Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496719492
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$7.99; $6.99 Amazon
August 25, 2020
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For someone whose greatest culinary skill is ordering takeout, Sarah never expected to be co-owner of a restaurant. Even her Siamese cat, RahRah, seems to be looking at her differently. But while Sarah and her twin sister, Chef Emily, are tangled up in red tape waiting for the building inspector to get around to them, an attention-stealing new establishment -- run by none other than Sarah's late ex-husband's mistress, Jane -- is having its grand opening across the street.
Jane's new sous chef, Riley Miller, is the talk of Wheaton with her delicious vegan specialties. When Riley is found dead outside the restaurant with Sarah's friend, Jacob, kneeling over her, the former line cook -- whose infatuation with Riley was no secret -- becomes the prime suspect. Now Sarah must turn up the heat on the real culprit -- who has no reservations about committing cold-blooded murder...
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Sarah Blair, having had a disastrous marriage and even been accused of murder, has finally (she hopes) found her place in life in small-town Wheaton, Alabama. Her cat, RahRah, was left to her by her late mother-in-law along with a very large home and the carriage house behind it. While Sarah and her two pets - Fluffy the dog making the second - are happy in the carriage house, she's now going to be part-owner in a restaurant with her twin Emily and Emily's chef beau, Marcus. They're turning the big house into Southwind restaurant - that is, if they can ever get the final inspection.
What irks them is the fact that Sarah's nemesis Jane - mistress of her late husband and current thorn in her side - has been able to open a restaurant across the street in another grand home with no problems. In fact, Jane's chef Riley is a master of vegan dishes and they're prominently featured on the menu, which keeps the place full during its soft openings. On one of these nights, Sarah is trying the dishes and also trying not to like them, but she fails. Her friend and part-time employee Jacob Hightower has nothing but praise for Riley. After seeing an altercation between Riley, Jacob, and the building inspector Louis Botts, Sarah wants to leave, but is delayed by the appearance of her attorney employer, Harlan, and police chief Gerard. Just when everything seems to be calming down, Sarah hears a scream and the three of them run into the parking lot, where they see Jane, and Jacob, who is bending over Riley's body. Once it becomes apparent Riley is dead, Jane screams again that Jacob murdered her.
But Sarah refuses to believe that gentle Jacob can be a killer, and when asked by his sister Anne to help find the true killer, she has a hard time saying no. Now Sarah, with help from Anne and other friends, is on the case to hunt down who might have done this. But the more she discovers about Riley, the more it's looking like a lot of people might have wanted the young woman dead...
This is the third book in the series and I must say that I enjoyed it much better than the first two. I realize that it takes time for new authors to polish their books, and Ms. Goldstein seems to have found her niche in this third one. The characters are much more lively, and I really enjoyed the fact that Jane didn't spend the entire time in this book trying to make Sarah's life miserable. (I honestly hate the 'evil nemesis' who wants to destroy the protagonist; and I am glad that the author didn't feel the need to go this route).
While we don't get to see much of Emily and Marcus, this book isn't centered around them, but more so around Jacob and even Anne, who actually becomes a bit softer in this one, apparent by her love for her younger brother. Although Sarah's relationship with Cliff is moving at a snail's pace, at least it's moving at all.
But back to the mystery: Sarah is naturally irritated by the fact that the vet clinic and Jane were both able to get their buildings inspected and are open, but Botts is dragging his feet on Southwind, using the excuse that there's only one of him and he has many jobs. Sarah realizes she's going to have to find a way to corner Botts if she wants their restaurant to open; but with Anne asking for her help Sarah is pulled in several directions herself.
What she discovers is that there was more to Riley than meets the eye; and when there's another death, it pulls the investigation deeper. Just when Sarah thinks she might never find the missing pieces, it almost becomes too late when she does. It's an interesting mystery that goes deeper than one can imagine, and has its roots in other places.
All in all, when the murderer is discovered the reason why Riley was killed is as old as time itself, but nevertheless it holds together in this story. I enjoyed it immensely, and will continue to read this series. Recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Treats-Sarah-Blair-Mystery/dp/1496719492/ref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3339680032
More on Debra H. Goldstein's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/debra-h-goldstein/
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