The Weekly Reader #5

This week, I've got two great mystery/suspense books to tell you about.

Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack

Deseret Book
978-1-60641-813-0

320 pages, softcover
Culinary Mystery

From the publisher:

When Sadie Hoffmiller's new friend, Eric Burton, receives word that his missing daughter's body may have been found in Florida, he immediately packs his bags, but Sadie is determined to stay home and prove to everyone that she is not a busybody.

But when she senses Eric is hiding something, Sadie is compelled to take action. Before shee knows it, she's in the heart of Miami, trying to piece together a trail littered with broken relationships, mysterious strangers, and forged documents that might just provide Eric the answers he's been desperately searching for—or reveal a truth he may not be ready to face.

Sadie must also face a difficult question: Where is her heart leading her? Onward into Eric's adventurous arms? Or back home to the stable and steady Pete Cunningham? If only love was as easy as following a recipe.

Read Chapter 1 here.

This is book #4 in the Sadie Hoffmiller series—and while you don't have to read the books in order, I recommend that you do. We meet Sadie in Lemon Tart, when her neighbor is murdered. This is also when Sadie meets handsome Pete Cunningham. In English Trifle, Sadie travels to London with her daughter, only to get caught up in a mystery when one of the help is murdered. In Devil's Food Cake, another mysterious murder catches her attention and introduces her to Eric Burton. In this book, not only is she involved in a fourth mystery, but she must sort out her feelings for Pete and Eric. Not an easy task.

I loved Key Lime Pie. I rarely give 5 full stars to any book, but this one gets it. I loved everything about it. Want to know how much I loved it? I loved it so much that I decided to forgo my Sunday afternoon nap so I could finish it.

Yep. That much!

The characters are interesting, unique, quirky—especially Sadie. She is so determined not to be a busybody, and yet, that's one of the traits that makes her so endearing. I love the way her mind works—and her heart.

In addition to being a fun suspense, Key Lime Pie was also satisfying in the relationship department. At the end of Lemon Tart, I firmly wanted Sadie to end up with Pete. But by the end of Devil's Food Cake, I was really liking Eric. I was in a quandary at the beginning of KLP, not knowing for sure who I wanted her to be with. But by the end of the book, I can honestly say, I liked her choice.

The plot has a lion's share of twists and turns. Several times I thought I had it all figured out, only to have the story spin off into another layer of intrigue and mystery. KLP was a completely engrossing and totally fun mystery!

If you like culinary mysteries like Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Schulz mysteries or Gayle Trent's Daphne Martin series, you'll love Sadie Hoffmiller.

(And for my non-LDS friends, even though this book is published by Deseret Book, there is absolutely no mention of religion whatsoever in the book.)

Cold as Ice by Stephanie Black

Covenant
978-1-60861-013-8

304 pages, softcover
Suspense

From the publisher:

After five patient years, Abigail Wyatt's sisterly care is finally paying off: her younger brother, Derek, is abandoning his self-destructive lifestyle and seeking his parents' forgiveness, thus ending the painful estrangement that wounded the whole family. But just as the pieces are falling into place for the prodigal's return, a woman is murdered in a local park—and police name Derek as the prime suspect. Rather than standing firm and cementing the positive changes in his life, Derek succumbs to his cynical fears and runs from the law, leaving Abigail with her hands tied. Literally.

Derek's raw panic convinces everyone that he's the killer—everyone except Abigail, who doggedly maintains her brother's innocence. With the help of Kyle, a friend she might be falling for, Abigail digs deep into the murdered woman's troubled past in hopes of clearing Derek's name. But as she uncovers a sinister plot of greed, envy, and vengeance, this loyal sister must face the painful truth that things—and people—are not always as they seem.

I love Stephanie Black's mysteries. Her dark and twisty book, Fool Me Twice, is one of my all-time favorites. Like that book, Cold As Ice is LDS suspense. While religion does not play a big part in the story, it is mentioned occasionally and LDS beliefs on repentance and forgiveness are part of the motivating forces behind some of the characters' actions. However, it's not at all preachy and I doubt non-LDS readers would be offended by it.

I wasn't immediately captivated by Abigail's personality. I felt she lacked the spark I've come to appreciate in Stephanie's other protaganists. But as the story went on, I grew to respect her courage, her determination and her commitment to her brother. Also, she owns a bookstore. That means she's totally cool in so many ways that I forgive her for being kind of wishy-washy at times.

I absolutely loved Abigail's brother, Derek. He reminded me so much of some people I know and my heart went out to him. I could totally see why he'd do the stupid things he did, making things worse and adding to the suspicion surrounding him.

Several promising love interests for Abigail wound their way through the plot, all of whom are also possible murderers—her ex-boyfriend, Brendan Rowe, who easily loses his temper when his reputation is threatened by Derek's situation; newly-available Kyle, who comes on a bit too strong for comfort; Chase McCoy, artist wanna-be, who is determined to get his paintings into Abigail's store; and Ethan Hanberg, the murder victim's ex-husband. While the potential romances were extremely underplayed, they provided tension and interest as each of them may have had motive and opportunity.

I suspected the real bad guy early on in the book, but couldn't say for sure who it was until just a few pages before it was revealed. I like it when that happens. Also, I like the romantic turn at the end but wish it had been played up a bit more, earlier in the story.

I give Cold as Ice 4 solid stars. I recommend this to readers to who like suspense, but want it without the gore and swearing.

*I won Cold As Ice in a blog give-away. Key Lime Pie was a trade, in exchange for typesetting a postcard for the author. Neither book was given to me in exchange for a positive review.