Peachy Scream (A Georgia B&B Mystery #2)

Author:  Anna Gerard
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; [Audio CD]; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781643853062; [9781662007354]
Crooked Lane Books; [Dreamscape Media]
$26.99; [$19.99]; $12.99 Amazon
July 7, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's nothing short of inevitable that Cymbeline, GA, hosts an annual Shakespeare festival.  But stage-struck Nina Fleet is about to learn that putting on an amateur theatrical production can be murder.  Nina's anticipating showbiz glamour and glitz when a community Shakespearean troupe arrives for a two-week stay at her B&B.  But the lights dim when she learns the company's director is her nemesis, struggling actor Harry Westcott -- who still claims to be the rightful heir to Nina's elegant Queen Anne home.

Meanwhile, the troupe members are not content to leave the drama upon the stage.  Accusations of infidelity and financial malfeasance make a shambles of rehearsals.  And then, two days into the troupe's stay, the lead actor is found dead in Nina's formal Shakespeare garden.  Natural causes...or murder most foul?

Nina uncovers evidence that something is indeed rotten in the town of Cymbeline.  Too bad Harry is the only one who believes that she's not going completely off script.  And exposing the truth isn't easy when the remaining troupe members say the show must go on...particularly when all of them seemingly had a motive for wanting their fellow actor to permanently exit stage right.  Determined to keep the killer from making a curtain call, Nina and her trusty Australian Shepherd, Matilda, join forces with Harry to sleuth out the murder plot.  Will they succeed before somome else shuffles off this mortal coil?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Nina Fleet owns a B&B in Cymbeline, Georgia.  She's expecting a Shakespearean troupe to be staying at her home, since they will be putting on Hamlet during the Shakespeare festival in town.  What she's not expecting is that the troupe is headed by her foe Harry Westcott, an actor who insists that her home really belongs to him.  She's not looking forward to dealing with him again, but unless she wants to ruin the festival, there's no way to turn him out.

Once everyone is settled in her home, she meets the rest of the troupe and soon realizes that Len Marsh, who is playing the lead, is also a bully toward the rest of the players.  But when Len is found dead in her Shakespeare garden, everyone thinks it was natural causes.  Everyone, except Nina.  And when one of the other actors gets ill becomes ill, she wonders if that person isn't the target of a murderer, too.  Once again enlisting Harry to help - once he believes her - Nina knows she has a murderer under her roof, and intends to find out who it is and who the intended next victim might be...

Nina is convinced that Len was murdered, but she obviously doesn't know who the killer is, and when she starts looking, she learns that every member of the troupe might have had reason enough to want him dead.  So in between a little sleuthing on her own, she finally enlists Harry, who eventually agrees to help her.  In this effort, Nina is conscripted to also work as an actor in the play, although she doesn't have any lines; presumably to keep an eye on the actors during the play and make sure no one harms anyone else.

This is the second book in the series and I have to say that it's quite an improvement over the first.  I really didn't like Harry in the first book, but in this one he's a lot more human in the fact that he's not threatening to take Nina's home every two seconds.  They actually become friends in this book, and I find that attractive and it made the book more enjoyable to read.

While the mystery is done well, shortly after Len was murdered I discovered who the murderer was and while the rest of the plot followed that, I can only say that I read a lot of mysteries, so I usually have it figured out immediately anyway.  But I did like the Shakespeare aspect, and the fact that it was a troupe of actors involved, and that with the Hamlet background it all fell into place.  It made for a good mystery with interesting characters, and that's what mysteries are supposed to do.  All in all, this was an entertaining book and I will read the next in the series.

https://www.amazon.com/Peachy-Scream-Georgia-Anna-Gerard/dp/1643853066/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3323584908

More on Anna Gerard's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/anna-gerard/

Double Trouble (A Davis Way Crime Caper #9)

Author:  Gretchen Archer
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover: Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN:  9781635115703; 9781635115673
Henery Press Publishing
256 Pages
$31.95; $15.95; $6.99 Amazon
June 9, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Davis Way smells T-R-O-U-B-L-E when she's fired from half of her part-time job at the Bellisimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  The quarter-time job she's left with is lulling her to sleep, exactly what she's doing when Birdy James, centenarian director of the casino's Lost and Found department, disappears.  With five million dollars.

