A Twinkle of Trouble (A Fairy Garden Mystery Book 5)

Author:    Daryl Wood Gerber

Genre:     Mystery/Fantasy

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496744937

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$17.95; $9.99 Amazon

April 23, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Courtney is delighted when her tiny friend Fiona returns from the fairy realm, appearing at the base of a Cypress tree.  When her Ragdoll cat, Pixie, emerges from her own portal -- aka the cat door -- the three set off for a busy day.  Busier than usual, since Courtney has rented a small plot of land at the Flower Farm, where she hopes to grow her own supplies for her fairy-garden business.  Plus, the annual Summer Blooms Festival is coming up, and Courtney has booked a booth...

But the murder of Courtney's friend, Genevieve, casts a pall over the festival.  Ever since Genevieve sold her floral business, she'd been building a career as an influencer.  She was perennially opinionated -- but in her new role she'd become surprisingly vicious, dissing local entrepreneurs with nasty posts and unwarranted bad reviews.  That's landed a couple of Courtney's other friends on the suspect list -- including Flower Farm owner Daphne Flores.  And when a second victim is discovered, seeds of doubt about Daphne's innocence sprout in Courtney's mind.  With only a gem of a clue, Courtney will have to overturn every rock to get the dirt on the real killer...

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Courtney lives in Carmel-by-the-Sea in California, and owns Open Your Imagination, a shop that allows people to make their own fairy gardens.  It helps that she has her own personal fairy, Fiona.  Fiona has recently returned from the fairy realm, and Courtney is happy to have her back.  Although not everyone can see -- nor believes in -- fairies, Courtney and others don't really care.

While hosting a group that are there to make their own little gardens, one of the women, Genevieve, learns that she is not invited to participate in the Summer Blooms Festival, and it rankles her.  She proceeds to insult other guests, and since she is known as an influencer, uses her online forum to diss other local businesses, as well.  As imagined, this doesn't sit well with people.  Although it is surprising when Genevieve is found dead, and Daphne Flores, one of the women whose business she insulted, is found standing over her.

When another person is found murdered, the police are honing in on Daphne.  Courtney has trouble believing her friend is a killer, but to be fair, she's not close with the woman and doesn't know all that much about her.  But Courtney is nothing if not persistent, and she continues to ask questions and look for clues that might point her to a killer -- a killer who might already be aware that Courtney could be dangerous if left alive...

This is the fifth book in the series and I must say that I have found them all delightful.  While I will not say whether I believe in such things as fairies or not, I will also say that I am positive that some people have no problem believing.  Which is why this book is so delightful (yes, I said it again).  Just like the title of her shop, it allows you to open your imagination and try to think what it would be like if there were many of them floating around us.

While, of course, the mystery takes first place as it should, we have a secondary tale in which Fiona's sister enters the human world to be mentored by her elder sister and other fairies that reside there.  We learn that even in the fairy realm there is sibling rivalry and arguments, but there is also fun and enjoyment.  It is a pleasure to share in these moments with the fairies.

But back to the mystery -- Courtney has no issues with asking people where they were on the nights of the murders, even though the police tell her to stay out of the investigation.  There are mixed signals, with the lead detective also telling her to keep her ears and eyes open and report anything she learns.  Hmm.  You can't have it both ways, sir.  So Courtney does what she does best, and gathers information any way she can (although she doesn't do anything illegal, which is good).  With each piece of data gathered she is eventually able to dismiss people from the suspect list, leaving her with only three of them; and figuring out which one it is could put her life in danger.

