Sixty-year-old artist and gardener Jeannie lives alone, grieving the loss of her husband six months earlier. Jeannie lives on a large property, part of which is portioned off for her tenants, a small group of young, inexperienced organic farmers.

A local real estate agent is nosing around, urging Jeannie to sell her land, saying she can't take care of it much longer, and even her children would like her to sell. Jeannie refuses and sends the woman on her way, though in Jeannie's borrowed car as the real estate agent's is out of commission.

The next day, Jeannie is shocked to learn that the agent crashed and died, and what makes it even sadder is that the crash occurred in the same location as her husband's fatal accident.

An off-duty, experienced cop soon arrives at Jeannie’s, and Derek tells her that he's looking into matters, and is concerned for Jeannie's safety, as it turns out the brakes on her car were tampered with and failed while the other woman was driving Jeannie's car.

Pretty soon she and Derek are investigating, as it’s clear someone wants Jeannie’s land bad enough to kill for it. There are suspects amongst her tenants and those the real estate agent dealt with, and links emerging to Jeannie’s and her husband’s pasts also.

Jeannie is annoyed and a little prickly with people, understandably, with everyone she knows claiming they know best what she should do with her home, and life now that she’s alone. She’s also got definite ideas about how her tenants should farm and care for the house they’re in, leading to some friction. Thankfully, these are minor concerns compared to the more upsetting things she learns about events in the past amongst the circle of people she grew up with.

The sleuthing was entertaining, with a surprising perpetrator revealed. What I liked most about this mystery was how Jeannie became more open and relaxed about things over the course of the investigation. I liked her and Diesel in the garden together. And though I don’t know if there will be more opportunities for Jeannie to detect, I’d read more about this tough and determined woman.

Thank you to Netgalley and to ECW Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Jeannie is being hounded by an incredibly persistent realtor to sell her precious farm following the death of her husband a few months ago. When that realtor ends up dead after borrowing Jeanie’s car, it becomes clear that this mystery client who wants to buy her farm won’t take no for an answer. There’s plenty of land for sale in the surrounding area, so why does this client want Jeannie’s land so badly? Jeannie joins forces with Derek, an off-duty cop posing as a journalist, in a quest to get to the bottom of this situation.

GROUNDS FOR MURDER is the first book written by Canadian author, Betty Ternier Daniels. It is set in rural Saskatchewan, approximately a two-hour drive from Saskatoon. The setting is well written and easily visualized.

Jeannie is a sixty-year-old widowed woman, living on her own following her husband’s death, and continuing to work on her farmland. I enjoyed Jeannie’s narration as the MC of this book – it was so refreshing to have an older main character compared to other books I’ve read lately and I can’t say that it is very common. Jeannie is a stubborn woman who is set in her ways, but she’s strong and written realistically. She comes off a bit overbearing towards her friends, family, and tenants, believing her way is the right way, so this obviously causes tensions amongst her and the other characters. It never seems that Jeannie is doing anything maliciously, simply performing ‘good deeds’ that don’t always translate well.

I found the plot to be very intriguing and was invested in seeing the characters’ investigation to find the culprit of this whodunnit as well as the reason why this was all happening. The writing style feels a bit scattered and clumsy but not terribly so. I am excited to see how this author’s style will progress and grow with future books!

The romance angle felt forced and awkward, and to me, wasn’t wholly necessary to the story, nor did it really add anything.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, ECW Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</i>

This cozy mystery offers a delightful blend of intrigue and comfort. While it does contain some unexpected twists, they are not overly convoluted, making it an enjoyable read that can be savored with a cup of coffee.

Grounds for Murder by Betty Ternier Daniels is the story of Jeannie, the sole owner after the death of her husband, of a farm that seems to be wanted by a mysterious buyer. When the wrong person ends up dead, Jeannie must figure out the killer and their connection with her tenants. This will hopefully be a series as Jennie is an intriguing character and the mystery was fun to try to figure out.

3.5 Stars raised to 4. I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this pleasant, enjoyable, and easy-to-read cozy mystery by Betty Ternier Daniels. I apologize for my delay in posting a review. After moving, I was without a Kindle connection for nearly two weeks.

This is the first in a series featuring a woman named Jeannie and some of her acquaintances in a small prairie community north of the city of Saskatoon. Jeannie is in her 60s and very set in her ways. The prairies and nature in Saskatchewan are vividly described and so atmospheric I felt I had been there. The characters were well-developed, but their behaviour was not always plausible.

Jeannie struggled with grief after her husband died in a car accident six months earlier. Her days are spent working in her garden. Her son and daughter in Saskatoon are urging her to sell her land. A very persistent realtor, Monica, keeps pressuring her to sell and refuses to take 'NO' for an answer. Jeannie wants to protect the farmland and lakeside from unscrupulous developers. Monica shows up unexpectedly at her door during the start of a raging storm. Monica's car is damaged and rendered undrivable. Jeannie does not want her in the house overnight, so the only other option is to lend Monica her car so she can leave. Monica dies in a crash with Jeannie's car.