Davis just can't help believing Birdy didn't do it, if no no other reason, she's too old to spend it.  If Davis doesn't find the little old lady and the money fast, she'll lose what's left of her job, at which point, there goes her Belissimo everything.

What she needs is a good luck charm.  What she gets is her home invaded by hard-headed women, a soft-hearted little man, and major carpet troubles, the combination of which sends Davis's already suspicious mind into overdrive, and that lands her between a jailhouse rock and a very hard place.

A little less conversation and a lot more action are called for if Davis has any chance of saving herself, her marriage, her job, and the heartbreak hotel she calls home.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Davis Way Cole lives on the twenty-ninth floor of the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.  This is due to the fact that she's the wife of Bradley, General Manager, and mother to a pair of three-year-old twin grils.  She's also part of a three-person security team for the resort, along with Fantasy and Baylor (just Baylor).  When her husband puts her in charge for the week he's going to be out of town - along with owner Richard Sanders and Davis's boss No Hair (forever), she agrees, thinking, what could go wrong?

Aside from the fact that five million dollars has completely disappeared?  And there's an Elvis convention filling the rooms and the town?  And the woman who runs the Lost and Found - where the money was left - is also gone?  Not much...unless you count Davis's mother, her ex-ex-mother-in-law, a missing cashier, a howling cat, frisky dog, and a smell so rancid it will put you in a coma...

When Davis and Fantasy are on the hunt for the missing money (and Birdy, the old, old lady who runs the Lost and Found) they don't want to tell Baylor.  Because he'll squeal and tell their boss and anyone else who will listen.  So the two women try everything to get the money back, but all that occurs is more problems..and more.  And what ensues is complete chaos, Davis trying to find a moment to regroup and not go insane, and her mother spending all her time cooking everything she can. (because cooking is love).

The casino is a madhouse, there are Elvii (or Elvises, depending on who's arguing the point) everywhere, and Davis is frantic to put her hands on the money and keep her family safe.  She's also discovering that what seems like an accident wasn't, but when she finds this out it may be too late for all of them -- in more ways than one.

It's a wild roller coaster ride from one end of the casino to another, and one floor to another, moving tomato plants, gawd-awful smells, and several missing persons needing to be located.  Meanwhile, she's babysitting a woman who's nearly a hundred, and trying to stay out of the sight of her mother and ex-ex-mother-in-law (a long, long story best saved for another time, and who shouldn't even be there in the first place, according to Davis).

Ms. Archer takes us on this crazy journey from the first page, and keeps us moving through the story like we're trying to find our way out of a house of mirrors at a carnival.  Without help.  With people trying to kill us.  It's fascinating, humorous, suspenseful, and even a little maddening (but that might just be Bea Crawford).  If you blink, you'll miss something.

It's an old saying: follow the money.  But in this case it's true - if you can find the money; which Davis can't.  So there's that.  But it starts with that thread and leads into a whole lot more, until you have a regular tapestry in front of you that she needs to unravel.  And it's the unraveling that's the most fun you'll ever have.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Trouble-Davis-Crime-Caper/dp/1635115701/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3321678452

More on Gretchen Archer's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/gretchen-archer/

Murder's No Votive Confidence (A Nantucket candle Maker Mystery #1)

Author:  Christin Brecher
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496721396
Kensington Publishing
282 Pages
$7.19; $4.99 Amazon
June 25, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jessica Sterling's candlelight-themed nuptials promises to be the perfect kick-off to the summer's first official holiday weekend.  Stella's thrilled to have been chosen to provide the decorative centerpiece for the wedding ceremony: a two-foot-tall scented unity candle -- a symbol of the happy couple's love.  But it looks like the bride-to-be's uncle won't be walking his niece down the aisle after he's found dead.  The murder weapon is Stella's seemingly indestructible candle, now split in two.