While I knew the murderer long before Courtney did (Again, I read a lot of mysteries) I did enjoy watching her figure it out.  Alas, it was nearly too late, but Courtney can think on her feet and she had no problem putting things in motion ahead of time.  In the end, it all comes together very nicely, and we are given a glimpse of what might be to come.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Twinkle-Trouble-Fairy-Garden-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CFGF36NM/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6171382552

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/

A Flicker of a Doubt (Fairy Garden Mystery Book 4)

Author:    Daryl Wood Gerber

Genre:     Mystery/Fantasy

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496741271

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$16.95; $9.99 Amazon

March 28, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With a theater foundation tea and an art show planned at Violet Vicker'.  estate, Courtney is hired to create charming fairy gardens for the event.  It's not so charming, however, when her best friend Meaghan's ex-boyfriend turns out to be Violet's latest artistic protégé.  Even worse, not long after Meaghan locks horns with him, his body is found in her yard, bludgeoned with an objet d'murder.

There's a gallery of suspects, from an unstable former flame to an arts and crafts teacher with a sketchy past.  But when the cops focus on Meaghan's business partner, who's like a protective older brother to her, and discover he also has a secret financial motive.  Courtney decides to draw her own conclusions.  Fearing they're missing the forest for the trees, and with some help from Fiona the sleuthing fairy, she hopes to make them see the light...

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Courtney is happy with her life.  She has her fairy garden shop which is doing well, a boyfriend in restaurateur Brady Cash, and a new job for wealthy Violet Vickers -- turning her lawn into a giant fairy garden.  With her father as the landscaper, she can't be happier.  Everything is going smoothly, until her friend Meaghan runs into her shop in a panic.

It seems Meaghan's ex-boyfriend Nicholas has returned to town and he wants Meaghan back.  Even though she states she's not interested, the man won't give up.  Then someone else, an invited guest to Violet's soiree, turns up and Courtney's life takes an unexpected turn.  But when Nicholas winds up murdered in Meaghan's yard, the suspects seem a little too close to home, including Meaghan's business partner, Ziggy.  While Courtney and others are convinced he's innocent, the police have evidence.  So what's a girl to do except try and find a killer?...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have read and enjoyed them all.  This one, however, might actually be the best of them.  We get to learn a little more about Fiona, Courtney's fairy, and that point is more interesting than not.  I certainly am rooting for her all the way.

But back to the murder:  some suspects are unexpected, while others are right there in front of us.  The story is indeed done extremely well; the mystery is deep and twisted one way and then another.  You must keep your brain moving to discover clues and keep them together; they are there, but threaded through the story and not falling one after another.

Surprisingly, while more than one person is upset by Nicholas's death, we learn that he was not all he appeared.  His past was shaded with abuse to others, and he had more than one skeleton in his closet.  Yet, for some reason, women seemed to flock to him.  Could this have been his undoing, or was it something else?

I hesitate to add more of my impressions of this book, since I do not want to spoil it for others.  Just know that there are so many subplots in this mystery, and yet all of them tie into the murder.  The tapestry comes together one thread at a time, and when it is done, you feel rather sad yet understand.  It is the fine melding of clues that create the art, and in the end, you wish for more.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Flicker-Doubt-Fairy-Garden-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0B6DBQ5CM/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5064419149

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/

A Hint of Mischief (A Fairy Garden Mystery Book 3)

Author:    Daryl Wood Gerber

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496736048

Kensington Publishing

368 Pages

$15.95; $9.99 Amazon

June 28, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Courtney has thrown a few fairy garden parties --  for kids.  But if a local socialite is willing to dip into her trust fund for an old sorority sister's fortieth birthday bash, Courtney will be there with bells on.  To make the job even more appealing, a famous actress, Farrah Lawson, is flying in for the occasion, and there's nothing like a celebrity cameo to raise a business's profile.

Now Courtney has less than two weeks to paint a mural, hang up tinkling windchimes, plan party games, and conure up all the details.  While she works her magic, the hostess and her girlfriends head off for an indulgent spa day -- which leads to a fateful facial for Farrah, followed by her mysterious death.  Could the kindhearted eyebrow waxer who Farrah berated in public really be the killer, as the police suspect?  Courtney thinks otherwise, and with the help of her imaginative sleuth fairy, sets out to dig up the truth behind this puzzling murder...

