Dead on the Vine earns 5/5 Heirloom Tomatoes...Delightfully Engaging!

Elle Brooke White [insert lightbulb...E.B. White?] has penned a delightful first-in-a-series! She is a new author to me, and how fun it is to have found her and her well written story. I love the farm setting with all the ins and outs of managing a farm and animal antics. Charlotte Finn, a marketing expert, inherited the Finn Farm from her great-uncle, and although she moves from Chicago to Little Acorn, California, the condition of the farm and her limited knowledge of farming makes her seriously consider putting it on the market and moving on. However, the dead body in the tomato vines, sabotage of the farm, and break ins put a hold on her thoughts of selling. She has close friends, the farmhands, and a childhood friend who holds a grudge to support her amateur detecting, but her teacup pig is quite the companion. White’s well-paced drama, descriptive language, and entertaining dialogue made this an excellent read. It was not lost on me the author E. B. White, character Charlotte, and a helpful baby pig seemingly reminiscent of a childhood favorite. I love puns, twists on classics, and clever quips. For me it added to my enjoyment.

This is the first in a new series of cozy mysteries. Charlotte Finn has inherited a farm in California and has plans to sell it. However, a murder occurs and the body is found on the farm. She finds herself increasing of a mind to keep the farm and make a go of it.

There are a number of side characters, my favorite of which is a pig. Yes, a real pig but one who is smarter than many of the other two-legged characters.

While the story was fun and the mystery interesting, there were some problems with some of the dialog. The characters would try to sound like farmers but sometimes came across more like ranchers. Note – these are not the same. While it was distracting, I still overall, enjoyed the story.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of B. B. Haywood and Peg Cochran, Ellie B. White's whimsical series debut is full of farm fun, complete with a helpful baby pig.

Reluctant farmer Charlotte Finn needs the help of the livestock to sleuth a mysterious death.

Charlotte Finn never wanted to inherit the family's produce farm--much less plow a heap of money into it. Her plan is to hammer a great big FOR SALE sign into the farm's fallow furrows--but Charlotte's sunny hopes of a quick sale succumb to a killing frost when she finds a dead body entwined supine in the tomato vines. The poor man, it seems, was run through...with a pitchfork?

Now, Charlotte is stuck with running the farm in the midst of a murder investigation. Charlotte's knowledge of farming is smaller than her bank balance, so she relies on caretakers Joe and Alice Wong and their farmhands. Can she trust them? She doesn't know them. There's also farmer Samuel Brown, who still carries a childhood grudge. But the case gets personal when Charlotte learns that the victim might have been her own kin--and seeds of suspicion grow into a fertile field of suspects.

Charlotte turns to the farm's baby pig to help root out the killer. Soon, the goats, geese, and horse join in, but will Charlotte harvest a murderer--or buy the farm? (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Charlotte, Diane and Beau have been friends for a long time and now they have to figure out a murderer before their dream of farm life gets thrown away. They can also count on Joe, Alice and Sam to help them figure it out. And the best sleuth of all is Horse, Charlotte’s pig and his sidekick, Mrs. Robinson. No killer stands a chance when Horse is on the case.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. I did not know who the killer was for sure until it was revealed at the end.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you give it a try, I think you will enjoy it.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Crooked Lane, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White is the first installment in A Finn Family Farm Mystery series.

Charlotte has inherited a farm from her uncle which came as a blessing as she was eager to leave her old life behind.
She is still not sure whether to sell or keep. Her two best friends decide to join her and visit for a while.
At the farm they meet the rest of the workers and are trying to figure out how to save the farm when the body of a young man is found.

Charlotte is a nice character, friendly and nice but possibly too optimistic in her given situation. Her previous troubles were not sufficiently explained but it may happen later in the series.
It is a nice, light read with interesting characters and great animals. I really wouldn't let pig sleep with me though.
Enough red herrings to keep readers guessing but I felt that some clues were hidden by the author.
Even though is was a solid read I simply didn't feel that the story has grabbed me enough so I read it in few sittings.

Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White has Charlotte Finn heading to Little Acorn, California after inheriting Finn Family Farm from her great-uncle Tobias. Charlotte has fond memories of a magical summer she spent there as a child. While touring the property with a realtor, they find a man dead with a pitchfork in his neck. Charlotte also learns that someone has been sabotaging the farm and two local yokels claim the farm should belong to them. Charlotte works with her two best friends plus a pig named Horse and a ladybug named Mrs. Robinson to catch the culprit and save Finn Family Farm. Dead on the Vine is the debut of A Finn Family Farm Mystery series. I enjoyed this engaging cozy mystery with an interesting cast of characters. Charlotte Finn has been living in Chicago working in advertising. She has thoughts of putting the farm up for sale, but Charlotte quickly falls under the farms spell. Her two best friends, Diane and Beau (brother and sister) are joining her at the farm. Diane is a chef who loves all the fresh produce available and Beau is a flamboyant event planner (imagine Beau picking produce in a blue speedo with the score to Oklahoma blaring in the background). Alice and Ben Wong are the farm’s caretakers and Samuel Brown is the hunky farmer. My favorite character is Horse, the adorable and intelligent pig who follows Charlotte around the farm. Horse is an smart little fellow who has Mrs. Robinson, the ladybug, traveling on his head. There are other animals on the farm who add humor to the story. There is a barn scene with goat yoga that had me laughing out loud. Dead on the Vine is well-written and moves along at a steady pace. I dived into the story and stayed up very late to finish it. The mystery is interesting with a variety of suspects. The whodunit suited the story and the characters. Dead on the Vine is a cute cozy mystery that made me laugh and smile (a rarity). I look forward to the next A Finn Family Farm Mystery. Dead on the Vine is a witty whodunit with a precious pig, a little ladybug, sneaky sabotage, a pointy pitchfork, fun friends, and a family farm.

