Poisoned Ground    by Sandra Parshall Order:  USA  Can Poisoned Pen, 2014 (2014) Hardcover, Softcover      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth A powerful development company has upset the entire small community of Mason Country, Virginia. This conglomerate wishes to buy up all the land on the mountaintop to build a grand resort. Their plans seem to be complete, but the resort will not materialize unless everyone sells their land. This is not a wealthy community. Jobs are needed desperately. The giant company's offers of sums of money beyond the true value of the land are hard to resist. However, many on the mountain wish to stay in their homes and farm their land, as they and their families had been doing for over a hundred years. The let's sell our land group cannot convince the don't sell at any price group and bad feelings taint the very air. Confrontations are inevitable. But no one foresaw the murder of an older couple. Shot in broad daylight! Bad feelings escalate until confrontations are inevitable. Sheriff Tom Bridger and his veterinarian wife, Rachel Goddard, try to keep both sides from escalating their differences into a civil war. Rachel is convinced that the development company is full of nothing but snake charmers and all the promises they have made are mere wisps on the wind – never to come to fruition. Can the community save itself? Poisoned Ground by Sandra Parshall proves to be a very captivating mystery that kept me on the alert from first page to last. I felt a part of the beautiful countryside of Virginia and truly cared what would become of its residents. Five previous Rachel Goddard mysteries are well worth a read also. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews