Sheila Connolly | A New Life in an Old Town...with an Old Crime

A wedding is supposed to be a happy event, where two people in love gather together their family and friends to celebrate their union. Right?

Well…Meg Corey and Seth Chapin have got the love part right, but after that things get complicated. Where to hold the event? (In the only restaurant in the town of Granford, Gran’s, run by friends of theirs.) Who to invite? (The whole town, plus their relatives.) What to wear? (Actually, that’s harder than the first two!) When to hold the wedding? (After Meg’s apple harvest and Seth’s construction season are over, which means December.) And how to solve yet another crime in Granford in time to focus on the festivities?

Yes, a crime. In this case, one that happened a long time ago, for which somebody was convicted and spent time in prison—but he thinks he may not have done the deed. Did the authorities get it right? Meg isn’t so sure.

Does she decide to look into the old crime? Of course. Is she doing it just to avoid planning her own wedding? Maybe.

Seth’s family has lived in Granford for centuries, but Meg’s still a newcomer after almost two years. She’s still learning how to manage an orchard, something she had no training for. She’s still wrestling with keeping her colonial house warm and dry, after decades of neglect. Now she keeps finding stray alpacas wandering through her property. And then she finds that ex-convict, who may or may not have been responsible for his parents’ deaths. Is it any wonder that Meg can’t concentrate on the wedding?

Some readers have said they’ve been expecting this wedding from the beginning of the series— eight books ago. But I wasn’t in any hurry to write the wedding story. Both Meg and Seth were facing a lot of changes in their own lives, and I wanted to give their relationship time to grow over time. Meg had farther to go: she needed to get to know Granford, to make friends, to learn how to grow apples and manage her own business, and that didn’t leave her with a lot of energy for romance. Thank goodness Seth is a patient man!

Plus I wanted the wedding to be special, more than a hired hall and a fancy dress. In a way it’s an event for the whole town to share, to celebrate the union of Seth, whose family has been part of Granford since its founding, and Meg, the newcomer. Now Granford has become home to Meg, and she and Seth can start a new life together in the old town.

If they survive the honeymoon!

About Sheila Connolly

Sheila Connolly, Anthony and Agatha Award–nominated author, writes three bestselling cozy mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. Her Museum Mysteries are based in Philadelphia, her Orchard Mysteries take place in rural Massachusetts, and her County Cork Mysteries are set in Ireland, and include BURIED IN A BOG and SCANDAL IN SKIBBEREEN, both New York Times bestsellers. In addition, she writes an paranormal romance series, which began with RELATIVELY DEAD in 2013. She has also published ONCE SHE KNEW, a romantic suspense, and REUNION WITH DEATH, a traditional mystery set in Tuscany, as well as a number of short stories. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three cats, and visits Ireland as often as she can.

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About A GALA EVENT

Wedding bells are ringing for Meg and Seth in the latest Orchard Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Picked to Die…

The fall harvest may be just about over, but orchard owner Meg Corey is busier than ever planning her wedding to Seth Chapin. Who knew picking apples would be less work than picking out rings and a dress? And even though the happy couple has invited most of Granford, Massachusetts, to the ceremony, they might have to make room for one more guest…

Ex-con Aaron Eastman has unexpectedly reappeared in his hometown, searching for answers to the tragic fire in his family’s past that put him behind bars twenty-five years ago. Moved by his sincerity, Meg vows to do everything she can to help him solve the cold case. As she cobbles together the clues, it becomes increasingly clear that Aaron may have been considered the bad seed of the family, but someone else was one bad apple…

Includes Delicious Recipes!