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Courtney has a store named Open Your Imagination that sells fairy gardens and all things connected.  She loves her life, and is even starting a new romance with an old friend.  When trust fund baby Misty Dawn asks her to throw a birthday fairy party at her home for her and her sorority sisters, Courtney is all too happy to do so.  When one of Misty's sorority friends comes to town, it is none other than actress Farrah Lawson, and more than one person is happy to see her again.  The birthday is for their friend Odine, who has her own store in town.  

While having tea in Courtney's fairy garden, Farrah wants to take everyone -- Courtney included -- for a spa day.  While at the spa, Courtney hears a scream and finds Farrah almost hysterical.  It seems the owner's daughter who was waxing Farrah's brows, accidentally caused a problem and Farrah is upset, to say the least.  When her screaming stops, Misty assures her it is fixable.  Contrite, the daughter wants to apologize.  But before she can do so, Farrah is found dead in her rental home.  And Twyla, the daughter, is the main suspect.  Now Courtney, with the help of her own fairy, Fiona, is determined to find the true killer and pull Twyla out of danger...as long as she doesn't put herself in harm's way, right?...

This is the third book in the series and I have read them all.  I find the interactions with the different fairies quite enchanting.  It is almost as if you want to look around for your own fairy in your own garden.  The book is written wonderfully, and the characters are fun to be around.  Everything isn't going as well as Courtney would like, however; an old 'friend' from the past shows up and disrupts her life.  Also, there's a thief running around the town, stealing small items, but stealing just the same, and no one seems to have a clue as to the thief's identity.

But Courtney has to make the birthday party magical, even without Farrah, so she and her friend Meghan and employee Joss set about creating a garden worthy of many fairies.  What Courtney discovers in Misty's yard surprises her, but she continues on with her task.

As the book progresses we learn a little more about the fairies and the different types, and Fiona is learning more as well.  The descriptions of Courtney's garden make me want to go to tea there myself, and spend an afternoon just enjoying it all.  (If I didn't live where it was hot quite a bit, I'd probably have a garden myself).

But the suspects abound, and Courtney has a lot of alibis to sift through; and no one wants to be truthful about their whereabouts.  This gives her pause and makes her wonder what everyone is hiding, and who is the most likely to be the murderer.  It takes her time and much thought to figure it all out, and when she does, the climax is indeed worth reading about.  Courtney can think on her feet, as it were, and I appreciate that in a protagonist.

When the ending comes, it all comes together wonderfully; and there is an epilogue that gives us a hint as to more of the fairy world, and teaser chapters regarding the next book (hurry, please!).  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Hint-Mischief-Fairy-Garden-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09HRDQZH5/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4820920995

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/

A Glimmer of a Clue (A Fairy Garden Mystery Book 2)

Author:    Daryl Wood Gerber

Genre:     Mystery/Fantasy

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496726360

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$11.71; $9.99 Amazon

June 19, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Courtney's friend Wanda gets into a ponytail-pulling wrestling match in public with a nasty local art critic, Courtney stops the fight with the help of a garden hose.  But Lana Lamar has a talent for escalating things and creating tension, which she succeeds in doing by threatening a lawsuit, getting into yet another scuffle -- in the midst of an elegant fundraiser, no less -- and lobbing insults around like pickleballs.

Next thing Courtney knows, Lana is on the floor, stabbed with a decorative letter opener from one of Courtney's fairy gardens, and Wanda is standing by asking, "what have I done?"  But the answer may not be as obvious as it seems, since Wanda is prone to sleepwalking and appears to be in a daze.  Could she have risen from her nap and committed murder while unconscious?  Or is the guilty party someone else Lana's ticked off, like her long-suffering husband?  To find out, Courtney will have to dig up some dirt...

