Local Foods Mystery Series

A New England organic farmer is out to catch a killer who’s rotten to the core in this debut cozy mystery by the author of Murder Most Fowl.   When Cameron Flaherty takes over her great-uncle’s farm in Westbury, Massachusetts, she’s eager to get the place certified organic. Unfortunately, that means firing her handyman, Mike Montgomery, whose negative attitude doesn’t cut the organic mustard. Thanks to an enthusiastic volunteer and a colorful group of subscribers, Cam's CSA is beginning to flourish—until murder threatens to spoil her success.    When Cam finds Mike’s body in her barn, stabbed to death by a pitchfork, she knows his death is far from kosher. To clear her name, Cam will have to weed out suspects, dig up long-buried secrets, and catch a killer who’s ready to reap another victim.

After a festive dinner ends with a foul murder, a Massachusetts organic farmer must get hands dirty to find a killer in this cozy mystery. Autumn has descended on Westbury, Massachusetts, but the mood at the Farm-to-Table Dinner in Cam’s newly built barn is unseasonably chilly. Local entrepreneur Irene Burr made a lot of enemies with her plan to buy Westbury’s Old Town Hall and replace it with a textile museum—enough enemies to fill out a list of suspects when the wealthy widow turns up dead in a neighboring farm. Even an amateur detective like Cam can figure out that one of the resident locavores went loco—at least temporarily—and settled a score with Irene. But which one? With the Fall harvest upon her, Cam must sift through a bushelful of possible killers that includes Irene’s estranged stepson, her disgruntled auto mechanic, and a fellow CSA subscriber who seems suspiciously happy to have the dead woman out of the way. The closer she gets to weeding out the culprit, the more Cam feels like someone is out to cut her harvest short. But to keep her own body out of the compost pile, she’ll have to wrap this case up quickly. “There are plenty of farming-based cozies on the market today, but this one stands out.”—Booklist “Engaging. On top of the intriguing whodunit plot, Maxwell vividly portrays life on a small contemporary farm.”—Publishers Weekly “A most enjoyable look at organic farming with some charming characters and cooking suggestions thrown in.”—Kirkus Reviews

When a bad biddy bites the dust after biting into poisoned produce, a Massachusetts organic farmer must clear her name in this cozy mystery. Cam is finding the New Year in Westbury just as hectic as the old one. Her sometimes rocky relationship with Chef Jake Ericsson is in a deep freeze, she’s struggling to provide the promised amount of food to the subscribers in her first winter CSA, and her new greenhouse might just collapse from the weight of the snow. Supplying fresh ingredients for a dinner at the local assisted living facility seems like the least of her worries—until one of the elderly residents dies after eating some of her produce. Cantankerous Bev Montgomery had many enemies, from an unscrupulous real estate developer who coveted her land to an aggrieved care provider fed up with her verbal abuse. But while the motives in this case may be plentiful, the trail of poisoned produce leads straight back to Cam. Not even her budding romance with police detective Pete Pappas will keep him from investigating her. As the suspects gather, a blizzard buries the scene of the crime under a blanket of snow, leaving Cam stranded in the dark with a killer who gives new meaning to the phrase “dead of winter.” Praise for ‘Til Dirt Do Us Part “There are plenty of farming-based cozies on the market today, but this one stands out.”—Booklist “Engaging. On top of the intriguing whodunit plot, Maxwell vividly portrays life on a small contemporary farm.”—Publishers Weekly “A most enjoyable look at organic farming with some charming characters and cooking suggestions thrown in.”—Kirkus Reviews

A New England organic farmer goes looking for a fox in the hen house when her kindly neighbor is murdered in this cozy mystery. With the weather getting warmer, organic farmer Cam Flaherty is busy pruning blueberry bushes and taking care of the new batch of chicks that just hatched. But when her fellow fowl-raiser Wayne Laitinen is found dead at his breakfast table one morning, Cam must put down her trimming shears and put on her crime-solving hat. The kind-hearted chicken farmer didn't have any enemies—or did he?  A wealthy financier has been working hard to convince Wayne to sell her his land, while a group of animal rights activists recently vandalized his property. Money troubles were threatening to sink his marriage. And a thirty-year-old scandal was driving a wedge between him and one of his oldest friends. With some help from her off-again, on-again flame, police detective Pete Pappas, Cam will have to crack this case before Wayne's killer flies the coop. Praise For The Mysteries Of Edith Maxwell! Farmed And Dangerous "Quirky characters, lots of organic farming tips, and a well-developed mystery make this Cam's best outing yet."--Kirkus Reviews "Enticing…Cozy fans will be able to relate to this spunky heroine." --Publishers Weekly "Maxwell's feisty heroine and the interesting background detail on the realities of organic farming blend to deliver a clever, twisting mystery…Fans of other mysteries involving organic farming, or of foodie mysteries in general, will find plenty to enjoy here." --Booklist "For all cozy readers, especially fans of Joanne Fluke and Diane Mott Davidson." --Library Journal 'Til Dirt Do Us Part "There are plenty of farming-based cozies on the market tod

In this cozy mystery, a Massachusetts organic farmer must pick a peck of suspects when her own mother is accused of murder.   May has been anything but merry for Cam so far. Her parents have arrived unexpectedly, and her crops are in danger. But all of that’s nothing compared to the grim murder of her neighbor, Nicole Kingsbury, the once proud owner of the town’s new hydroponic greenhouse—just after Cam’s mother publicly protested Nicole’s use of chemicals to feed her crops. Showers may be scarce this spring, but suspects keep sprouting up. Lucky for Cam, her father turns out to have a knack for sleuthing—not to mention dealing with chickens. He and Cam will have to clear Mrs. Flaherty’s name quick before the killer strikes again… Praise for the Local Foods Mysteries   “Maxwell’s feisty heroine and the interesting background detail on the realities of organic farming blend to deliver a clever, twisting mystery.”—Booklist   “A most enjoyable look at organic farming.”—Kirkus Reviews