Sheriff Joanna Brady is on her way home after making funeral arrangements for her mother, Eleanor, and her step-father, Dr William Morrow September 2016
Sheriff Joanna Brady is on her way home after making funeral arrangements for her mother, Eleanor, and her step-father, Dr. George Winfield, who were victims of a teen-aged binge killer, when she gets a call from her chief deputy, Tom Hadlock, about two female bodies that could possibly be a double homicide or murder/suicide. After a quick trip home to change clothes and eat, the pregnant sheriff is off again and upsetting her husband, Butch, because she’s working too hard.
The victims were either pushed or jumped off of Geronimo, a double humped limestone peak, and are laying one on top of the other. The bodies were discovered by two young boys who slipped out of their house to go climb Geronimo, which is a tradition in Bisbee. The coroner declares the women were dead when their bodies landed on the ground, and pronounces this is a double murder. Investigation shows that the women weren’t acquainted. Desiree Wilburton, a graduate student, had been camping and looking for a rare cactus. Susan Wilson lives and teaches in Sierra Vista and is married. Her husband, the good Reverend Wilson, has nothing good to say about his wife. With little clues here and there, Joanna Brady is able to find the dark and dirty killer that is hiding in plain sight.
As usual, J. A. Jance leads us on a merry pursuit of chasing shadows and red herrings, while enjoying every bit of time spent. Joanna has a lot on her plate, and the fact she hasn’t slowed down is causing some friction in the marriage. She hasn’t grieved properly over the loss of her mom; her daughter, Jenny has just started college; and, Joanna has some strong issues concerning her newly found half-brother, Bob – he and his wife, Marcie, will be coming to Bisbee for the funerals. Add the fact she is taking care of her job and her five-year-old son, Denny, while expecting a baby girl in a few months, and anyone can understand why Butch is exasperated!
Ms. Jance always delivers a superb mystery starring a core of boldly drawn repeating characters readers care about. DOWNFALL delivers the good with the bad situations, and it is also emotionally beautiful. This is a terrific, evenly paced and gratifying read.
Secret Sisters By Jayne Ann Krentz Berkley December 2015
Madeline Chase’s grandmother, Edith, died under mysterious circumstances in a hotel fire three months ago leaving Madeline the sole heir to her estate which includes the chain of Sanctuary Creek Inns. The first Inn that Edith opened was in the San Juan Islands of Washington State – Aurora Point on Cooper Island. That property was abandoned nearly two decades ago and is looked after by Tom Lomax, a man hired as a caretaker. Madeline has just received a request from Tom that she come to see him about a problem they have. She makes the trip by herself, and upon her arrival she finds Tom bleeding out on the floor where it looks like he fell down the stairs. His last words to her are that he failed her. Madeline notices hair and blood on a broken stairway railing and believes Tom was struck from behind and shoved down the stairs.
Jack Rayner is one of two employees of Rayner Risk Management. He talked his way into the job with Edith, but Madeline is so closed mouth he thinks that his services are in now jeopardy. She calls him to join her at Aurora Point, and he is on the next flight out. When he arrives Madeline fills him in on several things including family secrets that should have stayed buried, but evidently have risen from their grave to haunt her.
Daphne Knight was Madeline’s best childhood friend and her mother, Clara, worked for Edith. Daphne saved Edith from being molested, but the aftermath of that scene left both children scarred. The Inn was closed the next day and everyone but Tom left the island. Madeline has a phone number for Daphne and calls her to warn her someone is looking for the briefcase that was hidden that horrible night. Daphne has just returned from a cruise to find her condo ransacked. She agrees to come to the island and adhere to the secret sister oath two frightened twelve year girls pledged eighteen years ago.
SECRET SISTERS is an excellent mystery with just the right amount of romance included. Jack is the epitome of an Alpha male hero and has his hand full with Madeline, who is an independent and obstinate kick-butt heroine. Someone wants Madeline and Daphne dead, and is determined to get the job done. Jayne Ann Krentz is a master of the written word in each and every genre she writes.
Melissa Sherman has returned to her hometown of Mystic, West Virginia after being gone for ten years. Lissa will be teaching fir COLD HEARTS Sharon Sala
Melissa Sherman has returned to her hometown of Mystic, West Virginia after being gone for ten years. Lissa will be teaching first grade and will be living in her late parent’s home free and clear. She left right after high school when Mack Jackson, the love of her life, accused her of a heinous act. Lissa has only been in town for two weeks and has already picked up a stalker.
