Wendy Tyson

It's the Christmas holidays in Winsome, Pennsylvania, and Megan Sawyer is on her way home after a business trip to Philadelphia. She picks up a stranded motorist on the side of the road during a snowy evening. The young woman, Becca Fox, turns out to be the niece of Merry Chance, and she's been invited to town to sell her products during the season.

But when Megan drops the young woman off at Merry's home, there's another visitor - Becca's father Paul, and while he apparently wants to speak show more with her the reaction from Becca is completely malevolent. It's obvious she hates her father, but never more so than when she accuses him of murdering her mother years before.

Little does Megan know that this family's appearance in town will bring attacks on its townspeople instead of the reunion that Merry envisioned. When Paul is found dead and it's later determined to be homicide, the natural suspect is Becca. When the young woman shows signs of being mentally unstable, even the police chief is convinced she's guilty. But Megan isn't so sure, and when the attacks are somehow connected to her great aunt Sarah, Megan stumbles upon secrets from Sarah's past that could be a clue.

While Police Chief Bobby King - young but gaining experience quickly - is convinced he's got the right person for the murder, Megan isn't so sure. She continues exploring possible suspects to Bobby's chagrin, and the more she digs, the more she learns that Paul Fox was a master manipulator with a horde of enemies left behind. As her peaceful life starts to become unraveled by the devastation around her, she realizes she's in a race against time to find the person who really killed Paul, but little does she know she's also in a race against time to save herself...

This book is the third in the series and in my opinion is the best yet. Like a fine wine, Ms. Tyson's Greenhouse Mysteries only gets better with age. She is not only a talented writer, she is a talented storyteller as well. Her plots are well written, suspenseful and with enough twists and turns to keep us absorbed in the narrative.

This was a delightful tale of suspense and revenge, with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure. The characters are given the full depth treatment: these are people who are animated and lively, fully dimensional and believable. Megan and her family and friends make the town of Winsome come alive, and I consider myself lucky to be able to share in their adventures.

When we come to the end and the murderer is revealed, it was put together in a deft manner that made all the pieces fall in place easily. While not completely unexpected, it didn't matter as the journey itself was an enjoyable read. Highly recommended and I look forward to the next in the series. show less

Deadly Assets by Wendy Tyson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received an ARC of **Deadly Assets** by Wendy Tyson from Henery Press in exchange for an honest review. **Deadly Assets** is the second book in the Allison Campbell series, and it is just as good a read as **Killer Image** was. While I don't think it's necessary to have read these books in order to avoid confusion about past events in these character's lives, purely for the reading experience and enjoyment, I'd recommend reading both show more books.

Allison Campbell owns and runs an image consultant firm in which she takes on clients and shows them how they can improve how they are perceived and how to score well with social media. Campbell and her associate, Vaughn, have made a respectable name for themselves in this venue; what one doesn't cover, the other does, so their operation is run like a well oiled machine. They have been contacted by Francesca Benini of Benini Enterprizes to help the company boost its image in the face of its declining revenue. The business operates both in the US and Europe; the business makes wine and until recently they have been very successful.

At the same time as Allison is contacted by the Beninis, she receives a call from Denise Carr, an agent who is representing Tammy Edwards, an up-and-coming singer who comes from Scranton, PA. Tammy has few if any skills other than her beautiful voice, so Allison will be expected to make her over into someone with crowd appeal. Except that when Tammy and Allison finally begin to communicate, Tammy says she doesn't want the life Denise Carr laid out for her. Tammy wants to go to Julliard and become an opera singer.

Allison has her a work cut out for her with both clients, but she's sure between Vaughn and her they can work for the best interests of both clients. That is until both her clients disappear, and it's quite possible one or both of them were murdered or kidnapped. The more that is revealed about Francesca and Tammy, the more puzzling it becomes as to what happened to either of them. It doesn't seem like there's any connection between the two women.... or is there?

