C. A. Phipps

Maddie moves from NYC back home to Oregon to help her sick grandmother. She finds her grandmother not as sick as was reported. Gran has an idea that Maddy open a bakery in town while Gran moves to the senior high rise. Maddy isn't gung-ho about it but decides to look at property that Gran has picked out for it. Her high school nemesis is the realtor but has a funny way of doing business. Why is she trying to keep Maddy from buying the place? Then the mayor dies and it looks like Maddy may be the murderer? Is she? Can she solve it before ex-flame turned sheriff arrests her for the murder?

I enjoyed this book. It sets the series up by introducing the characters and world building the town. I liked Maddy and Gran. They are feisty women who know what they want and will do what they have to to get it. Ethan, the sheriff, is tight-lipped during the investigation. It does not stop Maddy and her friends from investigating on their own. What happens during their investigation scared me for them. I did figure out the why of the murder and kind of the who.

I look forward to further adventures of Maddie and her crew.… (mer)

This book had a lot of potential. The blurb was intriguing and I liked the premise behind the mystery. But, I personally didn't think it was a very compelling read.

I'm always looking for cozies that bring something new to the genre. So, I liked how the book at least started off with a no-murder mystery - the disappearance of many pets, including Maddie's.

However, the book drags at many points. At times, I found myself asking when the book would end or when the next big clue would be found. I think the book would have been more compelling if certain parts were cut. Maybe a writing style where Phipps shows instead of telling the reader the story could have also tightened up the book.

I found Maddie to be unrealistically naïve at many points, especially since she's supposed to have worked at a bakery in New York City. For example, she doesn't vet the intern she's hiring. She believes that the police department should increase their resources on the missing pet case in spite of the department lacking physical evidence of the blackmailing and in spite of the other more pressing and violent cases the police has to deal with.

Characters don't have to be perfect and it's ok that they have flaws in spite of (or perhaps because of) their life experiences. However, in cozy mysteries I think these flaws should not be magnified to the point where the reader is frequently exasperated or annoyed with a character, especially if it's the protagonist.

Readers who like trying to solve the mystery of a book should be aware that it's not really possible to do so with this one as there aren't that many clues that readers can use. Readers should also be aware that there are several typos in the book. However, the typos aren't too distracting.

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… (mer)