Lissa’s car is giving her problems and she makes it as far as Paul Jackson’s garage and gas station before it dies on her. When Paul tells her he can’t start on it for 2 days she pleads with him since she has no other mode of transportation. He begins working on it that evening, and while he is underneath the vehicle someone comes in and releases the lift control switch; Lissa’s car lands on Paul’s head. Lissa discovers this nightmarish scene when she stops by the garage the next morning. Paul was Mack’s father, and Mack rushes to his father’s garage and sees the woman he loved more than life; the one that had betrayed him in an unforgivable way.
Lissa feels guilty that she encouraged Paul to work on her car last night; Mack tells her she should not feel that way and that he doesn’t blame her. These two star crossed lovers don’t want the other to know how much they have suffered in the past ten years. They have a rather stilted, but still pleasant relationship for a while. However, it’s easy to see they have deep feelings for each other.
Sheriff Trey Jakes wants to make sure that Paul’s death was an accident, and sets his deputies the tasks of finger prints, etc. As he is leaving, Betsy Jakes, his mother, calls and seems unduly disturbed to find out that Paul Jackson is dead. Years ago on their graduation night four teenagers were in a car crash that killed the driver, Connie. Recently two other passengers of that car have died; Dick Phillips was actually murdered and Paul Jackson has had a horrible accident. Betsy is convinced that these deaths are attributed to the car wreck, which in her mind means she will be the next one to die.
COLD HEARTS will keep the reader on pins and needles, as several storylines are twisted together in this multilayered fantastic whodunit. Melissa’s stalker gets bolder; the mysterious killer gets brasher. Sharon Sala has penned a spellbinding psychological thriller showcasing authentic and fully fleshed out characters. Plus, this story is told in a terrifically chilling narrative. The ground work is laid out for the next installment of this series, DARK HEARTS.
Somewhere west and maybe northwest of both Peyton Place and Harper Valley is a lush and lusty Canadian community called Honeymoon Falls. The town is p Somewhere west and maybe northwest of both Peyton Place and Harper Valley is a lush and lusty Canadian community called Honeymoon Falls. The town is promoting their name to attract weddings and honeymooners, and the day a large celebration is planned to kick off the fun and games, a couple dressed in wedding clothes is found atop a thirty-five foot wedding cake float. Iris Morland, the deceased “bride” is an authoress who has had a string of lovers her husband Kenneth keeps ignoring, and Connor Tarlech, the dead “groom” was an MIA that closed the town’s mill and disappeared with pension funds. There is sure to be a lot of suspects and Police Chief William Halsey has his job cut out for him in this 3-1/2 Stars episode.
Allan J. Emerson makes his debut in the cozy mystery field with a clever whodunit that introduces the community and population to his readers. Lucy Mitchum is a local reporter that thinks this story can boost her career. Mayor Selena Coyle has loved Connor for years. Chief Halsey doesn’t have any sworn officers to help him, just two quibbling non official lawmen – Larsen, a young man, and female Bailey a very vocal critic of everything. Helen Stewart and Tom Silas, RCMP are helping with the investigation.
DEATH OF A BRIDE AND GROOM is entertaining and exposes a lot of secrets and lies. Mr. Emerson has added large doses of humor, creative plotting, and romance. The story starts with a bang and unveiling the killer is a work of art. ...more
Zoe and Chloe Denning celebrate their twenty-first birthday in New Orleans by having dinner with some of their friends. Afterward, the group splits up
Zoe and Chloe Denning celebrate their twenty-first birthday in New Orleans by having dinner with some of their friends. Afterward, the group splits up, but they plan to get together in Baton Rouge before returning to All Saints. Zoe and Chloe are abducted before they can leave New Orleans; they wake up hours later nude, in separate cages, while a very large and hairy male, wearing nothing but a blacksmith apron, is cutting leather strips and singing “Happy Birthday” over and over. They manage to escape, but Chloe gets caught and is thrown back in the cage that is hidden below the ground in the killer’s house. Selma Denning, the twin’s mother, has tried to locate her daughters all night, and has a truly bad feeling about their disappearance and turns to her friend and counselor, Brianna Hayward.
