Posies and Poison

Sweetfern Harbor Mystery, Book 1

By: Wendy Meadows

Narrated by: Kasey Logan

Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

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

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.

kindergarten class

I felt like i was in kindergarten sitting on a carpet , while the librarian was reading a book she had never read before.The Narrator added emphasis on words that made no sense and tacked words on to the end of a sentence as if it just appeared to her. She would state happy dialogue to a statement sentence or making a statement sentence to Happy dialogue or sad moment. The whole thing just seemed odd and uncomfortable. Sad i was hoping for a new series to love. I loved the story set up,

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

Wendy Meadows is a new to me author. I really enjoyed listening to her story. I liked all of the characters, there are so many possibilities for future books in this series. I look forward to other books, in this series or new series, by this author.
Kasey Logan did a great job narrating the book.

Good

Good cozy mystery, with good narration. Showing how a person greed can go to far. Was a good enjoyable mystery. Given audio for my voluntary review

She was an evil person witch, but to be murdered!

This woman's exploitation of those weaker and more vulnerable than her, made her hated by the whole town.
However, to murder someone, even under such circumstances of losing your business or your ability to attend college, due to one person's greed and ruthless behavior, might have been one step too far over the line off righteousness.

Couldn't keep my attention

Listening to this short story, I kept wondering why I couldn’t get into it. Was it the narrator who read so slow as to extend the length of the audio book, or the excessive leading pronouns that made me think of a first-grade reader, and made the main character borderline narcissistic?
As I listened on with the narration speed increased, I started wondering about the plot. Granted, cozy mysteries do bend the rules of credibility in order to make a good story, but the author seems to have done this with a heavy hand, even when unnecessary.
You’ll either love or hate this story, but it’s not for me.

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!

Who killed Lady Pendleton?

Brenda inherits a bed and breakfast. There is Lady Pendleton who is as mean as she can be to the entire town. She is killed and Brenda gets involved with solving the crime with Detective Rivers. If you want a cozy mystery to read to pass the time, this book is for you. But you need to suspend reality to enjoy this book. I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and this is my honest review.

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.

Enjoyed!

Longer listens are my prefered books, but this was was fun and delightful for a short listen! Lots of people that could have been the suspect. Kept me thinking and wondering the whole time! Great narration as well!

Small town problems big time solutions

This was a fun quick listen. I did get a bit confused with so many characters getting introduced all in a short space of time but there was a lot of suspects to keep it interesting. I liked the small town community and the way everybody know everybody's business. I did think it would have been better if the story was longer, as a few interviews happened without the listener being present. Also the characters could have been developed more with a longer story. It was good, what was there and I do think as the series continues the characters will become likeable the more you get to know them and it is a good start to a new series.
Brenda has inherited her uncle's business a Bed and breakfast and all the wonderful staff that runs it. She soon settles in but finds the idyllic settings isn't the friendliest place in the world, all because of one woman lady Pendleton. Everybody in town seems to have reason to hate her. She owns all the properties in town, from houses to business and as a consequence she puts up the rent prices as and when she wants or feels like it and no matter who it hurts. So Brenda isn't surprised when she ends up dead, someone was going to snap sooner or later. With everyone having a motive and pointing the finger the police turn to Brenda for help, she used to work for a private investigation agency in a big city. So her keeping her ear to the ground would be a big help. Who really did kill the most hated woman in town? Her own husband?, the police chief's daughter? Her lawyer? The suspects seem end less.
The narrator was okay bit seemed a bit breathless or the words were drawn out and I couldn't always tell who was ment to be talking.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left a review.

All is not so well in Sweetfern Harbor

What do you do when the tyrant of the town comes up dead and is found to have been poisoned? Well, you put your running shoes on and investigate every single person in town because this tyrant left no person unscathed and the suspects are everyone! A great whodunit with a rare but wonderful ending! Loved every minute of it! Great story and wonderfully narrated.