Dead On The Vine is the first book in the A Finn Family Farm Mystery series.

Charlotte had a successful advertising job until one bad ad, she finds herself jobless. Then she finds out that she has inherited her great-uncle Tobias produce farm in California. So she packs up her belongings and heads for the farm. Charlotte has no idea what it takes to run a farm and decides that she will sell the farm and settle down in California. Her childhood friends, Diane and Beau, meet her at the farm shortly after her arrival. They meet the farm’s caretaker, Joe Wong and his wife Alice and farmhand Sam Brown. When Charlotte is in town, she is approached by a real estate agent who wants to list her property schedules a meeting at the farm to appraise the farm. When the agent arrives at the farm they head out to the fields to survey the crops and the land he stumbles over the body of a young man with a pitchfork. Police Chief Goodacre arrives to investigate and it is soon learned that no one knows who the victim might be. It is also learned that someone has been trying to sabotage the farm by disabling the ingratiation system and infecting the tomato fields with aphids.

Charlotte, Diane, and Beau set out to find the killer and hopefully remove the stigma attached to the farm by the murder. Two bullying brothers who live on the next farm are high on her list, as is the agent who is selling their produce to the local market and others.

I enjoyed this new series a lot. It’s well-written plotted and moves at a nice pace. It has an interesting cast of well-developed and believable. The characters that I enjoyed the most, are Mrs. Robinson, a ladybug and Horse the pig. They both helped Charlotte sort out the clues to the killer, particularly Horse.

I will be watching for the next book in this very interesting series.

What a fun story. City girl goes country because of memories and an inheritance. Thank goodness Charlotte has her two BFF’s Beau and Diane to help her through some of the situations that arise when they arrive in the small town of Little Acorn. Being greedy and spiteful are not good qualities to have. Charlotte has some decisions to make but just how will she gain the trust of her now employees? I want to visit this farm and see the animals in action. Who wouldn’t want a friend like Horse? I giggled at times at the antics that were going on. It was refreshing to read a story where law enforcement didn’t hate the person helping them solve the cases. I enjoyed this story line and loved the characters. I hope I can join them on Finn Family Farm again sometime. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

It was a good, quick read. I enjoyed the story and the writing style. I would recommend it to others.

Oh my goodness, I gotta say first that I absolutely loved that little pig named Horse! What a little sweetheart. My favorite human character was hands-down Mr. Beau Mason. He was such a hoot and so funny! This book was very well-written, so much so that it could be called written beautifully with the epilogue sounding like the end of a very sweet fairy tale. Although I thought that some of the dialogue sounded a little weird and unrealistic coming from people of any age. It sounded as if they were trying out a lot of new vocabulary words. I guess that was just the writing style, which I eventually got used to.

I wasn't sure at all who the killer was until Charlotte started putting clues together. I loved that police chief! She was fun, laid-back but knew her job and did it well. She didn't take lip from anyone, especially the town bully, Wade. I always especially enjoy a book if the main character and the police work together to set up a sting. The ending reminded me of a detective show with all the suspects gathered. When I first started the book, I wasn't sure what to expect, but by the end of it, I was totally into these characters, and now I'm really anxious for the next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

A charming cozy mystery. A delightful bit of escapism during these stressful days. An adorable pig. All is not quite as obvious as it seems. I am thrilled to see this is the first of a series. I look forward to reading more farm adventures.

A refreshing new series with engaging characters. Charlotte Finn inherits a produce farm in California and is not certain about whether to keep or sell the farm. However, when someone is murdered on the farm Charlotte feels she has no choice but to stay for now.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story with Beau and his flamboyant personality being my favorite. I see a lot of potential for upcoming books and plan on following this new series. Thanks to Crooked Lane and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

A charming and fun beginning to a new cozy mystery series.

Inheriting the family farm is not the ideal plan that Charlotte had in mind. She has it in her mind to sell but when a dead body is found amongst the vines that leaves her stuck on the farm for longer than she would like. Being new in town and not knowing who to trust, Charlotte sets her mind to some old fashion sleuthing to get to the bottom of this.