Brianna pushes her way into the New Orleans Police Department and forces Detective Rick Bentz to see her. Bri is a psychologist who works with twin survivors; those who have lost their other half. Years back there was a serial killer known as the “21 Killer;” Donovan Caldwell was subsequently caught and is now in prison in California. Bri does not believe they have the right man; Caldwell is a distant relative of hers and she spent time in California trying to convince the police that he is not the mass murderer. Brianna feels that the 21 Killer is now in New Orleans and she has to convince Bentz virtuoso and Montoya to help her. As she is leaving the NOPD she is stopped by Jase Bridges, a reporter whom Bri had a crush on in high school. He had eavesdropped on her conversation with Bentz, and he wants to help her.
Bentz and Montoya have evidence that one of the vilest villains they have battled, Father John, is back in New Orleans.
Lisa Jackson keeps raising the bar for creating the most chilling and thrilling characters. Ms. Jackson is also a virtuoso when it comes to creating pulse pounding storylines and powerful pacing. Ms. Jackson skillfully counteracts emotion and tension to make NEVER DIE ALONE one of the edgiest novels she has written to date. It truly is “terrorific.”
Mary Handley was twelve in 1876 when she witnessed a murder. The victim was a Frenchman that was playing a machine in his train compartment that made such pleasant sounds; he closed door in her face. Mary slipped back a little later hoping to hear more of those magical sounds, but she saw a big man in a bowler hat leaving the Frenchman’s cabin with the deceased’s luggage. The Frenchman’s death looked like, and passed for, a suicide by hanging, but the little girl knew better. Mary has always been a precocious child and before the murder her ambition was to be a scientist or philosopher; after the murder she wants to become a detective. Her mother, Elizabeth, believes the finest achievement a woman can claim is to be a wife and mother. Mary’s bests her older brother Sean in just about any endeavor; but Sean is allowed to choose his life’s ambition of being a policeman and Mary is denied any formal education. She works at the Lowry Hat Factory, a sweatshop, and lives in a tiny one-room apartment in one of the worse sections of Brooklyn. She has a friend from the factory, Kate Stoddard, who lives one floor above her. Kate is engaged to be married.
Mary is well known in Sean’s precinct and she gets waylaid by a group of female protesters in front of the station picketing for the hiring of female police officers. Mary won’t join them, but Chief Patrick Campbell offers her a job with an added incentive of fifteen hundred dollars if she can catch a wanted killer before his detectives can. This makes Mary the first female detective in New York City and comes at the right time as she has just been fired from the sweatshop.
SECOND STREET STATION is a veritable font of rumors about such famous men of the late nineteenth-century as Thomas Edison, J. P. Morgan, Goodrich, and Tesla. Cocaine was considered a wonder drug and was used in over-the-counter medications and also prescribed by physicians. Some expensive wines and liqueurs were also laced with this narcotic One rumor is that the original inventor of Coca-Cola sold his formula due to his own addiction.
Lawrence Levy has spun a fantastic tongue-in-cheek story that is a page-turner and a half. Most characters are based on real people and the imagined incidents are remarkable. The conditions of the haves and have-nots, and most especially the women are depicted. The invented characters also have a real life feeling of their own. If you are an aficionado of “factoid” stories, this very clever, well written story is for you! ...more
J. P. Beaumont and his wife, Mel Soames, were agents for the Special Homicide Investigation Team (S.H.I.T
STAND DOWN
J. A. Jance
Witness Impulse July 2015
J. P. Beaumont and his wife, Mel Soames, were agents for the Special Homicide Investigation Team (S.H.I.T.), a task force hand-picked by then Washington State Attorney General, Ross Connors. The team was disbanded after Connors’ death and Beau is trying to decide what he wants to do; Mel has been named the police chief of Bellingham, Washington. Her appointment doesn’t sit well with some of the rank and file, especially Assistant Chief Austin Manson who thought he should have the job.
From Monday morning until Friday afternoon, Mel has been commuting to her job; staying at a hotel in Bellingham and returning to Seattle on Friday. Beau is working with Jim Hunt, his designer, to practically rebuild them a vintage “fixer upper” in Arlington; Jim designed Beau’s townhouse in Seattle. Beau is working on another house renovation for his colleague Harry I. Ball. The house needs to be brought into compliance for a wheelchair before Harry can be released from rehab.
STAND DOWN is a smartly written, page-turning novella with surprises galore: The disbanding of S.H.I.T.; the horrific repercussions of Harry’s accident; and the dangers of Mel’s new job. J. A. Jance gifts the reader with a first-rate story that leaves open the possibility of changes in Beau’s and Mel’s lives.
