Leila returns home to Sugar Ridge, Vermont when her father Victor, owner of a maple farm, Sappy Endings, is murdered in his office. Leila had left for Florida when her fiancée broke it off with her shortly before the wedding. She had been close to her dad, but she and her mother have a very strained relationship, and she and her brother get along alright. In her father's will, she is required to stay and manage a year at Sappy Endings. Leila had been a teacher, so she relies on her father's right hand man Noah Rivers for some help even though she immediately decides he killed her father and treats him rudely. Leila tries to investigate and puts herself and her best friend in a dangerous situation. Leila is defensive and suspicious and really unlikeable until about halfway through the book. The minor characters like her mother and her friend Heather and Noah Rivers are much more interesting. Her loyalty to her father and those she cares about almost make her behavior tolerable, but I would rather just enjoy autumn and drink a maple latte or eat her mom's Lebanese food. The author does include several recipes with maple syrup. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.