Berried in the Past (Cranberry Cove #5) by Peg Cochran

Berried in the Past

(Cranberry Cove #5)

by Peg Cochran

Paperback, 200 pages

Expected publication: March 24th 2020 by Beyond the Page

Goodreads synopsis: 

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 rumors 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.

***

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.