When a beloved local bartender is arrested, Stella's sure a visiting police captain running the case made a rush to justice.  With superstitious brides-to-be canceling orders and sales waxing and waning at her store, the Wick & Flame owner decides to do some sleuthing of her own.  Abetted by a charming reporter and challenged by the town's sexiest cop, Stella's determined to shine a light on the truth and uncover a killer who;s snuffing out her own flame.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Stella Wright owns Wick & Flame, making handmade candles.  She's expanding her business, and is creating a unity candle for bride-to-be Jessica Sterling.  She's also helping her pregnant best friend Emily Gardner, who's the wedding planner.  So Stella has a lot on her plate, trying to get her candles finished and help Emily where she's needed.

Stella's very proud of the two-foot-high candle that she's created using a special wax so that it will be strong enough not to crumble when lit.  But she's not so proud when she and members of the wedding party walk into a room at the Melville, where the wedding is to be held, and find Jessica's Uncle Simon dead - struck by the heavy candle.

Now Stella's also caretaker of Simon's cat, Tinker, who seems to be a wonder in himself; her friend Andy Southerland, a police officer, is trying to keep her out of the investigation, which is headed by an out-of-town detective, and she's trying to keep customers, who seem to think the candle might portend bad luck for their upcoming weddings.  As if that weren't enough, an international movie star is staying close by and the woman seems to have taken a liking to Stella.  When one of her friends is arrested for the crime, she knows she can't keep her promise to Andy and sets out to find the real murderer, who just might be closer than she ever imagined...

This is the first in a new series, and for the most part, it was pretty decent.  So I'll get the bad out of the way now:  Stella seems to be interested in Peter, the new reporter for the local newspaper, but there's a hint of a love triangle to come.  I absolutely abhor love triangles, as I've said ad nauseam.  There's no reason for them at all.  If a man were stringing along two women, you'd think he was a dog, or worse.  So why is it okay for a woman to string along two men?  Why do the men go along with it?  It's not attractive, and it doesn't say much for the woman in question.  Only that she doesn't care about their feelings, but her own.  So if this series goes in that direction, then I will be done with it.  There are plenty of series out there that are just as good to read.

So, that being said, I do like the fact that Stella is a candlemaker.  I make them myself, so I know how time-consuming and difficult it can be to get them right.  I also love Tinker.  Hopefully he won't be relegated to the one-book character and just hang around, but "help" Stella in other investigations, too.  I did like the secondary characters, especially Andy.  He's a solid soul, and really cares for her, even if she doesn't know it. 

The mystery was very good, giving us several suspects - the entire wedding party, in fact - and I was thrown off the mark a couple of times before I figured it out, so that's always good.  It's not much fun if you know the murderer the minute they step onto the page.  I also liked the descriptions of Nantucket, and I really like the fact that Stella has a thriving business and didn't run home because her relationship broke up and so is she.  It's quite refreshing to see this.

In the end, when the murderer is discovered, it's so very sad about everything that transpired the way it did.  But murder never makes sense anyway.  As I stated above, I really enjoyed this book and will read the next in the series to see where it goes.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Murders-Votive-Confidence-Nantucket-Mystery/dp/149672139X/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3319745468

More on Christin Brecher's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/christin-brecher/

Prologue to Murder (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #2)

Author:  Lauren Elliott
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496720207
Kensington Publishing
336 Pages
$5.69; $5.41 Amazon
April 30, 2019

⭐⭐

Gossip columnists love a bold-faced name -- but "Miss Newsy" at Greyborne Harbor's local paper seems to specialize in bold-faced lies.  She's pointed a finger of suspicion at Addie after librarian June Winslow never makes it home from a book club meeting.  And when June's found at the bottom of a steep flight of stairs, Addie's not only dealing with a busybody, but a dead body.