Reason and Madness are two halves of the same coin. For many years, Reason was the stronger of the two and c BE AFRAID
Mary Burton Zebra May 2015
Reason and Madness are two halves of the same coin. For many years, Reason was the stronger of the two and could control Madness; now, the coin has reversed and Madness is slowly becoming the dominant personality of a serial killing psychopath. He stalks his victims, lures them easily, and lets his understudies actually kill the unsuspecting before Madness sets fire to their bodies with diesel oil making identification difficult, but not impossible.
A house fire uncovers a body so badly burned it is nearly liquefied. The killer/arsonist shot their prey before setting fire to the body with diesel oil.
While tearing out an old fountain in Centennial Park, a Memphis city maintenance crew finds the bones of a child wrapped in a pink blanket and inside a plastic bag. Detectives Rick Morgan and Jake Bishop answer the call. Rick has just been in the homicide division a month following recovery from a shooting that critically wounded himself and his canine, Tracker; Bishop is a transplant from Boston. This is only the third time the city lake has been drained, the last time being several years ago. The detectives start their search for the child’s identification with missing persons beginning in that time frame.
Jenna Thompson, a trained forensic artist, is on a leave of absence from the Baltimore Police Department, and spends her evenings drawing portraits outside of KC’s bar in downtown Nashville. Jenna’s last case involving a child that had been locked in a closet for months brought back painful memories that she is having a hard time shaking. Rick Morgan is having a difficult time accepting that she would just walk away from a police job without some kind of reason. But, because she will do the sculpting of their tiny victim free, he accepts her offer, but keeps a real close eye on her and intends to find out all he can about her.
There are more murders and fires – same m.o. The victim is shot before the fire is lit. The only commonality in these deaths is that they take place in homes that are on the real estate market to sell, and the owners have moved out.
Jenna and Rick form a friendship based on respect. Rick still has nightmares of his close call with death while on the job; and Jenna keeps reliving the locked closet. Only when they let go of their ghosts will they be able to go any further together.
Mary Burton is a top notch romantic thriller/mystery novelist and she produces real, interesting, and very intelligent characters. BE AFRAID teems with precise dialogue, perfect pace and a loud, strong and clear narrative. The pieces of her plot lines fall into place like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Reason and Madness are now one and the same, and someone you never saw coming! Terrific book.
Maisie will soon be leaving India. She has helped set up a school in Bombay, and found a killer. She has been absent from London for about six months resting and soul searching, and it is time to return home and marry Viscount James Compton. The wedding takes place in August at St. Joseph’s Church in Chelstone. James and Maisie leave immediately for Canada. They have an apartment in Toronto, but also have a house in northern Ontario near James’ work as an aviator. James and Maisie have been married for six months in May of 1935 when Maisie writes her best friend, Priscilla Partridge, that she is pregnant. However, in November James is killed in a flying accident, and Maisie loses their unborn daughter. She cannot bear to return to England and she more or less disappears to lick her wounds.
Bombay, January 1937
Maisie wires her father and his wife that she will be sailing home. In March she decides to disembark her ship in Gibraltar, and the ship’s captain cannot convince her of the danger she is walking into with a civil war looming a short distance away in Spain. It doesn’t take long for Maisie to get involved in underground activities, and solving a murder. By staying in Gibraltar, Maisie is risking life and limb. World War II is looming, and the war clouds are building. But, Maisie has found a cause that fills the empty places in her heart and soul, and she is able to return home.
A DANGEROUS PLACE is poignant and beautiful, and might be the most remarkable entry to this excellent series. Jacqueline Winspear delivers a compulsive page-turner that captures the essence of pre-war. Ms. Winspear’s magnificently developed characters, intense pacing, and the enigmatic story threads captured this reader’s attention and held it spellbound from the beginning of this story to its ending.
Conway Adkins is found dead in his bathtub by his housekeeper, Mercedes. This woman cleans houses during the day and is a mortician/beautician at nigh Conway Adkins is found dead in his bathtub by his housekeeper, Mercedes. This woman cleans houses during the day and is a mortician/beautician at night at the House of Eternal Slumber in Savannah. Since Mercedes is on probation she calls attorney Walker Boone instead of the police when she discovers the body, seeing as how she’s not supposed to be around dead bodies unless they are on her table at the mortuary. Mercedes is convinced that the next customer on her house-cleaning-waiting-list killed Conway so they could move up. Reagan Summerside, owner of the Prissy Fox, an upscale consignment shop, shows up at Conway’s house to measure some furniture that he wants to sell on consignment through her shop. When the cops arrive, Walker, Mercedes, and Reagan are face to face with the unfriendly visage of Detective Aldeen Ross and two uniformed policemen. Walker has never liked Adkins, so that puts the attorney on Ross’ suspect list; however, Ross takes Mercedes to the station to get her statement. Walker will try to get Mercedes exonerated because she also cleans his house. His investigation and interviews prove very interesting. It seems Conway had a lot of enemies and most of them will benefit from his death. It also seems that new information brought to light about Walker and the victim can be used as a great argument that Walker is the killer.
