Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496721457
Kensington Publishing
368 Pages
$6.19; $5.88 Amazon
May 28, 2019
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For generations, the women of the Brown family on Peach Cove Island have been known for their Southern sass and sweet homemade desserts at their beloved Peach Diner. Since their mother's passing two years ago, Marygene has been stuck in Atlanta while her sister Jena Lynn has been running the family business. now Marygene has left her husband and returned to her hometown, where she can almost feel Mama's presence.
But all is not peachy back home. Marygene has barely tied on an apron when a diner regular drops dead at the counter. When it turns out the old man's been poisoned, Jena Lynn is lead away in handcuffs and the family eatery is closed. Now, to save her sister and the diner, Marygene must find the real killer. With some startling assistance from her Mama's spirit, Marygene will be serving up a special order of just desserts...
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Marygene Brown grew up on Peach Cove Island, Georgia, where her family owns the Peach Diner. However, she's lived in Savannah with her husband Peter. Her mother passed away two years ago, and since then, her sister Jena Lynn has been running the diner along with her half-brother, Sam, who's the cook. After a tumultuous marriage that sent her to the hospital one too many times, Marygene has had enough and decided to return home to help Jena Lynn -- if she'll have her. Since her mother's death, things haven't been the same, and she's afraid that Jena Lynn will have hard feelings.
But Marygene, broken and bruised in more ways than one, is surprised when Jena Lynn welcomes her back; and Marygene moves into her mother's home on the island, which was left to her. What she didn't realize, however, is the fact that her mother's spirit came with the house. And even though Marygene is having a hard time dealing with it, she discovers that maybe she can put her tangled relationship with her mother to rest.
After her mother warns her not to open the diner because someone is going to die, she does. And someone does die. Then Jena Lynn is accused of murdering the man, and since the 'imported' detective is determined to pin it on her, Marygene knows she has to prove her sister innocent. But complicating things along the way is the fact that her biological father, Eddie, is chief of police; her ex-boyfriend Alex is his deputy; and there's a report in town named Calhoun that has an eye for her. Life just got confusing, and Marygene needs to try and concentrate on finding a killer who might be right around the corner...
This is the first in a new series and it's not your typical cozy. Yes, there's the protagonist who is running from a bad marriage, but not an ordinary one; and she's damaged in more than that. It makes her not only sympathetic, but understanding of why she keeps herself aloof from the world. She's stronger than most because she's been through more, and come out a better person, in my mind.
Much of the action is centered around conversations, and I'm fine with that. I've had enough car chases to last awhile. She gets help from Calhoun, and I've grown fond of the character - more so than Alex, whom, while in anger says some unforgivable things. If he allows his anger to get the better of him where he'll hurl hurt at her, then he'll do it again. Mental abuse is just as bad as physical abuse, and no amount of apologizing will end that. I'd rather see her with Calhoun, who treats her as an equal and doesn't make judgments; but then, that's not my decision.
At any rate, I really enjoyed this mystery. It was peppered with interesting characters, and I liked the still fledgling relationship between Marygene and Eddie; I thought the clues were scattered throughout nicely; and when we discovered the murderer, it was a surprise, though not unexpected. I look forward to the next in the series and hope that it goes on for a long while. Highly recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Killer-Cravings-Marygene-Mysteries/dp/1496721454/ref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3261017871
More on Kate Young's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/y/kate-young/
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