Jeannie tends to be bossy, judgmental, rude, and obsessive-compulsive about cleaning and keeping things in order. Many readers enjoyed the strong, interesting character she brought to the story, but I found some of her behaviour annoying. Derek, an attractive older man, appears, claiming to be a reporter on land transfers, but later, he confesses he is a police officer. He had a secret strong connection with the dead Monica. He is quickly smitten with Jeannie and helps around her home and garden, becoming her protector. His instant romantic attachment was scarcely believable. It becomes apparent that the brake line on Jeannie's car had been cut, and the car crash was meant to kill her.

Did someone want her land enough to kill for it? Could it be Monica's anonymous prospective buyer? There were other farmlands for sale, so why were Jeannie's acres the most sought-after? A young man had been seen trespassing on her land. He was under the impression that he was promised lakeside land for a wellness retreat, so he comes under suspicion. Jeannie is frightened by threatening emails from an unknown sender; there is vandalism and increasing danger.

The RCMP advised Jeannie that her life was under threat and that she must move out of her house. She takes refuge in a home on a section of her farm rented to three young tenant farmers. She soon makes herself unwelcome by cleaning and rearranging their possessions; although Derek warns her that it is a bad idea and tries to calm her down, she works frantically while the tenants are away.

Will any connection be found in the deaths by the car crash between Monica and Jeannie's husband, occurring in nearly the same place? Who is targeting Jeannie for murder, and why? Can Derek be trusted? Anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries should find this entertaining. I was glad to see this is the first of a series, and I am looking forward to the next book. The publication date was September 24th.

Jeannie is visited during a storm by Monica, a realtor who is pressuring her to sell her farm and lakeside land because the woman has a client who wants it.
Monica's car is crushed by a tree and she borrows Jeannie's to go to an urgent appointment. The next morning both the car and Monica are found in the ravine. It turns out to be murder, but it is likely that Monica wasn't the intended victim.
Over the next days and weeks there are more attempts on Jeannie's life. She develops a relationship with Derek who is Monica's ex-husband, but also a cop as they try to untangle who is behind everything.
A cute cosy read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Betty Ternier Daniels for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Grounds for Murder coming out September 24, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I was intrigued by the setting. I haven’t read any Canadian cozy mysteries yet. I’m familiar with some of the places mentioned. I thought it was pretty good. The beginning really worked for me. I loved that it got into the mystery straight away. I think it was slightly longer than most of the cozies I read. I would’ve loved it more if it had been a little tighter. There were some other things like the arguing with roommates that wasn’t as interesting to me. I loved Derek’s character and his friendship with Jeannie. Jeannie was a little tough, but overall I really enjoyed it!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!

Grounds For Murder is the first book in the Jeannie Wolfert-Lang Mystery series by Canadian author, Betty Ternier Daniels. Six months widowed, Jeannie Wolfert-Lang misses her husband Frank and his contribution to their farm on Crystal Lake in the small prairieland community of Bunchgrass, north of Saskatoon. But despite encouragement from her son and daughter, who live and work in Saskatoon, there’s no way she will consider selling, wanting to protect the flora and fauna of the lakeshore from unsympathetic development.

But Monica Ashton, of Ashton Realty, is persistent, unscrupulous, and even resorts to blackmail, to try to get her to sell. When she turns up uninvited at Jeannie’s, just as a summer storm renders her car undriveable, Jeannie has to either welcome a guest for the night or allow Monica to borrow her car. It’s Monica, dead in Jeannie’s car at the bottom of the ravine the next morning, and when it turns out the car was sabotaged, it’s quickly assumed that Jeannie was the target.

But who would want to kill Jeannie, and why? Could it be the disgruntled anonymous buyer for whom Monica was acting? Surely there are plenty of other available properties on the market? Or is it the young man hanging around her property who seems to think he’s entitled to a few lakeshore acres of her land for his healing centre?

And then there’s the attractive older man who claims to be a freelance reporter writing about transfer of farmland. Even when he reveals he’s an off-duty cop, she’s not entirely sure she can trust him. But then the intimidation ramps up, and she’s glad to have him around. The RCMP corporals advise her not to stay in her home alone, so she’s soon, unintentionally, making herself unwelcome with her tenant farmers and ends up staying with her sister.

Before the culprit is finally revealed, several people come under suspicion, and there are threatening emails, messages, vandalised possessions, and a deadfall trap. Two canines are wounded, a young man is mistakenly shot, and there’s a kidnap during a nail-biting climax. There’s also a bit of romance with the cop that Jeannie’s not sure she’s quite ready for.

Daniels easily evokes her setting with some lovely descriptive prose and her quirky protagonist manages to endear herself to the reader despite her occasional tendency to be direct to the point of rudeness. Her friends good-naturedly put up with her abrasiveness and condescension, so there must be more to her that will be revealed. The cop tells her “You’re prickly and opinionated, but I love being with you.” This is very enjoyable Canadian cosy crim and it will be interesting to see what Daniels has in store for Jeannie in the next instalment.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and ECW Press.

(rounded up from 3.5 stars)

A good start to a new cozy mystery series set in rural Saskatchewan, Canada. The main character is Jeannie, a 60-year-old farmer whose husband died in a car accident six months before the start of the story. She’s kind of crabby and rude sometimes, but seems to be working on letting her softer side show more often.

