4.5 Stars

This is the fifth book in the Cranberry Cove mystery series by Peg Cochran.

This is my first foray into the world of Cochran’s Cranberry Cove. I did wonder here and there why Monica was making so many cranberry dessert items. Then when I realized the title of the series, I had that DUH-moment.

Monica is a baker and works from her brother’s farm in her own little cottage, for lack of a better term. Monica and Greg are visited by a woman who claims to have lost her memory but knows that someone is after her. Of course, the two have to help and this draws Monica into the world of Dana. When they follow the few leads they have, they are drawn to a house where they find Monica’s sister dead in her upstairs bedroom. The coroner is late for his vacation and quickly tells them it was a natural death. But Monica isn’t so sure.

We meet here a complex dynamic friends and family where at many times during the course of the book you wonder if each of them had a motive to kill their sister/friend. At every turn I had a different suspect in mind. That tells of a well-plotted mystery and well-placed red herrings. I was completely thrown off track.

I don’t know why I had never heard of this series considering we are already on book five and this is definitely an above average cozy mystery. I know I bought one of Cochran’s book in this series last year. I plan to pull that one out and do a marathon read of books 1-4. 

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Such a fun and interesting read.

If you love a good cozy mystery book, you need to pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed. I was hooked all the way through. Good stuff!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Typical cozy. Moves slowly and character didn't interest me very much
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

A lovely, character oriented addition to the Cranberry Cove series. I’ll admit some times Peg Cochran is a hot or miss author for me - I tend to like her series but there’s some books that aren’t favorites. This one is a keeper with the continued sleuthing with Monica and Greg and all the other characters. The series as a whole is definitely worth the read!

When it is snowy and cold outside, superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. LOL

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

The dead of winter takes on a whole new meaning in the new Cranberry Cove Mystery from USA Today bestselling author Peg Cochran!

On a night of heavy snow and bitter cold, newlyweds Monica and Greg are comfortably nestled before a warm fire when they’re roused by a late-night knock at the door. Surprised to find a troubled and confused woman on the doorstep, Monica is even more shocked when the woman vacantly utters that someone is trying to kill her. Sensing distress but not danger, Monica decides to help this mysterious woman, but her clouded recollections yield little—until she dredges up memories of her sister and a nearby home, where they find the woman’s sister, dead.

Unable to deny her own curiosity or the woman’s request for help, Monica begins digging into the suspicious death, only to discover a murky family history of valuable land, a bullying brother, an unscrupulous real estate developer and endless rumours of good deeds met with bad blood. And when the trail of the killer begins to turn cold, Monica realizes that while the family wants to bury their sister, someone is out to bury the clues—and if Monica’s not careful, to bury her as well . . .

Includes tasty recipes

This is a cute little cosy read/mystery with no 50 shades of any colour. The characters are interesting and well written and the mystery was well crafted to not let you guess who was the killer right off the bat. 
(There was a certain very highly paid mystery Irish-American writer who I generally guessed who the killer was the moment that they are introduced! However, as she recently passed perhaps I can pass on this advice: it is the same with your daughter's books.  ... lol)

The characters are interesting and the story expertly crafted - I enjoyed every single word of it. This book is the fifth in the series, it can be read-alone but if like me, you admired it as much as I did, you will go back and buy and read the previous books in the series.

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧




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It has been almost two years since the last Cranberry Cove book by Peg Cochran and I have to say I was happy to make a return visit to Cranberry Cove.  One of the reasons I enjoy this series so much is that it is set in my home state of Michigan.  Cranberry Cove is a fictional town, by Ms. Cochran does such a delightful job of throwing in charming elements of small-town western Michigan that it makes me sad I can't really visit this town.   Monica and Greg are settling into married life when a knock on the door one evening changes their peace and quiet.  Monica is once again in the center of a death that at first does not seem all that suspicious.  However, once Monica gets a gut feeling she has to follow it through.  

The mystery was well done and carries nicely throughout the story.  There are not a lot of suspects to choose from, but Ms. Cochran does a wonderful job of leaving a trail of clues behind some twists and turns.  I was convinced, right along with Monica, that I knew who the killer had to be.  And of course, I was wrong, which was revealed in a climactic ending.  

I really enjoy the secondary cast of characters that populate this charming town.  They all feel like they are hitting their strides and settling into their personalities and are at the right place in their lives.  There is still plenty of room for growth and development for the characters as their lives continue to evolve.  I sincerely hope that I get a chance to visit this town and these characters in more books to come in this series.

Being on a no-sweets diet made reading this fun new book a challenge <wink> - muffins and cakes and cookies were in every chapter because the main character was a professional baker!  This book will appeal to anyone fond of small towns, their individualistic characters, and cozy mysteries. I always find myself wanting to visit these places even though I know they aren't real.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

On a cold winter night Monica and Greg receive a knock on the door.  To their surprise they find a confused woman who states that someone is killing her.  Monica comes to her aid as she soon will learn about the woman’s sister nearby as they will soon find the sister’s body.

Soon Monica will not be able to help herself as she digs up information on the murky family and surrounding land.  Why is someone willing to cover up things, go as far as murder?

An intriguing cozy read.

family-dynamics, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, Michigan, murder-investigation, developers, greed

A frightened woman on Monica's doorstep led to finding a dead woman in her own home who's death was summarily dismissed as natural causes. Not.
The short tempered greedy brother of the distraught amnesiac is also brother to the dead sister and in deep conversation with a developer working on farm owners. It turns out that he has even made inroads in discussion with Monica's own brother who is considering selling their family farm in order to have restorative surgery.
The motives pile up even faster than the clues. Good sleuthing!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley.

It's been quite awhile since I visited Cranberry Cove! This is a fun mystery to read. The characters are enjoyable and well developed. The storyline is well written and I was kept guessing all the way to the end.

Berried in the Past is a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. The characters are deverse and interesting mix of personalities. The cranberry recipes will have yoyr mouth watering.

Monica and Greg are having a quiet evening at home during a heavy snow storm when there is a knock at their door.  A woman says she has gotten lost and her car is stuck, but also that someone tried to kill her.  Given the storm, and her supposed amnesia, they take Dana in for the night and Monica helps her find the house she remembers.  It turns out it’s her family homestead and they find her sister dead in bed.

While it looks like a natural death, things seem off though and Monica becomes a friend to Dana as she navigates her loss.  Turns out a developer made the family a rather large offer on the land and while the deceased woman declined to sell, it seems the other siblings may have a motive to get their sister out of the way and grab their golden ticket. With warnings from the killer, Monica watches her steps as she tries to outrun the killer until the pieces all fall into place.

This is the first book I have read in this series and I enjoyed it.  It’s always fun to discover a new author, especially one that has others books in the series that will keep you in reading material until the next release comes out.