Jeannie is in trouble. After the loss of her husband, everyone around her is pressuring her to leave her precious farm, including an incredibly persistent realtor who won’t name her client. But when that realtor ends up dead, killed by mistake when she borrows Jeannie’s car, it becomes clear that her client won’t take no for an answer. Who wants Jeannie’s land so badly that they are willing to kill her for it? And why her farm when there are plenty around her for sale? To find the answer, Jeannie joins forces with off-duty cop Derek and finds refuge with the young back-to-the-land tenants who rent a section of her farm. Set in her ways at 60, Jeannie must learn to open her mind — and her heart — in her quest to find the killer, all while grappling with ghosts from her past and wrestling with the question of land transfer and ownership. Will the next generation love her farm as intensely as she does? And will she survive long enough to find out?

Betty Ternier Daniels' profile page

Betty Ternier Daniels lives with her husband, Doug, and their cat, Diesel, on her family farm in Cochin, northwest Saskatchewan. Like her protagonist, she has two adult children and is a member of the National Farmers Union. She previously taught English as a sessional instructor for the University of Saskatchewan. She is working on a sequel to Grounds for Murder.

“Farm life is far from boring in this compelling story about a widow whose passion for her land makes her a target for murder. A cozy mystery about passion on the prairies, filled with suspense, romance, and a loving look at rural life.” — Elinor Florence, bestselling author of Bird’s Eye View and Wildwood

“Grounds for Murder pulls in the reader from the very first sentence. Daniels creates a distinct, beautiful, unapologetically Canadian prairie setting you’ll want to spend time in, while never shying away from dark corners where danger may lurk. Jeannie Wolfert-Lang navigates a world which is at the same time brand new and lovingly familiar. Her struggles in finding her footing are revelatory and highly relatable. A worthy first novel in an enjoyable new mystery series.” — Anthony Bidulka, author of the Merry Bell trilogy and Russell Quant Mystery series

“Betty Ternier Daniels’s debut mystery novel, Grounds for Murder, has it all: deftly drawn characters, compelling plot twists and turns, and a vivid, accurate account of the price rural Canadians pay to maintain their way of life.” — Gail Bowen, bestselling author of the Joanne Kilbourn Shreve mysteries

“As much women’s fiction as a crime novel, Grounds for Murder blends simmering suspense with family secrets beneath endless Saskatchewan skies. The juxtaposition of well-tended gardens with the wild landscape mirrors Jeannie’s desperate attempts to bring order out of ever-mounting chaos.” — J.E. Barnard, author of The Falls Mysteries

“Jeannie is a winning protagonist, and Daniels’s descriptions of the bucolic setting are irresistible. Outdoorsy cozy lovers will enjoy themselves.” — Publishers Weekly