Debra H. Goldstein

"Bill's dead and, uh, I'm afraid the police think I killed him."

I was hooked from the first line. Imagine getting that phone call from your twin sister Emily. As if learning that Emily is the lead suspect isn't tricky enough, Bill is Sarah's ex-husband.

The twins live and work in Wheaton, Alabama. Sarah never left, and Emily returned to their hometown due to a culinary offer she couldn't refuse as she was working her way up the chef ladder. Thankfully, Sarah's currently a receptionist at a law firm, so a phone call to her boss Harlan has ensured he'll meet Sarah at the police station. Adding to Sarah's stress is that she may be forced to give up RahRah, the Chocolate Siamese cat Bill gave to Sarah after his mother died, as he was allergic to cats.

I loved this cozy as it is appealing in setting and pace with the crime at a weekend Food Expo, the twin sisters for the dynamics in their relationship to the deceased, the natural ease of a lawyer's pro bono availability due to Sarah's employment, the different possibilities for the motive of the crime increasing suspects, the impact that could lead to dual losses of a sister's arrest and a dearly loved feline heightening anxiety and doubling sleuthing avenues.

I'm very excited to continue reading this series!

Includes recipes for Sarah's Spinach Pie and the infamous Jell-O in a Can from the 1950s when Jell-O and Dole Pineapple joined forces to create the Jell-O in the Pineapple Can recipe. Guidance on cracking an egg with one hand and ingredients for Rhubarb Crisp are within the story.… (mer)

When Sarah Blair’s arch nemesis is the main suspect in not one but two murders that take place in her place of business Sarah can’t help feeling just the tiniest bit compassionate for approximately the time it takes Jane to open her mouth again. Unwillingly finding herself involved in finding the right culprit to ensure the safety of herself and her mother during the filming of a reality show at Jane’s Place and Southwind This installment of the Sarah Blair Mysteries is a real page turner. The author has a knack of detail that brings the story to life as she writes one heck of a puzzling mystery!… (mer)

I’ve been reading the Sarah Blair Mysteries by Debra H. Goldstein since book one and have really been enjoying them, but Five Belles Too Many didn’t have the same effect on me. The reason being was because there was so much of the main character going on very lengthy thought monologues about the various suspects and the reasons why they could me the murderer.

If you’ve read previous cozies you know this is the usual, but these were like whole chapters, not just part of the chapter getting together with some friends and their murder board. This was Sarah having these long winded thoughts for the reader to read.
I was disappointed because there was so much room for crazy things to happen since this took place during a reality TV filming… I don’t even watch reality TV, and even I know there is so much room for hijinks!

The character development was as fantastic as always though, and I really love Maybelle and George and enjoy that Goldstein shows an older couple in love.

Every series has at least one book that isn’t as good as the reader is used to, so this won’t stop me from reading book six in the series.… (mer)