Merry Wynter has lost her husband, Miguel, in a car crash, she has lost her job, and now she has inherited a castle. Really? A castle? What is she supposed to do with a castle? She is sure that the castle will need a lot of work before it will be ready for sale. Can she afford to fix it up? The castle is in Autumn Vale is not your normal small town. The townspeople aren't very nice to her and only a few of them welcome her to Autumn Vale.

BRAN NEW DEATH by Victoria Hamilton is the first book in her Merry Muffin Mystery series. When Merry arrives at the castle she inherited from her uncle, she finds that someone has been digging holes all over the grounds. What could they be digging for? No one seems to have an answer for that. In town, she hears rumors that her uncle killed his business partner. Soon she learns that the business partner's son is the one who has been digging the holes and one day he is found dead in one of the holes.

Merry's best friend Shilo arrives from New York City to help her sort things out and winds up staying for good. Jack McGill is Merry's real estate agent and soon after meeting him, Shilo is hot for him. Sheriff Virgil Grace tries to keep the peace in his little town and he becomes the potential romantic interest for Merry. Binny Turner is the owner and baker of the local specialty pastry shop and the daughter to Rusty Turner who is missing but presumed dead. Gogi Grace, the Sheriff's mother, created and runs the Golden Acres assisted living home and is a natural whirlwind. Lizzy is a local teenager who doesn't know who her father is lives with her grandma.

Recipes are included in BRAN NEW DEATH and who doesn't love that? I can't wait to continue with this series. I was sad when this story ended. I wanted to keep reading about Merry and all the quirky characters in Autumn Vale. I want to visit this castle and explore all the nooks and crannies. If you are looking for a great cozy mystery, then BRAN NEW DEATH is the book you want! It has a wonderful cast of characters, and engaging plot and by the end of the book you will feel as if you have known all the townspeople forever.

Book Summary

Merry is making a fresh start in small–town Autumn Vale, New York, in the mansion she's inherited from her late uncle, Melvin. The house is run–down and someone has been digging giant holes on the grounds, but with its restaurant–quality kitchen, the place has potential for her new baking business. She even has her first client—the local retirement home.

Unfortunately, Merry soon finds that quite a few townsfolk didn't like Uncle Mel, and she has inherited their enmity as well as his home. Local baker Binny Turner and her crazy brother, Tom, blame Melvin for their father's death, and Tom may be the one vandalizing her land. But when Tom turns up dead in one of the holes in her yard, Merry needs to prove she had nothing to do with his death—or her new muffin–making career may crumble before it starts...

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