DEATH OF A CHOCOLATE CHEATER by Penny Pike

COLLARED FOR MURDER by Annie Knox

DEATH OF A CHOCOLATE CHEATER

Book 2 in the Food Festival Mystery series 

by Penny Pike

Food truck vendor Darcy Burnett unwraps a murder at the San Francisco Chocolate Festival in this mystery from the author of Death of a Crabby Cook…
 
At this year’s chocolate festival, Darcy and her Aunt Abby hope to win the $10,000 prize in the chocolate contest with Aunt Abby’s taste sensation: the chocolate raspberry whoopee pie. A little friendly competition from Darcy’s sometime-beau Jake Miller, who plans to enter with his chocolate cream puff delight, only sweetens the deal. But things get sticky when one of the judges, Polly Montgomery, is taken out of commission—permanently.
 
The suspects include every contestant with reason to believe Polly wasn’t too sweet on their sweets, including Aunt Abby’s high school friend. Now Darcy must pick through an assortment of secrets to catch a killer before someone else gets a bittersweet finish.

MY REVIEW

Anyone who knows me knows I love chocolate. So how was I going to pass up a cozy mystery that has chocolate in the title? I didn’t. Especially not when that book was the second installment of the Food Festival Mystery series!

Author Penny Pike has a wonderful style of writing. Her books read as though the words flow effortlessly from her fingers. She has a great talent for penning exciting and fun mysteries. With DEATH OF A CHOCOLATE CHEATER there were times that I held my breath, and others where I literally laughed out loud. Lines like . . . I reached into the container and helped myself. Taking a tentative bite, I let the sweet morsel dissolve on my tongue. The flavor flooded my mouth.   Wow. Chocolate crack. . . Seriously, I went from drooling over what protagonist, Darcy was eating, to snorting with laughter over “chocolate crack”.

The characters in this series are an absolutely delightful mix of personalities. The way they interact makes you want to be part of their inner circle. I look forward to seeing them even more fleshed out in future stories.

The mystery in DEATH OF A CHOCOLATE CHEATER had so many facets. Much more going on than you would expect. Ms. Pike took me on a twisting, turning thrill ride that lasted all the way to our destination . . . the exciting reveal! To paraphrase character Darcy, “Wow. Book crack.” I am officially addicted to this fantastically tasty series.

Author Pike has also included half a dozen tempting recipes at the back of the book, as well as a sneak peek of book 3, DEATH OF A BAD APPLE!

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COLLARED FOR MURDER

Book 3 in the Pet Boutique Mystery series 

by Annie Knox

Groomed for Murder’s Izzy McHale is back, and her pet boutique, Trendy Tails, is raking in the green. But someone else in town is seeing red.…

The Midwestern Cat Fanciers’ Organization is bringing its annual weeklong retreat to Merryville, Minnesota. While that’s perfect for Izzy’s business, it unleashes headaches for everyone else. The event has lots of workshops on the care and breeding of cats, and it culminates in a cat show with a fabulous prize—a platinum collar dangle worth some big bucks.

Cattiness, of course, ensues. But the claws really come out after the prize disappears, and the wealthy director, Phillip Denford, is done in with a pair of grooming shears. Now Izzy and her furry friends, Packer and Jinx, can’t waste time pussyfooting around. They have to solve this case before a killer pounces again.

MY REVIEW

Author Annie Knox does not disappoint with her latest book in the Pet Boutique Mystery series. It was a pure pleasure to read. The first books were nothing short of brilliant. And this third installment, COLLARED FOR MURDER is pawitively purrfect! I was hooked on this book like a cat with a catnip toy.

The characters in this series are wonderful. I’ve enjoyed them since the beginning of the series. But in this newest book they really come to life and jump right off the page! The humor Ms. Knox brings with phrases like “a few walleye short of a fish fry”, the reader should be warned not to be drinking or eating while reading this for fear of doing a spit take. I laughed until I had tears in my eyes!

It was a little way into the story before the discovery of the body. That’s something I like very much. I enjoy getting involved in a book before all heck breaks loose. Never fear though, there is not one dull moment to be found in this book. But once that body is found, the action ramps up another notch and it’s a hang-on-for-dear-life ride from that point on.

With writing talent like she displayed in this book, author Annie Knox is going to be on the scene for a long time to come.

I can tell you with certainty, if you love a great mystery, fun & quirky characters, and pets of all kinds, this series is the one for you!

DEATH OF A CHOCOLATE CHEATER 

and 

COLLARED FOR MURDER  

are now available for pre-order! 

Both titles release 

Tuesday, June 2!

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