[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Teddie St. John is an author living in Lake Potawatomi, Wisconsin with tons of friends and her family nearby. A cancer survivor, Teddie took early retirement from her government job and toured Europe before settling down at home to become an author of cozy mysteries. Life is too short to not do what you love.
Tavish Bentley is an author, too, visiting Lake Potawatomi for a book signing. Teddie ends up missing it due to a hot flash issue (early menopause thanks to her cancer). But she’s first on the scene to find Bentley’s ex-fiancée dead. And to discover the woman was strangled with a scarf someone stole from Teddie earlier in the day.
As a mystery writer, Teddie can’t ignore a murder mystery right in her home town. And as a suspect, she needs to clear her name before her publisher drops her for violating the morality clause in her contract. So she’ll be pressuring her friend the sheriff for details and keeping her ears open for clues. And maybe even going under cover! Whatever it takes to find a killer before they strike again.
Review
This was fabulous!! From the very first page, the writing and the voice grabbed me. In fact, in those early pages it felt like nothing I had read before. The voice is fresh and fun. I would love to be part of Teddie’s circle. (I am a Wisconsin girl, too, and from the area around where Lake Potawatomi is supposed to be.) Every reference to kringle (the Wisconsin stuff, not that stuff in the one Hallmark Christmas movie) made me crave it.
As if all of the Wisconsin pieces weren’t enough to endear this to me, Teddie is fabulous. She’s a writer, and a mystery writer at that. And her whole vibe over being a cancer survivor is brilliant. She discusses her mastectomy in a matter-of-fact way, sometimes with humor, which made her stand out for me compared to other mystery protagonists.
So, by all means pick this up for the perfect setting and awesome protagonist. But stick around for the great mystery. I had two favorite theories going into the home stretch, but I had to wait for the big reveal to find out which would be correct. Also, I don’t usually like mysteries where the protagonist is the main suspect. I find them extra stressful. But the balance here of suspects was terrific. The author paces the whole novel in such a way that Teddie can really dig into investigating a suspect. I loved it! She also does a great job of giving Teddie a reason for sleuthing that felt plausible.
I was thrilled to discover the second book in the Bookish Baker Mystery series – Deadly Delights – is already scheduled for summer 2021. And I also realized I have a review copy of the launch of the author’s second cozy series – the Faith Chapel Mystery series – waiting to be read. I’ll be reviewing Hope, Faith, and a Corpse in January 2021. In fact, as I looked into the author’s backlist I discovered that I have read her work before. She published at least two books with Thomas Nelson (Christian) publishing that I enjoyed years ago – Reconstructing Natalie (2006) and Miss Invisible (2007). I can recommend those books, too.
I am so pleased to support this fellow Wisconsinite and a great writer. Cozy fans should NOT miss Murder Most Sweet!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥♥= Outstanding, Excellent, Amazing