As a prelude to the open house, the previous owner of the manor, Cameo Beauchamp, who is still in residence, has requested Bretta hold a dinner party, with a guest list supplied by Cameo. Cameo has carefully selected the guests in the hopes of flushing out a blackmailer.

Bretta has the feeling that Cameo is about to confide some long held family secrets to her, but before Cameo has the chance, she is strangled at the dinner party with a string of Christmas lights. The police know that there is a finite number of suspects, the dinner party guests, and begin investigating them one at a time.

Because Bretta as a shop owner is in a position to hear a lot of gossip, she picks up on several tidbits that get her thinking more and more about the murder. As Bretta delves further into the case, she keeps stumbling across bits of Beauchamp history, plus a few secrets Cameo was keeping, that make her realize there was a lot more than met the eye when it came to Beauchamp women.

Murder Sets Seed is an enjoyable mystery in the tradition of an old-fashioned cozy, where the suspects are limited and everyone has a secret. Most of the secrets are easy to figure out, as is the murderer, but Bretta is a real-life, enjoyable character that keeps the page turning.

Many readers will sympathize with Bretta’s up and down dieting and her feelings of insecurity, especially after being approached by her father for the first time in thirty- seven years. Bretta also fights with her feelings of loss as she continues to grieve for her husband.

The people Bretta surrounds herself with, the sheriff (her husband’s old boss) and Lois her employee, are a good support system for her in good times and bad. Two characters from Bretta’s earlier novel, (Roots of Murder) Bill Fenton and his daughter Jamie (whom Bretta was helping lose weight) were absent, explained by Bretta’s uncertainty about dating, but might prove interesting additions in the future.

Janis Harrison has done an excellent job with the Missouri setting, giving the novel a strong foundation. A small town is an effective gossip-mill, important in both the commission and solving of the crime. Murder Sets Seed is a delightful second entry into what promises to be an entertaining series, especially for those readers with a green thumb.

-- Jennifer Monahan Winberry