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Courtney Kelly owns a fairy garden shop in Carmel.  She helps people create their own fairy garden while she cultivates hers, and communes with her own little fairy, Fiona.  Fiona in turn helps Courtney in order to gain her full set of wings.  Courtney's been asked to create two gardens for people to bid on for a local fundraiser by her friend Wanda, who is her best friend Meaghan's mother.  But while at her shop one morning she hears a commotion, and goes outside to see a fight between Wanda and Lana Lamar, an art critic, and it's turned physical.  Lana has Wanda by the hair and refuses to let her go.  So Courtney does the only thing she can: she grabs a hose and waters both of them down to stop the fight.

But Lana isn't about to be deterred, and continues to hound Wanda, even up to the point of the fundraiser, where she has no problem making a scene with anyone and everyone.  When Wanda feels a bit tired, she goes to lie down, and later Courtney hears a crash and runs toward the sound.  She finds Wanda kneeling over Lana's body, holding the end of the letter opener stuck in her -- the one that Courtney had used in the now-smashed garden.  Now Wanda is the main suspect, and if Courtney doesn't find the true killer, her friend's mother won't wake up from this nightmare...

This is the second in the series and I found it just as delightful as the first.  The idea of a little fairy helping Courtney solve a murder is indeed a cute plot addition, and it makes for a fun read.  While Courtney starts looking at Lana and who would want her dead, she comes up with a plethora of suspects, none of whom seem to have solid alibis.  There's also a couple of secondary plots which keep the story going without a lull in the action, and these are engaging as well.  

I do like the fact that whatever information Courtney digs up, she immediately transfers to Detective Summers.  While he gets annoyed with her, at least she's offering up what she discovers and doesn't try to accost her own suspects and accuse them of murder face-to-face.  One gets tired of protagonists who confront suspected murderers without the police knowing about it.  Courtney is intelligent and caring, with her heart and mind open to not only seeing fairies, but helping others as well.  I do like her character.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, I pretty much had gathered who it was early on, but finding out the motive for murder was what I was waiting for, and I wasn't disappoint in the outcome.  All in all, I do like this series and wait eagerly for the next book.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Glimmer-Clue-Fairy-Garden-Mystery/dp/1496726367/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3924231058

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/

A Sprinkling of Murder (A Fairy Garden Mystery #1)

Author:  Daryl Wood Gerber

Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496726346

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$15.95; $9.99 Amazon

June 30, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Since childhood, Courtney has loved fairies.  After her mother died when Courtney was ten, she lost touch with that feeling of magic.  A year ago, at the age of twenty-nine, she rediscovered it when she left her father's landscaping business to spread her wings and start a fairy garden business and teashop in beautiful Carmel, California.  At Open Your Imagination, she teaches garden design and sells everything from fairy figurines to tinkling wind chimes.  Now she's starting a book club tea.

But the light of the magical world she's created inside her shop is darkened one night when she discovers the neighboring dog-grooming business owner Mick Watkins dead beside her patio fountain.  To make matters worse, the police suspect Courtney of the crime.  To clear her name and find the real killer, Courtney will have to wing it.  But she's getting a little help from an unexpected source...

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Courtney left her father's landscaping business to create her dream: a fairy garden business in Carmel.  So far she's doing well enough to hire an employee, elfin Joss.  She also offers classes on how to make your own fairy garden as well as others.  Her business is thriving and so is she.  One morning her neighboring business owner Mich Watkins enters, and she's afraid he's going to start trouble, but he doesn't; in fact, it seems as if he's looking for someone.  But he tells her that their landlord is on the warpath and wanting the tenants out because he wants to sell their shops to a developer -- and Courtney wonders if it's true.  

But Courtney has a secret of her own -- she has her very own fairy, Fiona.  Fiona, unfortunately, is on probation for some unnamed act and hasn't earned her full set of wings.  Fiona is also a righteous fairy (there are four different types), which means she needs to bring resolution to embattled souls.  What this means Courtney has no idea, but she's grateful for Fiona's help -- that is, until Fiona tells her early the next morning that she needs to get to her shop right away.  Courtney finds the body of Mick in her garden, dead.

