Poison Apples

A bird trying to get into a house means death, according to Irish lore, and Moira Earthrowl is worried. She and her paranoid husband Stan have purchased a Vermont apple orchard to help heal an old wound--and now a cardinal is at the window again. An "accidental" spraying with the insecticide Round-Up is followed by slashed trees, a plague of maggots, hate calls from a local cult, and a Jamaican picker dead from eating a poisoned apple.

When Stan suffers a stroke, a desperate Moira turns to dairy farmer Ruth Willmarth for help, only to watch the troubles pile up on the latter's barn-step. But stubborn, fiery Ruth, whose daughter Emily works at the orchard, is determined to bring down the terrorist...

Read a selection from Poison Apples.

Reviews & Comments:

"Well written with an incredible sense of place, an excellent plot with lots of red herrings, an absorbing story ...and a very exciting ending. Good stuff!" Mysterious Women

"While tangling the threads of several interlocking problems, Wright gives us a clear and compassionate look at a threatened way of life... we are left satisfied, not only in terms of the intellectual puzzle, but also emotionally." San Francisco Chronicle

"POISON APPLES is a gripping novel that puzzles and moves you at the same time. This is tragic tale that will linger in your memory long after the book is done." Romantic Times (rated exceptional)

"A wonderfully observed Vermont...Wright doesn't put a foot wrong in this well-wrought mystery." The Boston Globe

"A poignant mystery...Wright creates nicely balanced characters. She shares a smattering of interesting apple facts and supplies an unsentimental but affectionate look at farming in general." Publishers Weekly

"Wright is at her best in her portrayal of Ruth Willmarth, an indomitable woman, pragmatic but compassionate,determined to hold on to her farm against daunting odds." Vermont Sunday Magazine

"POISON APPLES is Wright's most gripping and satisfying mystery to date...the pace is quick, the relationships complex." Female Detective

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