After a series of bad breaks in her personal and professional lives, Meg immerses herself in the renovation of an historic Massachusetts colonial home that her mother inherits from distant relatives. As if finding out that developers want to pave the 15-acre orchard on the property wasn’t bad enough, Meg finds herself the prime suspect in the death of her ex-boyfriend, found dead on the grounds.

As with traditional "inherited house" mysteries, Meg doubts the motives of the new love interest, Seth, as he appears to have a personal stake in the property. Unlike traditional mysteries, however, the attraction between Meg and Seth never gets off the ground; this could serve as a slight letdown for fans of the genre; on the other hand, it could be considered a refreshing change in formula.

One Bad Apple has charm, thanks to its emphasis on the small town sensibilities of Granford, where the story takes place, but the discussions on the fine details of development in the town wears a little thin in certain sections. Also, the denouement is somewhat overdone.

One bonus treat in the novel is the back matter, which explains the history of apples and contains a few tasty apple recipes. Overall, One Bad Apple is a solid mystery with a touch of the traditional, with a few twists on a well-known formula.