After calling the police she figures out how Mick got in, but not why.  What's worse is that Courtney is now a suspect in the murder, and the detective on the case doesn't think her alibi is strong enough.  So with Fiona's help, and that of her friends Joss and Meghan, Courtney is on the trail of a killer...

This is the first in a new series and I honestly didn't know what to expect.  I will say upfront that I don't read books about witches and such; I'm just not interested enough to invest my time.  But this book had a beautiful cover (yes, I am sometimes swayed by them), so I decided to take a chance and am glad that I did.

The concept of one having their own personal fairy is a new idea for a book, and quite an intriguing one.  Also the fact that the fairy is quite adept at helping solve a murder without going against her own rules.  I found the mystery was done nicely, with a few clues here and there, but also giving Courtney the chance to seek them on her own.

I do like Courtney's character.  She never puts herself in harms' way. and she's more concerned with getting herself off the hot seat than putting someone else in it.  She's not going around accusing every person she meets of murder, and that's a good thing.

The descriptions of fairy gardens were done well enough that it is explained what they are; and perhaps someone who reads the book might want to create one of their own.  While this book was peopled with many characters throughout, it wasn't difficult to keep them straight, and there were a few red herrings thrown in for us to sift through.  While I had figured out the murderer early on (I read a lot of mysteries) it was still fun getting through the journey until we got to the end of it and Courtney, with help of course, figured it out and put everything together.

In the end, it all came together nicely and while there was no nail-biting climax, it was still done well enough that I want to read the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Sprinkling-Murder-Fairy-Garden-Mystery/dp/1496726340/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3418772909

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/

A Souffle of Suspicion (A French Bistro Mystery #2)

Author:  Daryl Wood Gerber
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683315865
Crooked Lane Books
325 Pages
$25.25; $9.99 Amazon
July 10, 2018

✮✮✮✮

Crush Week in Nouvelle Vie is a madhouse - in a good way.  Tourists pour into town for the pressing of the Napa Valley's world-renowned grapes, and all the town's businesses gets a nice lift, including Bistro and Maison Rousseau.  Mimi is raising the ante this year with a Sweet Treats Festival, a wonderland of croissants, cakes, tarts, and soufflés crafted with expert care by the area's top talents.

Chef Camille's sister, Renee, is managing the festival with a cast-iron fist, upsetting everyone, including her sister - which is bad for Camille when Renee turns up dead in the chef's kitchen.  Mimi is still building her business, so her first course of action is to whip up answers and catch the unsavory perpetrator before Camille takes a dusting and gets burned.

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Mimi Rousseau owns an inn and bistro in Nouvelle Vie, California.  It is crush week, and tourists are filling the town, also to participate in the first-ever Sweet Treats Festival, being run by Chef Camille's sister Renee, who has left her husband to manage the festival.  Everything seems to be going fine, but then problems begin to arise - arguments between Renee and others; Renee's husband Rusty showing up and wanting her to come home again.

While Mimi isn't really concerned, that all changes when she receives a phone call from Camille and arrives at Camille's home to find Renee dead.  Camille is cleared of the crime shortly, but that still leaves plenty of suspects - and most of them are connected to the festival in one way or another.  Will Mimi be able to keep her bistro up and running with a killer on the loose?  Or will someone else be a target - including Mimi herself?

This is the second book in the French Bistro series, and as such I felt it was an improvement over the first.  The characters are better developed, and Mimi is finally finding her footing in her new venture and in her relationship with Nash, the ex-wine salesman who is now managing her mother's vineyard.

However, Nash's ex-wife Willow is trying to throw a wrench into the works as it were, and Mimi doesn't do a lot to stop her yet wondering how to deal with it.  She rather avoids the situation instead of confronting it head on, which makes her a contradiction of sorts since she has no problem confronting people about their alibis at the time of the murder and then verifying if they are telling the truth.  It's a little confusing how she'll confront possible murderers but not her boyfriend's ex-wife.  She says as how she likes Mimi, but since Willow is trying to break up her relationship with Nash it makes you wonder how Mimi thinks.  I'd be leery of someone like that, and I certainly wouldn't care for them much.

