans and foodies rejoice—there’s a place just for you and it’s called Cranberry Cove.” —New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams

“A fun whodunnit with quirky characters and a satisfying mystery. This new series is as sweet and sharp as the heroine’s cranberry salsa.” —New York Times bestselling author Sofie Kelly

Ratings and reviews

Berried in the Past by Peg Cochran is the fifth A Cranberry Cove Mystery. New readers will have no problem reading this story. We get to return to the cozy town of Cranberry Cove with its charming shops and friendly citizens. Monica and Greg are newlyweds who live a cottage on Sassamanash Farm. Monica creates baked treats featuring cranberries which are sold in the farm store plus does the accounting for the farm and Greg owns Book ‘Em in town which sells used plus new books. It is after nine p.m. on a winter night when someone knocks on their door. Dana Bakker’s car skidded off the road after she escaped from the hospital. She believes someone is trying to kill her, but Dana is unable to recall more details. Dana was in the hospital from where she hit a tree and is now suffering from amnesia. She recalls a house with a red door (a common thing in Cranberry Cove). Monica takes her hunting for the red doored house and they find a dilapidated farmhouse with Dana’s sister dead inside. At first blush, it looks like the woman died of natural causes. Soon evidence points to murder. I thought the whodunit was straightforward and can easily be solved early in the book. Dana’s amnesia does not slow down our amateur sleuth. There are less than a handful of suspects for Monica to consider. There are good clues along with misdirection. I kept hoping the author would throw in a twist to surprise me at the end (one can dream). I did enjoy the action-packed reveal scene at the end and the clever way the guilty party is captured. There is further intrigue when Jeff considers selling Sassamanash Farm to pay for an experimental surgery on his arm. The town is up in arms and someone leaves threats at the farm and has notes delivered to Monica. There are warm, cozy moments in the story between Monica and Greg (newlyweds are lovey dovey). Kit, Monica’s assistant, is having some relationship and housing issues, another farm employee has happy news, plenty of baking with mouthwatering descriptions plus time spent with friends and family. Gina provides some lighthearted moments with her search for Mister Right. There are recipes at the end of the book. Berried in the Past is a warmhearted cozy mystery with a body in a bed, auto accident amnesia, cranberry cookery, troubling threats, a determined developer, nuzzling newlyweds and a mysterious murder.

amily-dynamics, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, Michigan, murder-investigation, developers, greed A frightened woman on Monica's doorstep led to finding a dead woman in her own home who's death was summarily dismissed as natural causes. Not. The short tempered greedy brother of the distraught amnesiac is also brother to the dead sister and in deep conversation with a developer working on farm owners. It turns out that he has even made inroads in discussion with Monica's own brother who is considering selling their family farm in order to have restorative surgery. The motives pile up even faster than the clues. Good sleuthing! I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley.

About the author

Peg Cochran is the USA Today bestselling author of the Lucille Mysteries, the Gourmet De-Lite Mysteries, the Cranberry Cove Mysteries, and also, writing as Meg London, the Sweet Nothings Vintage Lingerie series. She has two daughters, a stepdaughter and stepson, a beautiful granddaughter, and a Westhighland white terrier named Reggie. You can read more at www.pegcochran.com and www.meglondon.com.