Poison Apples

Poison Apples is a page-turner that grips one with the complex characters and the issues they are facing in their lives. Wright incorporates many important contemporary issues--e.g., the difficulties of maintaining profitable family farms and orchards, the pressures of development on the land, societal value conflicts--in a real world, everyday-lives setting. This book is about regular people involved in somewhat unusual circumstances. The flow of the story and short scenes keep the reader interested in their lives and mysteries! An enjoyable read for everybody who picks it up.

"Poison Apples" is the third in a series of mysteries set in a farming community in Vermont. This one takes place on an apple orchard. It is Nancy Means Wright 's most gripping and satisfying mystery novel to date. This is not a hard-boiled mystery; its characters and plots represent ordinary, everyday life in a small community ; the story includes much domestic detail. The pace remains quick, the relationships complex. As I live in Vermont, I can say that Wright's characters are absolutely true to the values and economic status of the citizens of our beautiful, quite untouched state. Wright's female characters are especially strong. I particularly liked earthy Moira Earthrowl and closely followed her growing friendship with dairy farmer, Ruth Willmarth, an amateur detective (Wright calls her "my hot tempered sleuth") and divorced mother whose sometime boyfriend owns a funeral parlor. Willmarth has also been the sleuth in Wright's two previous mysteries. The amount of research that Wright performed regarding apples, cows and Jamaican culture (many of the orchard's pickers are Jamaican) is impressive. Some of the book's strongest appeal come from these intricate social and agriculture details. But all is not merely cozy. Quite shocking and even violent in sections, Wright's novel held my interest throughout. It's a definite winner.