Mimi also laments how gorgeous Willow is compared to her.  Well, Willow wears makeup for one thing, and a little makeup goes a long way.  Perhaps Mimi should consider mascara, blush, lipstick (not lip gloss as these authors think all women wear, which is pretty much for preteens and teenagers) and a little eye shadow and she'd be surprised at the transformation.  (I honestly get so tired of all these protagonists 'throwing on a little lip gloss' and thinking they're hot.  Four out of five American women wear makeup every day - except in cozies - and you'd think it was an anomaly or something.  As one of those makeup-wearing women, I'd like to see at least a few of them wear more than lip gloss).  Anyway, that's just my opinion.

While her attention is focused instead on finding Renee's killer since she can see how miserable Camille is and she wants to ease her pain as much as she can, there is also a nice subplot of how Mimi is finding herself the owner of two cats who have appeared to have adopted her; and it's kind of sweet to see how she just allows the situation to continue and even sort of welcomes it when she feels she's a little nervous that the killer is getting a bit too close.

Close enough that the murderer thinks she's a threat and starts treating it as such; even though Mimi tries to brush it off, deep down she knows that someone is figuring out she's asking too many questions and isn't happy about it, and that's when things start to get interesting.

There are plenty of diversions and a lot going on, making for a very busy book indeed, but most of it is centered on the festival itself and the restaurant, leaving very little time for real clues to add up.  I enjoyed the mystery, there were plenty of red herrings, and the writing flowed at a nice pace.  However, if you pay attention the clues are there and the story was told well.

In the end everything was settled satisfactorily with all loose ties coming together nicely, and even a little bit of a teaser for the next in the series.  All in all it was an enjoyable read that makes us want to look for the next book.  There are quite a few nice recipes in the back also for those who enjoy baking (I do).  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Souffl%C3%A9-Suspicion-French-Bistro-Mystery/dp/1683315863/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2443336200

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/

A Deadly Eclair (A French Bistro Mystery #1)

Author:  Daryl Wood Gerber
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683313410; 9781683316046
Crooked Lane Books
368 Pages
$18.35; $15.99; $1.99 Amazon
November 7, 2017

✮✮

It's always been Mimi Rousseau's dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp since she's been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley by her late husband's tremendous debt.  Until her best friend Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects.  Now, working the bistro and inn until she's able to pay it off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn's first wedding ever.

The wedding will be the talk of the town, as famous talk show host Angelica Edmonton, daughter of Bryan's half-brother, Edison, has chosen the inn as her perfect venue.  Anxious, Mimi is sure things are going to turn south, especially when Edison gets drunk and rowdy at the out-of-towners' dinner, but by the evening, things begin to look up again.  That is until six AM rolls around, and Bryan is found dead at the bistro with an éclair stuffed in his mouth.  And the fingers point at Mimi, whose entire loan is forgiven in Bryan's will.

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Mimi Rousseau is excited that the opening of her bistro is going to host a celebrity wedding - the niece of the man who funded her endeavor, Brian Baker.  When the first evening gets underway everything seems to be going swimmingly; the guests love the food and everyone seems happy with their rooms.  But the next morning the bride-to-be, Angelica Barrington, knocks furiously on Mimi's door.  She's found her Uncle Brian dead on the patio.

When Mimi hastens to see for herself, she sees that Brian is indeed deceased and when the police arrive she also learns that her cell phone was found nearby with a message for Brian to meet her.  Mimi attempts to convince Detective Tyson Daly that someone must have lifted her phone from the kitchen and she didn't send it.  While Tyson is a friend of hers, without witnesses he still has to consider her the main suspect, especially when a notarized letter is found in Brian's effects that gives Mimi full ownership of the bistro and inn in the event of his death.

