" .... bees that hae honey in the mouths, hae stings in their tails .."

Standard cozy-mystery outing in which appearances can be deceptive, as organic farmer Megan Sawyer investigates the death (and mysterious life) of Becca Fox's estranged father. A tale of money, greed, lies and deceit.

As I jumped in at book number three, I felt I could have done with reading the first two to get a better feel of the characters and setting.

This is the third book in the Greenhouse Mystery series. I have not read any of the other books in the series, and definitely felt like I was not getting back story on characters who obviously had been in the other books. I personally think the author could have woven more back story into the book, without taking up too much space and time, which would have helped someone like me, who had not read the other books, a lot with understanding the characters and story. As it is, the story can be read as a stand-alone, but, if you are like me, there may be nagging doubts and/or questions about what exactly is going on with the characters and what many things mean.
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In this story, Megan Sawyer picks p stranded motorist Becca Fox, during a bad winter storm in Winsome, PA. Megan soon learns there is an interesting story connected to Becca and her family. Becca plans to sell her “Love Potions” at her Aunt Merry’s store during the holiday season. Becca welcomes this opportunity, since she has just started the new venture. Once Becca arrives at her aunt’s house, where she will be staying while in town, she meets up with her father, Paul, from whom she has been estranged and whom she is convinced killed mother years ago. Thus, Becca, already a bit unstable because of the traumas that have plagued her life, is angered by her aunt’s transparent attempt to rekindle the father daughter relationship, unbeknownst to Becca. Becca’s brother Luke, to whom she is especially close, is also in town. As the story progresses, Paul is murdered, and a bunch of other nefarious events and encounters occur. Megan jumps right into the middle of all this, hoping to figure out what is going on and who did what to whom. The holiday season is part of the setting, but the book does not really play to or rely on Christmas.

The book was interesting, though found it dragged a bit through the middle. As I said, more back story would have helped me enjoy it more. Megan and her veterinarian beau Denver make a good couple, but I would have liked more of their interaction during the story. Perhaps this was part of another book. Megan is a good sleuth, but definitely works within the confines of law enforcement, not causing headaches and/or problems for law enforcement. Thus, she did not take over things as other sleuths in other series do. There was a cast of characters, all related to Megan or part of the town, who lend realism to the story and help move things along. Again, with little or no back story, I was sometimes a bit confused about just who everyone was and how they fit into things. Still, this is a pretty good mystery. I was not surprised at the ending or who the guilty party was, though the story line did keep me interested, as I wanted to find out the motives behind everything. If you enjoyed the other stories in the series, you will probably like this one. The main character/sleuth, Megan, is well done and comes across as authentic. As I said, however, it did drag in the middle and I was a bit confused at times, about who everyone was, their stories and how they fit into the picture. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Seeds of Revenge by Wendy Tyson is the third book in the Greenhouse Mystery series. It is December on the farm, but Megan cannot focus on the upcoming holidays when there is another murder in Winsome. Megan picks up stranded Becca and soon get pulled into the family drama surrounding Becca and her estranged father, Paul. When Paul is found dead, Megan sinks deeper into the drama and mystery. This series continues to get stronger with each book. The characters mesh well together, and I enjoy the farm/cafe setting. The mystery is strong and kept me guessing until the end!

Seeds of Revenge is the third book in the Greenhouse Mystery series by Wendy Tyson. Set during the Christmas season in Winsome, Pennsylvania. Meghan is returning from Philly in the middle of a snowstorm. She had ventured to Philly with coolers of greens in hopes of selling them to restaurants so that she could keep her farm and organic café. It’s great to see the same main character and the same setting. Family is a key item in Karen Rose Smith’s book and although there are evil doings in this book, I found the plot development was attention grabbing. A little romance too helps to tie in the love of Christmas too. There are three books so far in this series and having read all three, I would say they each could be treated as a stand-alone book. It will be interesting to see what avenue will be followed in book four.

Seeds of Revenge

by Wendy Tyson

Let’s just put it right out there: I am a Wendy Tyson fan and her latest book Seeds of Revenge lived up to my expectations. This is a well-crafted mystery with enough suspects to be interesting, but not so many that they overwhelm. Once more Tyson injects her legal and psychology backgrounds, along with a love of books, into this story creating a page turner.

Megan Sawyer, a former lawyer who is working toward organic certification for her greenhouse and farm and also owns a café in small town Winsome, becomes involved in solving a murder that focuses on one local family but reaches out to encompass Megan and her family as well.

