Maggie Hand is back to her sleuthing tricks in this second novel in the Ms. Hand Mystery series!
It’s Maggie’s birthday and she’s looking forward to a night of wine tasting and delicious food at Brookton’s Black Bear Inn, but unfortunately the celebration takes a sinister turn. Also in attendance at the tasting is Jaclyn Christie, a rival real estate agent to Hannah Hand, Maggie’s mother. Tempers rise and insults fly until Jaclyn keels over her glass of wine and is dead in seconds.
A room full of people heard Hannah threaten Jaclyn and she soon becomes a person of interest on the Brookton Police Department’s list. Maggie knows she needs to clear her mother’s name and find out what and who really caused Jaclyn Christie’s death.
Maggie’s friends join her in the search for the truth with loyalty and humor as she realizes how lucky she is to have them in her life, especially one friend in particular.
Meet Maggie Hand, an elementary school teacher who has just moved back to her hometown of Brookton, Massachusetts, a seemingly idyllic New England haven.
The academic year is off to a shocking start when she finds her snobby student teacher, Maren Kingsley dead in an apple orchard, just hours before the town’s big apple festival. Maggie, with her insatiable curiosity, takes it upon herself to find out what really happened that morning. At first glance it seems like a tragic accident, but it is soon revealed that something darker was lurking behind those trees.
In between her investigation, Maggie contends with her meddling mother and awkward love life– oscillating between a new coworker and an old friend who runs the local coffee shop. With a little help from the quirky cast of characters in her life, Maggie sifts through secrets that are everywhere in her small town, as she realizes people aren’t always who they seem.