This is where Wendy Tyson is at her best. She's roped me into the story, and since I have no idea who did what to whom, I'm at her mercy to reveal more and more of how all this happened. There are nail biting moments, and there are frustrating times - exactly what any really good mystery novel should have. Tyson also has the ability to keep readers guessing until the very end with a last minute revelation or a twist that keeps the reader focused on the story even after the last page is read.

And then there's the romance side of the book. I don't need graphic descriptions of spit swopping or what acrobatic contortions two people can manage while white water rafting. Tyson tells it just right with just enough electric passion to keep the lights on but without having to burn the whole building down. There's a third book planned for this series, and I am going to be first in line when that becomes available. Wendy Tyson has become one of my favorite authors, and I highly recommend any of the books she's written.



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**MINOR SPOILERS**

Megan Sawyer left a lucrative law practice, returning to her hometown of Winsome, Pennsylvania to take over the running of her family's farm, Washington Acres. She's doing a pretty good job so far, not only working her way toward being certified organic, but also the running of a café and fresh produce market, not to mention a budding romance with the local Scottish veterinarian.

With everyone in town preparing for an Oktoberfest celebration the town is bustling indeed; show more but on one particular morning she notices that the two local brewers - Otto Vance and Ted Kuhl - are having an argument, and guessing it's because Otto won the coveted sponsorship instead of Ted (who has a much better product). But when Megan returns home she receives a phone call in which she's told that Sauer farms won the local farm sponsorship; a decision that seems odd because Sauer runs a much bigger operation - plus they only grow GMO food and treat their animals inhumanely. Megan soon realizes the rules have been changed, and she's not getting any answers why from event planner Ophelia Dilworth, who refuses to talk about it.

But when her grandmother Bibi finds the body of Otto at a local solar farm and Ted disappears, Megan knows that not only have the rules changed, but the game. Once murder enters the equation, Megan's not only going to be busy trying to harvest her autumn crop, she's going to have her hands full trying to find a killer before the Grim Reaper decides to do some more harvesting of his own...

After reading the first book in this series, A Muddied Murder, I was waiting impatiently for the next in the series, and I have to say it was worth the wait. Ms. Tyson's characters are believable and full of vitality, giving us people we'd want to spend time with in a small town setting that's warm and inviting. Megan is capable, strong and intelligent, but yet, like any human, has insecurities which rise to the surface when she allows her emotions to get the better of her. This makes her more endearing and authentic.

With Megan searching for answers, wondering why certain businesses were handed 'golden tickets' and others ignored, she must also deal with the fact of who's been watching her and the farm and why and if she's truly ready to let go of the past and move on with her life; and the omnipresent question of Otto's murder. When a second murder occurs she's left in no doubt that somehow it's connected to the Oktoberfest celebration, but finding out how could be the key.

Which brings us to the mystery itself which is very good indeed, taking us on a winding path of twists and turns that coil together tightly; leaving Megan to unwind each strand piece by piece until it is almost too late. Ms. Tyson weaves the mystery so well that when we do find out the killer it comes as a complete surprise, giving us a satisfying end to a riveting tale; one that kept me reading in one sitting; and that is a very good thing indeed. Highly recommended. show less

I like this series (all two of them so far). It's cozy, but not insipid; the setting is interesting (if you like gardening/farming) without being a preachy sledgehammer. The romance incidental...but could be a bit better. There's discreet and then there's 'wait...did they or didn't they?'.

The town of Winsome is holding its first Octoberfest and Megan starts to question when the committee starts doing things contrary to the rules they themselves setup. A dead body ups the ante.

The show more characters and setting are really well written and so is the mystery plot. Complex, lots of clues that don't seem to connect to anything at all and an interesting sub-plot running along in the background.

It seems Tyson also writes thrillers and there's a hint of that vibe running through the story, giving it that slight edginess over most cozies. I'm definitely on board for the next one. show less