Megan uses her connections with locals and the police chief, her brains, and her persistence to unravel the many threads of Seeds of Revenge. In the process she has to confront some of her own relationship issues, past and present.

Set in a wintery Christmas season near Philadelphia, the holidays play a minor role as eye candy for the story. It is not a Christmas story by any means. That is just the backdrop for a very good mystery.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery, General Fiction (Adult)

Notes: #3 in The Greenhouse Mystery Series; works well as a standalone

Publication: November 14, 2017—Henery Press

Memorable Lines:

The historic buildings, with their brick and stone fascia, were done up in holiday finery, and the tall streetlights wore caps of white over streams of plaid ribbon. The street was deserted at this time of night, and the snow remained untouched except for a semi-cleared path carved by the plow.

A teakettle whistled. Megan pulled it off the stove with an oversized Christmas mitt and began filling a china teapot, her mind on all the ways people could destroy the very things they loved in another person.

King was looking at her with something akin to warmth. After the traumas of last fall they’d developed a bond. She’d come to respect his abilities and toughness as a new police chief, and he seemed to appreciate her insights. It was a relationship that worked…

Seeds of Evidence is a very good book. The plot is well developed as well as the characters. I have not read previous books in this series and that did not pose a problem. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good mystery.

Recipe for a perfect December day: Take one comfy chair, add a cozy blanket, a liberal mug of hot cocoa, and top them off with a copy of Seeds of Revenge.

Seriously, this book is the perfect reading companion on a winter’s day.

The Christmas season has come to Winsome, Pennsylvania, and unfortunately so has another murder. In the third outing of the Greenhouse Mysteries series, we find Megan Sawyer successfully running her family’s organic farm and cafe. As Megan drives home through a snowstorm, she stops to help a stranded motorist, Becca Fox. At the urging of her aunt Merry, Becca has come to town to try and make a success of her love potion business. Soon after she arrives, her estranged father Paul is found dead.

Paul Fox and his family left Winsome years earlier under mysterious circumstances, and many in the town are not sorry that Paul is dead. When it turns out he was murdered, there are plenty of suspects including Megan’s own aunt.

Megan tries not to get involved, but of course ends up doing some investigating of her own. Her grandmother Bibi gets involved too, declaring her love and knowledge of Agatha Christie books and Murder She Wrote‘s “Angela Fletcher” (ha!) qualifies her to help with the case. (I couldn’t agree more, Bibi!)

The charm of these books comes not from the mystery, but the characters and the setting. I want to walk down Winsome’s Canal Street, sit and talk with Bibi in her kitchen while she bakes, visit the goats with Megan, gossip with the locals at the Washington Acres Café and Larder, have tea at one of Merry’s caroling evenings.

Ms. Tyson keeps the series moving forward and the feeling fresh with each book. The characters continue to grow and we learn more about different people from the town. You don’t have to start with book one; the people of Winsome welcome you with any story. (In other words, you won’t be lost starting with book three.)

Grab your hot cocoa (or coffee, or tea, whatever drink you prefer), snuggle up in that blanket, and enjoy your Christmas in Winsome. I’m looking forward to another visit next year.

Enjoyable mystery with complex characters that one can really get behind. This story kept me guessing as former lawyer turned organic farmer, Megan, searches for answers to a murder that copy scenes from her famous author aunt's myster novels. The characters in Seeds of Revenge by Wendy Tyson are like people you might know complicated and interesting.

I’ve read all three books in this series and am really impressed by the developing plot and characters in the stories. I highly suggest reading the books in order so you can understand how characters have evolved and gone from point A to point B.

Megan Sawyer has thoroughly moved from the legal practice she left at the beginning of books one. She is now a farmer and owns a diner in the small town of Winsome, PA. She is trying to make a go of it and figure out how to bring in much needed revenue during the winter months. She’s also in the midst of a developing relationship with the town vet after being crushed when her beloved young husband died in service to his country several years before.

There comes to town a family who had left years before, The Fox family. Megan gets pulled into their world when she stops to help Becca Fox who is stranded by the side of the road.

From that small beginning, the plot careens into non-stop action. There are twists and turns and finding the whodunnit and why grabbed my attention and would not let go. The plot encompasses a wide variety of people and time-frame but its shuddering conclusion is all that I could hope for in a mystery and it was complete without any questions left unanswered.

Having said that, there is a bit of a teaser for more personal development at the end of the book, so I am pleased to know that there will be more books in this outstanding and evolving storyline.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

This is the third book in the Greenhouse Mystery series by Wendy Tyson. I was unfamiliar with the series before reading the third book (I know, I know), but it worked fine as a standalone. All the necessary background info is included in the narrative and I didn't feel lost or annoyed keeping track of the characters.

