Review: Apple Cider Slaying

Title: Apple Cider Slaying

Series: A Cider Shop Mystery

Author: Julie Anne Lindsey

Release Date: October 29th, 2019

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Synopsis from Goodreads: Apples are at the core of the family business run by Winona Mae Montgomery and her Granny Smythe. But this year's crop is unseasonably ripe with murder . . . ONE ROTTEN APPLE Blossom Valley, West Virginia, is home to Smythe Orchards, Winnie and her Granny's beloved twenty-five-acre farm and family business. But any way you slice it, it's struggling. That's why they're trying to drum up business with the "First Annual Christmas at the Orchard," a good old-fashioned holiday festival with enough delicious draw to satisfy apple-picking locals and cider-loving tourists alike--until the whole endeavor takes a sour turn when the body of Nadine Cooper, Granny's long-time, grudge-holding nemesis, is found lodged in the apple press. Now, with Granny the number one suspect, Winnie is hard-pressed to prove her innocence before the real killer delivers another murder . . .

My Review: I very much enjoyed this start to a new cozy mystery series! I loved the setting of an apple orchard and old barn, I think the idea of a cider shop in an existing orchard is a really cool one and I loved the recipes for ciders included in the book! I like the main characters, and enjoyed the budding relationship between the main character and the sheriff. I felt the mystery was well developed and well written, I didn’t guess who it was until the end. The only issue I had with the story was a couple of points where it simply wasn’t believable, such as when they were getting the barn ready or when the main character made a new business plan to try and get a loan. Why wasn’t her first one done right? I felt like that was used to move the plot along and didn’t really work. Other than that I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the next book.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All opinions are my own.*