Death Comes to Harvest (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798286891061)

A Cozy British Mystery (The Sunny Mysteries, Book 2)

The annual Harvest Festival should be a time of celebration in the picturesque village of Little Beechfield, but librarian Trixie Goode and documentary filmmaker Cipher Parker find themselves drawn into a chilling mystery that spans decades.

Seven deaths. Twenty years. All ruled accidental.

When village archivist Dr. Helena Blackwood begins digitizing historical records for the festival's heritage display, she uncovers a disturbing pattern: between 1985 and 2005, seven villagers died under suspicious circumstances. Each victim had been investigating village affairs-land deals, agricultural subsidies, environmental concerns. Each death occurred during harvest season. Each was thoroughly investigated, yet somehow always concluded as accidental.

Now Helena is asking the same questions those victims once did. And someone wants her silenced.

What begins as academic research quickly becomes a race for survival when Helena becomes the target of increasingly sophisticated "accidents"-a severed brake line, a gas leak that could have been fatal, equipment failures that feel all too deliberate. As she prepares to present her findings to the village council, it becomes clear that a killer who has evaded justice for decades isn't about to let the truth surface now.

In a village where everyone knows everyone's business, who can you trust when the most helpful faces may hide the darkest secrets?

Trixie's protective instincts kick into high gear as she teams up with Helena and Cipher to uncover the truth. With reluctant assistance from Detective Constable Elena Dyer, they must navigate a web of village politics, family secrets, and buried resentments. But their investigation keeps hitting dead ends and false leads-almost as if someone with intimate knowledge of their every move is staying one step ahead.

The harvest festival brings the whole village together. Including a killer who's been hiding in plain sight.

As traditional celebrations unfold with morris dancing, apple pressing, and community gatherings, the investigation takes increasingly dangerous turns. James Morrison, a bitter farmer who's lost land to development, emerges as a prime suspect. Dr. Richard Pemberton, the medical examiner whose reports always reached convenient conclusions, attracts scrutiny. Insurance investigator Sarah Walsh and her nervous daughter Sophie seem to be hiding crucial information.

But in a close-knit community where respected figures have shaped village life for decades, the truth may be more shocking than anyone imagines. When every lead seems orchestrated and every suspect feels like a carefully placed red herring, Trixie begins to suspect they're not just hunting a killer-they're being hunted by someone who has manipulated their investigation from the very beginning.

Some harvests reap more than grain. Some secrets are worth killing to protect.