Walker and Regan also share a history; two years ago Walker represented Regan’s ex-husband in their divorce that left Regan with nothing but a falling down Victorian house and a lot of bills. Regan wants the consignment money so she can buy a car. Her mode of transportation is a pink moped she has named Princess.
DEAD MAN WALKER is the prequel to Duffy Brown’s next Consignment Shop Mystery. The wonderful supporting characters especially Reagan’s Aunt Kiki, martini drinking wife of Dr. “Putter” Vanderpool; and Mercedes, friend and fellow trouble maker, make their contributions to this entertaining romp. DEAD MAN WALKER is a laugh-out-loud and clever keep-you-guessing mystery, which will just whet your appetite for DEMISE IN DENIM, the next installment of this series. Duffy Brown is truly in top form here. Regan and Walker are getting closer with every story, and they get real close in this one.
Private Investigator Delilah West witnesses what she believes to be is a hit and run accident, anHIT AND RUN
Maxine O'Callaghan
Brash Books February 2015
Private Investigator Delilah West witnesses what she believes to be is a hit and run accident, and contacts police. The car swerved to keep from hitting Delilah; therefore she was able to get a good look at the driver and the license plate. However, upon his arrest Michael Morales swears he did not hit anyone. The State will be asking for the death penalty; the victim was Joseph Collins, a seventy-two year old victim that had lived in a retirement village nearby, but has plenty of family in the area. Delilah and the over worked public defender join forces to prove that Joseph was already dead when the auto driven by Michael Morales hit him.
Delilah has had a run of bad luck for a long time. Once it is known that she has taken an interest in this particular case, Delilah is offered the dream job of a lifetime, thanks in part to her late husband’s ex-partner on the police force, and who is now a much respected PI.
This novella does an outstanding job of showcasing the talents of Maxine O'Callaghan. Ms. O'Callaghan surreptitiously lures her protagonists into a tangle of duplicity, lies and murder. Red Herrings are so plentiful in HIT AND RUN they are literally jumping into this pot boiler. Maxine O'Callaghan’s early books are being re-released by Brach Books, and they are excellent. ...more
An excellent novella. Ali and B. Simpson are getting married in Las Vegas on Christmas Day. All of their guests are at the same five-star hotel. B. ha
An excellent novella. Ali and B. Simpson are getting married in Las Vegas on Christmas Day. All of their guests are at the same five-star hotel. B. has taken his grandchildren-to-be shopping for their parent's Christmas gifts, and upon their return to valet parking a jerk throws a miniature dachshund out of his car and speeds off. Ali's young grandson runs into traffic to save the doggy from being killed. The poor little thing looks malnourished and abused, and B. takes the sweetheart back to his and Ali's suite. Ali has too much to do for the ceremony, and she isn't in the market for a dog, but will help B. find the animal's owner.
A very touching tale with the bonus of a wedding, children, and an animal. J. A. Jance can mesmerize the reader in a few pages as well as the longer format. Ms. Jance's characters are humanized, speak intelligent and clever dialogue, and the author's narrative is always spot on.
The Diva Runs Out of Thyme (A Domestic Diva Mystery) By Krista Davis Berkley Prime Crime October 2008
“A Domestic Diva Mystery” – Book One
A quick trip to the grocery store lands DC area culinary, celebrity columnist, Sophie Winston, in jail for first-degree murder. Sophie finds the body of a man who harassed her about taking a homeless kitten just as she was going into the store. When she comes out, the poor little kitty is wandering around near a dumpster. The corpse is later identified as a private investigator named Otis Pulchinski, and he had pictures of Sophie in his car. Who could have hired someone to follow her? And, why?