It's a good thing the guy she's dating is the police chief.  But both the case and her love life get moe complicated when a lanky blonde reporter from Los Angeles shows up.  She's trying her hardest to drive a wedge between the couple...as if Addie doesn't have enough problems dealing with angry townspeople.  Despite all the rumors, Addie doesn't know a thing about the murder -- but she plans to find out.  And the key may lie in a book about pirate legends that June published.  Now she just has to hunt down the clues before she becomes a buried treasure herself...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greystone owns a bookstore in Greystone Harbor, named after her family.  When the body of town librarian June Winslow is discovered, thanks to the local gossip column, everyone thinks Addie had something to do with it and are now shunning her.  She also discovers that police chief Marc, whom Addie has just started seeing, has been visited by his old flame, Lacey Davenport.  It doesn't help when Marc's sister wants Addie to back off and let Lacey have him, even though Marc assures her they're done; or that new doctor Simon has shown up and is interested in Lacey himself.

Then June's daughter visited Addie at the bookstore, giving her a box of her mother's things that contain an old treasure map.  Addie's convinced that this is the reason June was murdered, and convinces Marc that this is the reason June was killed.  Even if he disbelieves it, he wants to stay close to Addie, since Simon is going along with her theories.  So the three set out to discover the truth, but someone wants her out of it for good...

This is the second book in the series, and I have to say that it greatly disappointed me.  While I might have been interested in the mystery, two things that I absolutely detest occurred to stop it:  the entrance of the 'evil nemesis,' in the form of Lacey; and the beginning of a love triangle.  I absolutely abhor these things, and from what I can tell of future books, it doesn't get any better.  I've quit reading other series because of this.  There was no reason to bring in Simon, except to cause tension.  I did like Marc; not so much Simon; and unfortunately, this will be my last book in the series.  I'm not interested enough to continue because so much time is taken up with the 'will-she-or-won't-she' angle.  Let me put it this way: if it were one man stringing along two women, people would think he's a dog, or worse.  But for some reason it's fine if a female character does it?  No thank you.  Not for me.

Because of this, I couldn't even get into the mystery, due to the fact that every time something happened, one or the other would show up, and then the second man would show up right afterward.  Good way to ruin the mystery angle.  Things like this actually dull my enjoyment of a book.

At any rate, when the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it didn't really interest me anymore, and I didn't care about the reason why June was killed.  Sorry to say it, but it is what it is.

https://www.amazon.com/Prologue-Murder-Bookstore-Mystery-Elliott/dp/1496720202/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3318141755

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

Nacho Average Murder (A Country Store Mystery #7)

Author:  Maddie Day
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496723154
Kensington Publishing
336 Pages
$7.99; $6.89 Amazon
June 30, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

While looking forward to her high school reunion, Robbie's anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother's untimely death.  At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors -- avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes.  But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes.  With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery -- but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Robbie Jordan owns a restaurant and B&B back in Indiana, but right now she's in California, where she grew up, to attend her tenth high school reunion.  She's going solo, because none of the attendees are bringing their significant others, so she's spending time with people she knew in high school -- basically her friend Alana, who works in chemistry, and her friend Jason, who's a cybertech for the police department.  Who she can do without is the mean girl from school -- Katherine Russom, who obviously is still holding a grudge for some long ago infraction Robbie did to her in high school, that Robbie can't even remember.

While there she's staying at a B&B that offers excellent Mexican food, and she's also sampling much of the local fare that she can't get back in Indiana.  But learning more about Agrosafe, the company that Katherine's father Walter owns, and has been peddling to farmers around the area, has her wondering if her mother wasn't a victim of poisoning to get her out of the way.  After speaking with a friend of her mother's, Paul, he's soon found dead and Robbie tells the police to check for poison.  Now she's on her own mission - to find out more about Agrosafe, her mother and Paul's death, and if either of their deaths were intentional...if only she doesn't get put out of the way herself...