An unscrupulous real estate agent wants to buy her land and Jeannie has no intention of selling - to her or to anyone else. Without giving too much away, the woman winds up dead while driving Jeannie’s car so it seems that Jeannie was the real target. An off-duty cop from Saskatoon (2 hours away by car), Derek, teams up with Jeannie and the local police to figure things out. I was a little surprised that Jeannie jumped into a relationship with Derek, given her being recently widowed, and they had had a good marriage.

I enjoyed the local atmosphere, including the descriptions of the land and Jeannie’s lush gardens, her pride and joy. The mystery was a good one, with a number of potential suspects. Friends and neighbors abound, so it will be interesting to see where this series goes next.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient, and allowed me to continue with the story even when I could not sit down and read - or when I could not listen. The audiobook was well narrated by Dawn Harvey. She excelled when voicing Jeannie.

Thank you to ECW Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I love that this book is shorter in length, approximately 280 pages depending on the device.

I was also a fan of Jeannie - other reviews didn’t fair her to well. She was described as “prickly and unlikeable” but honestly, that’s what I liked the most about her. To me it felt like the correct personality for her situation.

Someone wants Jeannie’s land so bad they are willing to kill for it. This “someone” had me guessing for quite awhile - and that’s all I ask for in this type of book.

A fun Canadian cozy set on the prairie. Was someone trying to kill Jeannie by sabotaging her car? Why? That's the question that looms large in this tale of a widow who finds herself in possession of farm land that someone wants very badly. Monica, the unscrupulous real estate agent, is killed after borrowing Jeannie's car and now Jeannie and Derek, a law enforcement officer, are looking for answers. It's a quick read with good atmospherics. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

Grounds for Murder offered a straightforward and enjoyable whodunit experience. While lacking the explosive twists and turns often found in the genre, the mystery remained intriguing throughout. The protagonist's widowhood provided a relatable foundation for her personality, which some reviewers may have found off-putting. Overall, this cozy mystery provides a satisfying and uncomplicated read.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.

cozy-mystery, Canadian, Canadian-author, widow, rural, farming, amateur-sleuth, murder-investigation, mistaken-identity, extortion, unpleasant-victims, pet-cat, RCMP, thriller, suspense, new-series, first-in-series, not TTS enabled****

I think I might have liked this book better if it had been TTS enabled (even though it's a nice length). The characters are clear enough with the main character portrayed as a cranky fairly recent widow. The tenants who help her avoid the killer seem a bit insipid, the sharklike realtor suitably aggressive. The book is interesting and I really hope that book 2 will be TTS enabled.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected e-galley from ECW Press via NetGalley.

Cozy-ish Mystery that follows a Canadian widow and farmer who teams up with an off-duty cop after an unscrupulous realtor's killed after borrowing her car.

1/5 stars: This is the first entry in Ternier Daniels's Jeannie Wolfert-Lang Mystery series that's set in Canada and features a widowed farmer and painter who joins forces with off-duty cop and finds refuge with the young back-to-the-land tenants who rent a section of her farm after an unscrupulous realtor's killed after borrowing her car. Ternier Daniels's writing and character work are nicely done. Ternier Daniels tackles some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 22%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

After the death of her husband Jeannie is being pressured to sell her precious farm by both her children and a persistent real estate agent for an unnamed client. The agent borrows Jeannie’s car and dies in what at first appears to be an accident. It turns out the cat had been sabotaged. Who would want to kill Jeannie? Was someone thy desperate to own her farm? Why her farm? Jeannie joins forces with Derek, an off duty cop. And so the mystery and adventure begins. I enjoyed this book especially the characters and small town farm setting. I recommend this book as a definite must read.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Oh this book was absolutely phenomenal!!! I was not sure what to expect but I was so amazed by how well this was written. It captured my attention from the beginning to the end. Such a great book!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. I enjoyed the mystery in this book although I wasn't a huge fan of Jeannie. I found her a bit too prickly and sometimes judgemental although, to be fair, she recognises those aspects in herself and does try to correct them. The mystery was good. A realtor is determined to buy her farm and is willing to go to great lengths to convince her to sell. Then the realtor borrows Jeannie's car and dies in an accident that wasn't an accident. Trying to figure out who was behind sabotaging Jeannie's car and who's trying to kill her was a challenge. The most irritating character was Jade - she was just so naive and such an air head! But overall a good light read with an enjoyable mystery.
Thanks to Netgalley, ECW Press and Betty Ternier Daniels for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This really is the definition of an agricultural cozy mystery! Grounds For Murder is a pleasant read and Daniels is fantastic at setting the scene - I could picture exactly what she was describing and, at times, I was a little jealous of how the main character Jeannie lived.

I wouldn't say that this had any particular shocking twists to it. The plot was heavily set around motive and by the end I felt sorry for the murderer! There are a lot of characters to get to know - including Diesel the cat (based on the authors cat in real life!)

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a cozy murder read.

Grounds for Murder is an entertaining mystery thriller with a hint of romance that will keep readers entertained from the beginning to the end.