As Dead on the Vine begins to unravel the laughs just begin. Charlotte and her unlikely yet extremely helpful band of friends are a hoot and then some. This is truly a laugh out loud read. I love how the townsfolk come together To help and the personality of this town really starts to stand out.

Author Elle Brooke did a fantastic job with the story. The characters are bubbling with personality, the mystery will have you guessing and guessing again. I love the personal touches to the personalities of the animals within the story. I found that to be unique and added something special to the story.

Dead on the Vine by Elle Brooke White is the 1st book in A Finn Family Farm Mystery series, and my first book by this author. Charlotte Finn inherited her family's produce farm in Little Acorn, California . Her plan was to sell the farm in a quick sale and return to Chicago. Her plans change when a body is found on her farm. Charlotte doesn't know who to trust, so she begins her sleuthing with the help of a baby pig named Horse and some old childhood friends. I really enjoyed this book, and think the series is off to a good start. I am looking for the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book to all people who love cozy mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4.5 Stars

This is the first book in the Finn Family Farm mystery series by Elle Brooke White.

Basic premise: Charlotte inherits a produce farm. She plans to sell it but she finds a dead body among the tomato vines properly nixing that idea. She doesn’t really know anybody in town and surely doesn’t know who to trust. Now she has to wait until the murder investigation is over to sell. In the meantime, she discovers that her pig named Horse is way smarter than anyone realizes. So, she and Horse decide to investigate on their own.

This book is a hoot and a half once the pig is introduced. The premise didn’t seem lame or unlikely as I was reading it. It seemed perfectly natural that she could understand what the pig was saying to her through his actions.

I could totally see a watered down version of this story as a children’s book.

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. It is a winner!

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.

I really wanted to like this book. However, I could not get past the first few chapters. It was just boring to me. I never even got to the murder part of the book. The main character was wordy and her friends seemed over the top to me. The farm, people and the farm, and especially the pig were entertaining. I just don't think this series is for me. I do however, think it has potential to be something good/fun. I just couldn't get into it myself.

Charlotte Finn never expected to inherit her Uncle Tobias’s farm that she remembers visiting one summer but she has. It has come at a good time in her life as something happened at her job in advertising back in Chicago (would of liked to have known more about that). She is meeting up with her two childhood friends Diane and Beau who are brother and sister and meeting her in her new hometown of Little Acorn. She is confused and not sure what to do but when she finds a body in her tomato fields as they are giving a realtor a walk around it pretty much forces her to stay. The longer she is there the harder it will be her to go as the beauty of the farm and the animals especially Horse (who is a pig). Charlotte feels a connection with the land and wants to do right by her Uncle and the current caretakers of Alice and Joe along with Sawyer who is farming the land. The mystery was good and this is a solid start to a new series that I look forward to reading more of in the future. Lots of fun secondary characters including Diane who wants to stay as well as the Sheriff who is a woman .. could Beau have a possible love interest as that would prove interesting.

3 1/2 stars. Charlotte has inherited her late great uncles farm and all that entails - warm summer fruits, a cluster of cute farm animals and a pitchfork with a dead body attached. Charlotte, with the support of her best friends Diane and Beau, must now decide who is friend and foe, how to keep the farm going and whether or not it’s worth her life.

This is the quintessential cozy mystery - clean, fun and quirky. The characters are likeable without getting bogged down into individual past histories. The writing style was simple and yet fleshed out enough so that I could see the farm, the animals, the town, the people easily in my mind as I read. The story flowed at a good pace and I genuinely wanted to know what happened next. There were times I had to suspend disbelief in regards to some of the farm animals shenanigans and personalities however it did ad charm and humour to the story.

This was a delightful read and well worth your time.

**i received a copy of this book for free in the return of an honest review

Well written, but not really to my taste. The eternal optimism of Charlotte took some getting used to. And I’m never a big fan of animals with special skills.

But what annoyed me about this story, is that the author hid things from me. <em>Charlotte knew that she was about to get another piece to the puzzle.</em> Charlotte did, but the reader didn’t. Too bad the author didn’t feel like sharing that and other clues. Would it have made it too easy for the readers to guess who the killer was?

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery set in a farm and the animals are adorable I can't wait to read more

I have mixed feelings about this book. The mystery itself was somewhat interesting, but not as fully developed as I would like. The investigation of the mystery seemed to jump to the correct conclusions without much difficulty, and the relationship between Charlotte and the local sheriff seemed over simplfied. With all the “cute'' names of the animals and secondary characters, I kept being distracted from the story itself. Instead, I kept thinking that Charlotte should be a spider rather than a human.
On the other hand, it was a super light read that was an easy way to relax and that was appreciated. The characters were individual enough that I had no difficulty telling them apart, it was just a little hard to picture them as real people. It was almost like reading a comic book where the characters were drawn almost as caricatures rather than as actual reflections of people.
My thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Digital Reader copy in exchange for an honest review.