This is the seventh book in the series and I've read all of them.  There were a couple of things that bothered me, so I'll get those out of the way first:  I've actually never been to a high-school reunion that didn't allow spouses or significant others.  It even seems odd that someone would want to go without them.  That's half the fun - introducing your spouse to the people you went to school with, so they can put faces to the stories you tell.  Also, I didn't like the fact that Robbie didn't have a house sitter and left poor Birdy alone again - with only Danna coming over to feed and water him.  The poor baby has to be lonely there by himself.  (Yes, cats do get lonely, just like dogs).  Then, I've come to the conclusion that Abe isn't her boyfriend, since they're rarely together.  They're more like friends with benefits.  I get that they both work, but there's always excuses why they can't see each other.  If you love someone, you want to be with them.  Period.  So there's that; and I'm done with my personal opinions.  (Yay).

But back to the story:  when Robbie has suspicions, she naturally wants to know if her mom died an unnatural death, instead of the brain aneyurism that was listed.  So she starts to investigate, and it brings her to the company that Katherine's father owns - a company that might be poisoning people and animals if the farmers use it.  A chance encounter with a local woman has her convinced of this, so she investigates further.

But it also puts her in the eye of someone who doesn't want her investigating, and she discovers that she's being followed.  While she's able to elude the mysterious car, it's apparent that even the police know what's going on.  With the help of Jason and Alana, Robbie gets closer to the truth, which surprises her when answers come from the most unlikely source ever. 

The plot was done well, and the mystery was taut with enough red herrings throughout to make us also question Robbie's mom's death.  This makes for an interesting mystery that can be read in one evening.  It's intriguing to watch Robbie try to put the pieces together without ruffling the feathers of the police and the people who don't want her to investigate.  The murderer was also someone who was unexpected, and it really was a senseless death, but then, murder always is.  This was an enjoyable book and I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Nacho-Average-Murder-Country-Mystery/dp/1496723155/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3315926184

More on Maddie Day's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/maddie-day/

Strangled Eggs and Ham (A Country Store Mystery #6)

Author:  Maddie Day
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496711250
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$7.99; $5.99 Amazon
June 25, 2019

⭐⭐⭐

While Robbie scrambles through breakfast orders for her expanding clientele at Pans 'N Pancakes, tempers run as high as the sticky August heat in South Lick, Indiana.  Real-estate developer Fiona Closs plans to build a towering luxury resort at one of the most scenic hilltops in Brown County, and not everyone can see the sunny side of the imposing proposition -- including Robbie's furious Aunt Adele, who doesn't waste a minute concocting protests and road blockades.  When tensions boil over and a vocal protester is silenced forever at the resort site, Robbie ditches the griddle to catch the killer.  But if slashed tires are any indication, she'll need to crack this case before her own aunt gets served something deadly next...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Roberta "Robbie" Jordan owns Pans 'N Pancakes, a restaurant serving breakfast and lunch, in South Lick, Indiana.  She's had it for a little over a year, and is happy with the way her business is growing.  Right now her new bed and breakfast has only three guests - a married couple and Gregory DeGraaf, an attorney who's on vacation.

When Gregory hears about a developer in town who wants to plan a new resort that will change everything from traffic and noise, he wants to help the group who's protesting, which includes Robbie's aunt, Adele.  But when Robbie's friend Lou, who's been getting close to Gregory, finds his body - and he's been murdered - now the police are looking to find a killer, and one who might not yet be done...

This is the sixth book in the series, and I have read them all.  Unfortunately, I also believe that it's the weakest.  While I still enjoy Robbie and the rest of the characters, it's almost as if the author decided that because she couldn't find a decent "role" for characters to play, she'd find ways to keep them out of the picture.  For example, Robbie's boyfriend Abe is MIA in this book, being out of town for a conference.  He works on telephone wires.  What kind of conference would take him out of town for a week?  (No offense to people who are linemen; without them we wouldn't have phones, etc.; and it can be dangerous at times).  I also found it odd that a woman in her thirties has never heard the term "cherry picker" before nor knew what it was.

