Rosalie is divorced, but is currently dating Tyler Wells, an organic farmer who leases the land surrounding the farm house she inherited from her Aunt Charlotte. She and Tyler, along with his right (farm) hand, Bini Katz, are currently stressing about their sustainable organic certification, which includes an upcoming soil test. Grumpy neighbor Ronnie Kline, owner of Windswept Farm, could compromise the test with his nephew's plans of spraying dangerous pesticides, which could blow over to Hart's farm, hurting not only the farm, but her organic cafe as well, which is currently under renovation. When Bini goes over to have a chat about it, she finds Ronnie dead, and herself under suspicion.
As if that isn't enough to keep Rosalie busy, a flurry of characters have arrived in Cardigan, including Oliver, Rosalie's wildly successful older brother, who has come for a visit. There's also Sonja Volkov, an enigmatic Russian actress who is in Cardigan to investigate the recent disappearance of her father, and Marco Giovanelli, the dashing Tuscan chef/restauranteur visiting his cousin, Alessa, a local winery owner and friend of Rosalie's.
Marco graciously consents to host a week-long Tuscan cooking class for Rosalie and 5 others, fulfilling a lifelong wish for her (without the actual "learning to cook in Tuscany" part), so she immediately sets off to find the other participants. Oliver is in, as well as childhood friend Janice, and also Kevin, a local florist and Rosalie's bestie. Then there's local history professor Brandon Hitch and finally, Jojo Kline, a niece of the recently deceased neighbor, and the single designated heir for his entire estate, much to her siblings' chagrin. Could this be a recipe for disaster? Maybe.
Tragedy strikes when one of the cooking students is poisoned in Rosalie's kitchen and that makes her all the more determined to discover the culprit. But who was the intended victim and why? When another body pops up, as well as a cluster of mysterious Russian henchmen who seem to be making a homestead in quiet Cardigan, it seems that red herring is most definitely on the menu.
Last, but certainly not least, Tyler and Rosalie are having communication issues, while Marco is sending all the right signals to Rosalie. He also has an interesting proposition (or two?) for her to consider. Plus, Janice is convinced her husband is having an affair and Rosalie has to talk her down, but could the P.I. Janice hired shed light on other happenings in town? Presenting Rosalie Hart, local juggler of feelings, people, mysteries and food!
Overall, Mystery at Windswept Farm is a cute, cozy mystery where the players are many and the murder is always in the background, but the focus lies more in the interactions between the residents. I did really enjoy the cooking aspects to the story, because that's a passion of mine, and I could almost feel the crisp weather as Eckel described the charming town. If you are into cozy mysteries with a small town East Coast vibe, check out The Rosalie Hart Mysteries. While it would probably be better to start at the beginning of the series, I never felt too disconnected from the characters, so this is also a fine place to start.
