Cider Brook-Carla Neggers

Cider Brook Carla Neggers Mira, Jan 28 2014, $7.99 ISBN: 9780778315889 In her family house in Boston’s Back Bay, Samantha Bennett sifts through her late grandfather Harry’s cluttered office. Samantha is fascinated by an oil painting with the words “The Mill at Cider Brook” written on it that she found there. She also discovers a manuscript titled The Adventures of Captain Farraday and Lady Elizabeth; written by the same person who wrote the note on the painting. Curious, she ponders over what the connection, if any, beyond the identical writer could be and whether this leads to the eighteenth century pirate treasure. Knowing that there is a Cider Brook near Knights Bridge, Massachusetts from her previous visit, Samantha takes the two hour drive from Boston to quietly investigate so that Dylan McCaffrey, the son of her deceased former employer who fired her, is unaware of her presence. Dylan’s friend firefighter Justin Sloan finds Samantha camping near Cider Brook. Having met once before when he got her canned, Justin still distrusts Samantha. Though he cannot understand why he does not expose the trespasser or why he listens to her fantasy about pirate loot, Justin helps Samantha. The third Swift River Valley romantic mystery is a wonderful tale due to the strong somewhat bewildered (re their feelings for each other) lead characters. Series readers will appreciate this entertaining pleasant entry; though Cider Brook can stand alone, it behooves newcomers to begin with previous novels (see That Night On Thistle Lane and Secrets of the Lost Summer) to know more about the overarching key families’ theme. Harriet Klausner