Sophie and Natasha Smith have been competitors since grade school, with Natasha usually coming out the winner. Sophie’s ex-husband Mars is engaged to Natasha, and please be advised that Natasha did not steal Mars from Sophie, as the couple called it quits over two years ago. Natasha is considered the authority ala Martha Stewart on all things domestic in the Washington, DC area. Sophie is also a domestic diva, but more low-key and realistic in matters of decorating and recipes ala Heloise. It is Thanksgiving time, and Sophie, Natasha, and three other contestants are vying for the distinction of having the best turkey dressing. Someone has sabotaged all of the cooks by mislabeling their condiments and spices. And guess what? Billionaire Simon Greer, the sponsor of this cook-off, is found dead in a room near the bake-off display. And just who finds the body? Duh…Sophie. Detective “Wolf” Fleishmann makes Sophie his number one person-of-interest in both murders and maybe in his future…..
This opening series of domestic diva mysteries is fantastic, with rich, well-drawn characters, especially Sophie’s ex-mother-in-law, June, who has conversations with her sister’s ghost. The conflict between Sophie and Natasha is amusing, and the advice at the beginning of each chapter from one of our two divas is clever and informative. Sophie is a magnet for trouble, and whether she likes it or not, Detective Fleishmann is going to be a permanent fixture in her life, be it arresting her or kissing her. Recipes, clues, outstanding interaction between characters, and a killer you would never suspect make this a great read.
Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery) By Ellery Adams Berkley Prime Crime July 2012
Ella Mae LeFaye realizes her husband is pond scum when he and twins from the New York apartment next door are having a menage de trois in the elevator that arrives to pick up Ella. She empties her bags of groceries on the group, goes after her dog, Chewy, and catches the next mode of transportation to Havenwood, Georgia. She has been away from her home for seven years, the entire time she was married and living in Manhattan and attending culinary school. Because she left so abruptly, Ellie did not finish school and this is her main regret.
Ellie has 4 aunts, and each lady has a very distinct personality trait. Ellie is closer to her aunts than she is to her mother, Adelaide, who grows beautiful roses. Ellie has always made pies for any and every reason – when she is sad, happy, uncertain, and so on. Her pies seem to make everything better, and not just for her. Therefore, the five LeFaye sisters are willing to back Ellie in a pie shop, and have a building picked out that will be perfect for the business. One problem, Ellie’s nemesis since the cradle, Loralyn Gaynor, wants the same building for another nail salon. When Loralyn loses the bidding war, she more or less threatens Ellie that she will be run out of town. So, is it just a coincidence that Ellie’s rolling pin is found near the dead body of Loralyn’s fiancee?
Pies and Prejudice is a truly entertaining cozy mystery wherein magical and unexplained happenings are the norm. Ellie has two suitors, her high school sweetheart Hugh Dylan, and veterinarian Dr. Knox Chandler. Ellery Adams has a talent for developing likeable and unlikeable characters, and intelligent dialogue. Plot lines and narratives are crisp and tight. This is a delicious way to while away a few hours, and then maybe whip up one or two of the scrumptious recipes included.
The Diva Frosts a Cupcake (A Domestic Diva Mystery) By Krista Davis Berkley Prime Crime June 2013
Sophie Winston is helping her BFF Nina with a fundraising event for animal shelters. The event is a black-tie dinner serving an eight course dinner consisting of cupcakes made by local bakeries. For example the appetizer is Avocado and Black Bean, Cupcake and the Desserts are Salted Caramel Cupcake and a Chocolate Coconut Cupcake. There are also dishes especially for animals.
Sugar Baby Cupcakes is owned by Renee and Joy, and a young woman named Muffin helps them out. However, this morning everyone on the square is talking about the partnership of Renee and Joy breaking up and Joy has opened another bakery right across the street named Sugar Mama Cupcakes. No one knows what caused the rift. Muffin could probably shed some light on this, but she’s been murdered in Renee’s bakery.
Sophie is publicly accosted and humiliated by Clarissa Osbourne who is telling everyone that Sophie is having an affair with Spenser Osbourne, Clarissa’s husband. And, Sophie’s friend since high school, Humphrey, thinks he is love with Renee, but is being chased by one of his colleagues. Oh, and I mustn’t leave out the dog that Spenser wants to adopt that gets “dognapped” and has everyone looking for him.
THE DIVA FROSTS A CUPCAKE is rollicking good fun, and Krista Davis adds a delicious new man in Sophie’s life – divorced attorney Alex German, nephew of General Euclid German. This doesn’t sit well with Sophie’s ex, Mars, who still hasn’t married Natasha. The well-defined characters, all of whom I consider my personal friends and frenimies, plus the witty story lines, makes this another winning Diva outing that is cooked to perfection. Of course bonus recipes are included, along with some for your fur-babies.