Mystery in Prior's Ford by Evelyn Hood

In the small Scottish village of Prior's Ford, everyone patronizes the local pub, the Neurotic Cuckoo, and are there for each other in their times of need. Clarissa Ramsay frets about the villagers' opinions of her dating a man twenty years her junior. Ginny Whitelaw loves her job as a gardener at Linn Hall, the local big estate, but secretly harbors romantic feelings for Lewis Ralston-Kerr, who, with his parents, is trying to draw tourists to the hall. Meanwhile, the owners of Tarbethill Farm--Ewan McNair and his mother, Jess--are reluctantly considering changes in how they farm and use their land in order to be more profitable and have more of a personal life.  Despite the bucolic setting, there is a murderer among the townspeople, which is where new resident, policeman Neil White comes in. In this fifth book of the Prior's Ford series (and first to be published in the States), Hood writes a cozy, gentle read focusing on the characters and their daily lives. A great read-alike for Rebecca Shaw and Ann Purser.