This is a holiday themed cozy, so the murders are convoluted and ridiculous and the law enforcement is predictably inept (but friendly). The denouement is satisfying and the elderly sidekick is fun. The love interest is Scottish and manly (and bonus points for being smart and loyal and romantic). All in all, a fun undemanding read.

I also enjoyed it that the protagonist, Megan Sawyer is intelligent and mature. She's an ex-lawyer, a widow, and organic farmer/local agriculture proponent. She has a complicated past which is covered at least partly in the earlier books in the series and alluded to in this third installment.

I also like the quaint, nostalgia themed 'seed packet' cover art (which is, sadly, uncredited in the galley proof I received for purposes of review).

Stats:
Title: Seeds of Revenge (book #3 in the Greenhouse Mysteries)
Author: Wendy Tyson
Pub: Henery Press
Published 14 Nov, 2017, Ebook, hardcover, paperback and audible versions
288 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1635112757

Three and a half stars

This was a fun Christmas cozy. I love Megan, Bibi, and Denver. I like the main characters. They sound very warm and caring. The other characters are a mix, which is what you would expect, some on nice, some not so nice, some cranky. Just a nice mix. They mystery was very engaging. So many twists and surprises along the way.

The only problem I saw was a minor one. Sometimes the character names were wrong. Paul instead of Luke or mentioning Angela Fletcher (Angela Lansbury played Jessica Fletcher). Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and would read another one by this author.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

The “seeds of revenge” are planted deep within this mystery. Megan Sawyer, being the good person she is rescues a stranded motorist in the middle of a blizzard. She delivers Becca Fox right to her aunt’s door. Becca plans to sell her “love potions” at her aunt’s nursery over the holidays. Things are frosty upon her arrival as she meets her father, the man she holds responsible for her mother’s death, on her aunt’s front porch. Becca is upset about the collusion between the two. Megan finds herself in icy straights when the man is found dead. Not only is Becca a suspect but in a remarkable twist so is her own aunt, the famous mystery author. Megan has no choice but the dig in to the investigation putting herself on the killer’s hit list. It doesn’t matter if she has been naughty or nice, this could be her last Christmas in Winsome.

I have heard of love potions including the famous Love Potion #9, but I had never heard of a Love Chemist. Becca Fox has an interesting little business but she has hasn’t had it easy since her mother died. She believes her father killed her mother and she has not had anything to do with him since. She has a brother but he does not hold the same beliefs about their father. Megan is drawn to her and so was I. Becca is a complicated character and Ms. Tyson has really brought her to life in this story.

Bibi, Megan’s grandmother, reminds me so much of my own grandmother and mother. A hard working woman determined to get to the truth no matter what. She is also one to not hold her tongue. She will tell you her opinions and thoughts on virtually any subject as woman of that generation tends to do. She warms my heart.

I also love Scottish vet, Daniel “Denver” Finn and the direction of his relationship with Megan. It is fun to see this relationship grow.

The pacing of this book is different. I felt the story was unfolding at a comfortable pace, the clues were being uncovered and I was right there with Megan the entire way, engaged and captivated. The ending was a total surprise. Then I looked up and realized I had read the entire book in one sitting and faster than I had read a book in a very long time. Truly is was a fast pace story but not once did anything feel rushed or glossed over. The author delivered a truly fantastic read. I never once looked for a stopping place or even thought about putting the book down.

The characters are well defined and the mystery was exceptional. A cozy mystery with a bit of an edge and I loved it!! It was a trip to Paradise, a chilly escape in the winter but Paradise nonetheless.

You will want to start this series from the beginning and get to know the characters from the start. I am anxiously awaiting and excited for my next trip to Winsome.

Not having read any other others in this series, I really enjoyed this mystery, it definitely kept me guessing between all the potential killers.

This was a cute, cozy mystery. There wasn't anything exceptional about it, but it had all the elements in all the right places, and is perfect for curling up on a bad-weather day for a long winter's read. There were times when I thought I knew how it would end, but that was always thwarted until about 85% of the way through the book. The author did put plenty of twists and turns in there....a few of them implausible, but it's a cozy mystery, so it's allowed. :)

Megan Sawyer finds herself in the middle of another mystery in Seeds of Revenge by Wendy Tyson. Becca Fox comes back to Winsome to live with her aunt, but she encounters her estranged father and he soon winds up dead. Megan is on the case. When murder appears to be similar to one in Megan's Aunt Sarah's books, Megan is concerned. Other incidents occur that have eerie similarities to other books by Sarah.