Then, it bothered me that some things were never explained, which I will put in a spoiler below so as not to ruin the book for those who haven't read it yet:

What happened with the police finding about Wayne's affair? Did he have an affair with Gregory's ex-wife? It was mentioned, but that's as far as it went. Then, why was Gregory killed? Just because he was representing the group didn't seem reason enough to murder him, and they weren't doing anything illegal by wanting to build a resort, so why murder the man? Why try to kill Adele? Were they going to murder every protester even though they'd already been turned down? Wouldn't it have made more sense to go after the people who actually DID turn them down instead?

I also didn't understand why Mike was so angry with Robbie.  Robbie had nothing to do with the protests against the resort, and she had no influence with anyone.  Maybe if Mike were angry with Barb I could understand it, but anger-by-proxy because Adele is her aunt?  Seriously?

In the end, I already knew who the killer was, but I still felt a bit disappointed in this book compared to the others.  Hopefully in the next book things will get back to their groove.

https://www.amazon.com/Strangled-Eggs-Country-Store-Mystery/dp/1496711254/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3314015839

More on Maddie Day's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/maddie-day/

Death by Darjeeling (A Tea Shop Mystery #1)

Author:  Laura Childs
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780739417959; 9780425179451
Berkley Prime Crime
242 Pages
[Various] $7.99; $7.99 Amazon
May 1, 2001

⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's tea for two hundred or so at the annual historic homes garden party.  And Theodosia, as event caterer, is busy serving steaming teas and blackberry scones while guests sing her praises.  But the sweet smell of success turns to suspense when an esteemed guest is found dead -- his hand clutching an empty teacup.  All eyes are on Theo...who is now trying desperately to save her reputation and track down the real killer.  If only she can make sense of it all -- before someone else takes their last sip...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Theodosia  "Theo" Browning owns The Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston.  She left a job in advertising because she was tired of well, being tired.  Now she has employees she can count on, and a thriving business.  She's recently learned from one of her friends that Hughes Barron, a developer, is trying to buy the building next door so he can turn it into condos, as he's done closer to the beach.  Her friend is outraged, and figures Theo should be, too.  But Theo wants to see what he's up to before she goes off on anyone.

Unfortunately, at a garden party that Theo is catering, the man turns up dead with one of her teacups in his hand.  When Detective Burt Tidwell tells her he was poisoned, Theo knows it had to be in the cup, since no one else got sick.  But with one of her employees in Tidwell's sights, she decides to do a little sleuthing on her own to see if she can ferret out a killer.  Now, with a little help from her friends, Theo's on a mission to find out what's really brewing...

This is the first in the series and I have to say that I like Theo.  She's reserved, but it's because she was raised to be a lady in the South.  She doesn't go off accusing people, and she doesn't put herself in dangerous situations, nor asks her employees to do so.  Most of her information comes from asking people she knows will have the answers, and it's interesting to watch her do so; she even asks her late father's law partner for a favor.

While there wasn't a lot of action in the book, it wasn't supposed to be.  Theo is quiet and attractive, thoughtful and intelligent.  She owns a dog, Earl Grey, that she adores, and is close with her Aunt Libby, who still lives on the plantation she grew up on.  Although there wasn't a lot of description of the surrounding area, I hope that this will be remedied in future books.  I have to say that I do love Drayton and would love to have a friend like him.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it was a bit of a surprise, and it's got a different twist how Theo gets herself out of the situation.  The reason behind the murder made sense in the murderer's mind, but that's about it.  People are going to be what they are, and there isn't anything else you can do about it.

All in all, a nice cozy that can be read in one evening, with a recipe in the back for those who want to try it.  I will read the next in the series to see where it goes.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Darjeeling-Tea-Shop-Mystery/dp/0425179451/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3312173442

More on Laura Childs's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/