M0325_AppleCider-238x238From 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 endeavour 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 loved this audiobook! I do love a cosy mystery, but mostly I read or listen to historical cosies as I love the detail and the settings. This however was a great example of a contemporary cosy mystery, with a superb plot that tangled me up in knots, just like the main character Winnie. I loved the community in Blossom Valley although I could understand why Winnie found it annoying when everyone knew her business, especially with regard to an ex-boyfriend.

I loved Winnie and her Granny and really hoped that Winnie could prove her innocence quickly. Unfortunately for Winnie the new sheriff isn’t very nice and won’t believe that Granny had nothing to do with it. Poor Winnie, not only is she up against the Sheriff, she also gets warned off by the mystery killer on several occasions.

Whilst all this is going on her best friend Dot, a local ranger, asks Winnie to look after two cute ginger kittens. Even though I couldn’t see them, I fell head over heals with the kittens, imagining what they looked like as Winnie took care of them. I loved this part of the story as it brought some much needed light relief to the tenser parts of the story.

This is the first in a new series, and I can’t wait to listen to more stories as Amy Melissa Bentley was a fantastic narrator! She is a new-to-me narrator, even though she has narrated over a hundred audiobooks!! I loved the way she brought all the different characters to life and I especially loved it when the characters got all soppy over the kittens.

I highly recommend this if you enjoy contemporary cosy mysteries.

Thanks to Hope Roy at Tantor Media for my digital copy of this audiobook.