Many suspects and a carefully woven tale.

This is the wonderful installment in the wonderful Greenhouse Mystery series. This book was as good as the first two. I love the relationships that the characters in this series have and the mystery is weaved perfectly throughout the story. A must read!

Seeds of Revenge
A Greenhouse Mystery #3
Wendy Tyson
Henery Press, November 2017
ISBN 978-1-63511-275-7
Trade Paperback

From the publisher—

It’s time to cuddle up with a holiday whodunit. Smell the crisp pines and baking cranberries as you sip your hot apple cider. It may be the season, but the mood in Winsome is anything but jolly.

Megan Sawyer is determined to farm year-round. So much so that she braves a December snowstorm to pitch her fresh greenhouse greens to Philadelphia chefs.

And then she sees a stranger stranded on the side of the road.

But this woman is no stranger to Winsome. It’s Becca Fox. A love chemist (you read that right). She’s headed to her aunt’s house to sell her love potions at holiday events.

Or so Becca thinks.

Her sneaky aunt only invited Becca home to reunite her with her estranged father. It sounds noble and kind-hearted, until the man ends up dead.

Megan soon finds herself in the middle. She realizes Becca’s not the only one getting iced over. Megan’s own aunt, the famous mystery author, is dragged into the drama. Her novels implicate her and she’s in trouble.

Now it’s personal. Our Megan must follow a cryptic trail of literary clues, all while sifting through the victim’s sordid past. She gets closer to the truth as the murderer gets closer to her.

How’s that for a ho ho ho? Don’t let your fresh apple crisp burn in the oven because you’re lost in this holiday homicide.

Once upon a time, Megan Sawyer was a high-powered attorney in Chicago, recently widowed, but she put all that behind and moved to the small town of Winsome, Pennsylvania, to help her grandmother run her organic farm and cafe. It doesn’t seem like a natural career change but Megan has settled in well and had just been meeting with Philadelphia chefs to set up vendor accounts for her greenhouse wares when she encounters Becca who used to live in Winsome. Becca’s aunt Merry invited her to set up a holiday shop for her love potions but Merry actually had an ulterior motive, to reunite Becca and her estranged father. Megan doesn’t know any of this but she certainly notices Becca’s angry reaction when she sees her father.

When Paul is murdered, suspects and motives begin to come out of the woodwork, as it were, and Megan gets into the thick of it first to help Becca but later to help her own aunt Sarah, a mystery author, who’s one of those suspects. That suspicion is not necessarily arbitrary—she had an odd connection to the dead man—but, before long, the victims begin to pile up and Megan herself might be in serious jeopardy.

Although this series is labeled as “cozy”, I think it’s actually more in line with the “traditional” subgenre for several reasons. There’s a bit of an edge to this story and Megan’s background as a lawyer gives her a believability as a sleuth that many cozy protagonists don’t really have. It’s also a nice touch that Police Chief Bobby King is not averse to her investigating and Megan gets some assistance from staff, friends and family rather than trying to go it alone. There are no TSTL episodes, thank heavens. All in all, this was a well-crafted mystery and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Fair warning, that end is a bit of a humdinger 😉

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2017.

Great cozy mystery! There are lots of twists that kept me from putting this down. Many of the questions Megan asked in her head were thoughts I was wondering about myself so I was completely absorbed. I enjoyed it very much!

This is a great book; this is the third book in the Greenhouse Mystery Series written by Wendy Tyson. This book can be read as a standalone, but once you read it you will defiantly want to go back and catch up with the other books in this series. Megan Sawyer is determined to farm year-round. She’s braving a December snowstorm after pitching her greenhouse greens to Philadelphia chefs when she sees a stranger stranded on the side of the road. It’s Merry Chance’s niece Becca, who’s headed to Winsome to sell her “love potions” at holiday events—or so she thinks. Merry has an ulterior motive in inviting her niece to Winsome, but Merry’s plan to reunite Becca with her estranged father goes awry when Becca’s father turns up dead. Megan soon realizes that Becca was not the only person in Winsome who despised her father. When Megan’s aunt, the famous mystery author, is implicated through her novels, things become personal. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

I loved Bitter Harvest, the second Greenhouse Mystery, but I didn't find myself getting quite as caught up in Seeds of Revenge. I'm not sure why. The mystery is complex, with lots of characters who all have possible motives and one of them is a "love chemist" who sells modern day love potions. It's a good book, but I didn't find myself wanting to read it straight through like I do so many others.