Description

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Perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Julie Anne Lindsey, when Kate Mulligan inherits her great uncle’s fruit orchard, she quickly realizes that apples aren’t the only thing that can have rotten cores.

After losing her husband in a terrible car crash, thirty-five-year-old Kate is left to pick up the pieces of her life alone. Although she has physically recovered, she worries her spirit never will. But when she learns that she has inherited a fruit orchard in a small town just outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, from her great uncle Stan, she takes this as an opportunity ripe for the picking. Kate knew immediately what to do with it: open a cider house. Her hopeful plans fall far from the tree when she finds the body of the orchard manager, Carl Randolph, leaving her to figure out who is at the core of this murder.

She had been in correspondence with Carl, who had agreed with her brilliant idea of opening a cider house. But not everyone is so quick to buy what she was selling—Uncle Stan’s lawyer, Robert Larabee, paints a less rosy financial outlook of the orchard’s past, present, and future. 

Kate discovers that Carl had large, unexplained deposits to his bank account and it becomes clear that either he was blackmailing someone, or someone was paying him to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Kate and her neighbors receive offers to buy their property from a mysterious buyer. And there’s more than meets the eye with the neighboring orchard owner, Daniel Martinez, although Kate can’t quite put her finger on if it’s sweet or sour.

Will she be able to pick out the bad apple among the bunch before it’s too late?

About the Author

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Joyce Tremel was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers, but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. In addition to the Cider House mysteries, she wrote the Brewing Trouble mysteries. She lives in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania with her husband and two cats named Hops and Lager.

Praise For…

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Praise for Deadly to the Core:
“Surprising, sensible, and satisfying . . .  A refreshing take on the wine bar mystery.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“This first in a new cozy series will appeal to fans of Eve Calder, Amanda Flower, and Joanne Fluke.”
—Booklist

“A great kick-off to a series with a genuine portrayal of life after loss, a delightful assortment of characters, and a well-rounded mystery.”
—Manhattan Book Review

“This is the first novel in this new series, and it’s a lot of fun.”
—Red Carpet Crash

“A pleasant appealing debut.”
—Dru's Book Musings

“A fun new series! You’ll want to sink your teeth into this sweet new mystery!”
—Leslie Langtry, USA Today bestselling author of the Merry Wrath Mysteries

“A sweet treat for cozy lovers, starring a strong and relatable sleuth. You'll want to drink up this tasty, twisty series debut in one delicious sitting.”
—Alicia Bessette, bestselling author of the Outer Banks Bookshop mysteries

“An engaging new series . . . Will have you staying up late to finish the book.”
—Maggie Bailey, author of Seams Deadly