But when a witness does eventually come forth that can attest to her whereabouts and she is cleared of the crime, there is still the matter of a killer lurking somewhere on her premises and it could be any one of the numerous people who were told they can't leave until he or she is found.  With a hotel full of suspects and a wedding put on hold, Mimi wants the murder of her friend solved - and soon.

I liked the premise of this book and really wanted to love it.  Unfortunately, I didn't.  I just didn't like Mimi at all; and one really needs to like the main character in order to like the book.  She tells the investigating homicide detective - Tyson Daly, a friend from childhood - that's it's her civic duty to discover the killer, but no, it's not.  It's his duty.  I understand that we want our protagonist to discover the murderer; after all, that's why we read the books, but Mimi is out-and-out obnoxious to people.  She's a get-in-your-face type of person when she asks questions.  She asks people where they were, checks on their alibis, and then confronts them again and demands they tell her the truth - even when it angers them.  Does she not realize one of these people is a killer?  It's rather difficult to like a protagonist who acts like this.  She hounds people constantly - and tells them it's all in the name of wanting to find her mentor's killer.  But isn't that Tyson's job?

It's one thing to overhear conversations, it's entirely another to corner people and harass them until they start yelling at you and threatening you.  This isn't mere curiosity, as she says; just read the conversation she has with David Ives outside the store and you'll understand.  She's basically conducting her own police interrogation without actually being an officer or in an interrogation room in a police station.  This is irresponsible.

And what does Tyson do?  He doesn't spend his time working on the case - he goes over to his mother's home and works around there, etc.  I'm pretty sure detectives don't go looking at real estate while a case is ongoing.  This guy seems like he just went into the job to impress people with the fact; Mimi is doing all the work and we never saw him question a single person - he didn't even take anyone down to the station.

I didn't feel that any of the characters were fleshed out, so we couldn't become involved with them.  There was practically nothing about Tyson, Jo, etc.; and we didn't really get to know anything about any of them.  This, of course, can be remedied in future books, so we will see.

Also, (I hope this isn't going to be a trend in future books) but I really hate it when (as the author wrote toward the end of the book) political leanings are inserted.  The only time you should read about politics is when you're reading non-fiction or a book that deals with the subject.  Fiction authors shouldn't offer their personal feelings by adding characters that will eventually insert their political beliefs into the story.  Admittedly, it was only a paragraph or two, but I got the idea that this character will be recurring in future books.  Just my opinion. 

In the end, I felt the reason for the murder was flimsy; someone would definitely have to be unhinged in the first place to imagine what the killer imagined would eventually take place.  Obviously, they didn't trust in who they were or family members or they wouldn't have even have allowed this to cross their mind.  It just didn't seem like it was a strong enough reason for murder, so was a bit of a letdown.  But, as it is the first in the series, I will read the next to see if it improves.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-%C3%89clair-French-Bistro-Mystery/dp/1683313410/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2073903820

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/

Pressing the Issue (A Cookbook Nook Mystery Volume 6)

Author:  Daryl Wood Gerber
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781946069528
Beyond the Page Publishing
242 Pages
$15.99; $3.99 Amazon
February 14, 2018

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As the annual Renaissance Fair comes to Crystal Cove, Jenna Hart's Cookbook Nook is packed with tasty treats and all things medieval, while her pal Bailey is ready to swoon over her upcoming nuptials at a local vineyard.  But when the two friends discover the body of the vineyard's owner bludgeoned by a winepress, all their merriment fades, along with their hopes for a vintage year.

While churlish varlet did the deed?  Was it the victim's errant brother, who stood to inherit the vineyards?  Or the owner's crestfallen ex-girlfriend?  Mayhap it was the newly arrived comely wench, or her jealous husband.   Fie on them all!  Verily, Jenna can't rest until justice is served, and she vows to track down the killer.  But can she sniff out the truth before the villainous culprit strikes again?

