The Gourdmother — Maggie Bruce

Brooklyn girl Lili Marino has found herself starting over in the tiny village of Walden Corners, New York, where she has the time and space to cultivate her first love: taking gourds from the garden and transforming them into birdhouses, bowls, and beautiful works of art. She's also becoming surprisingly expert at cutting to the rotten heart of a mystery ...

In lieu of payment for six months' work, Lili was given a cottage in Walden Corners -- which proved the perfect place to escape a love affair gone flat. Though some residents are wary of the city transplant, Lili -- and her gourd obsession -- are welcomed with open arms by Nora Johnson, wife of the high school football coach. Lili is just starting to carve out a place for herself when she finds Nora's husband dead on the first day of hunting season. And she had naively thought the most dangerous thing she would have to deal with was a moldy gourd -- not a murderer ...