A Muddied Murder: A Greenhouse Mystery

This pleasant first in a new cozy series from Tyson (Deadly Assets) introduces former-lawyer-turned-organic-farmer Megan Sawyer, who has returned to her hometown of Winsome, Pa., to run the family farm, Washington Acres. Megan is baffled by the refusal of zoning commissioner Simon Duvall to grant the permits she needs to finish the renovations for her long-planned organic cafe, but before Megan can challenge him, she and local veterinarian Daniel “Denver” Finn find Simon’s bludgeoned body in her barn. Her years as a lawyer have given Megan the skills to do her own digging, and she discovers that she’s not the only one in town with a painful past and long-buried family secrets. Tyson gives us an evocative sense of place, a bit of romance, and dimensional characters with interesting backstories. Readers are left looking forward to the next book in the series and hankering for organic mushroom tartlets. (Mar.)