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When Jenna Hart prepares for the annual Renaissance Fair, she thinks she's going to be busy selling cookbooks and offering classes to tourists.  She's also helping her best friend Bailey prepare for her wedding at Nick Baldini's vineyard.

The sad part is that Nick has recently broken up with Jenna's friend Dolly, and Dolly doesn't seem to be taking it well, even going so far as to visit Jenna's aunt Vera for help in getting him back.  But when Jenna is asked to take part in a video for fairgoers, she sees Nick, who is portraying King Henry VIII, in conversation with an attractive blonde.  Curious, she wonders if this is the reason he broke up with Dolly.

But Jenna discovers that Melody Beaufort is married, and temporary tenants of another friend of hers.  Still, she sees that Nick is interested in Melody, and her curiosity gets the better of her, and she wants to know why Nick was pursuing Melody.

When Jenna and Bailey visit the vineyard later on to discuss wedding preparations, she overhears a heated conversation between Nick and his younger brother Alan, but Nick blows it off as typical, so Jenna doesn't think about it again.  With a little probing, Jenna gets Nick to admit he's in love, discovers it's not Dolly, but he won't tell her who it is; so after finalizing plans they leave.

Then Bailey receives a cryptic call from Nick and she, her fiancé Tito, Jenna and Jenna's boyfriend Rhett rush to the vineyard and find Nick dead in the kitchen.  After calling the police and being questioned, they go home.  But Jenna liked Nick and needs to know who wanted him dead.  Even though she trusts the police to do their job, Jenna's curious streak won't let her rest unless she at least tries to help, even if it causes her more trouble than she wants...

I was really looking forward to reading this book, the premise sounded so interesting- murder at a Ren fair.  But unfortunately, it fell flat for me somewhere in the middle.  First off, Katie the chef tells the class that the pasties they're making rhyme with tasty.  a pasty (paste-y) is something a stripper wears.  A pasty (pass-ty) is a meat pie, and does not rhyme with tasty.  A chef should know the difference.  It's a small detail, but details count.

Then, Bailey seemed unconcerned that a man died.  Yes, I get it was her wedding; but jeez, a man is lying dead on the floor and she's worried about that?  How shallow can you get?  She just seemed like a drama queen in this book, and I didn't much care for her this time around.  Yes, I get that she's getting married, but she accused people of murder without proof of any kind, and it seemed like she was willing to have anyone in jail as long as her wedding wasn't ruined.

As far as the murder goes, it was done well, but I never got the feeling that Cinnamon was doing her job.  We were never given an insight into what she thought, and since this isn't Jenna's first rodeo (as the saying goes) you'd think she'd be more interested in what she had to say, but she appeared to blow off any concerns she had.

Please be aware that the following spoiler pretty much tells the ending and why I would have liked to see Cinnamon's take on the murder in this particular book.

As a matter of fact, Cinnamon would have allowed the killer to go free. She asked Jenna to fill her in - and if Cinnamon had the killer on her radar, she'd already know who the murderer was without Jenna's help; but it seemed like she needed Jenna to tell her that this person was the killer and why she knew it. We were never given any idea that he was even a suspect - and he was ready to leave town! Why weren't we given any info that Cinnamon even had a suspect in mind? After all, wouldn't she have been close by if she knew the killer was ready to bolt? But she wasn't - Bailey had to go get her; so I felt Cinnamon had no idea at all.

All in all, the book was a good read but I would have liked to have felt more engaged with the characters; I would have especially liked to know that Cinnamon was on top of the investigation, but we were never given any information on what she was doing while Jenna was investigating - she wasn't sharing with anyone, which would have let us know where she was on it, and is which is why I gave it four stars instead of five.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Pressing-Issue-Cookbook-Nook-Mystery/dp/1946069523/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2302675468

More on Daryl Wood Gerber's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/daryl-wood-gerber/