jen_baroness_mom's review
5.0
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Five Belles Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein joins reality television with murder and mystery in a witty tale of wedded bliss.
Our sleuth, Sarah, is wearing a few hats in this installment. She is her mother, Maybelle's chaperone for the Southern Belle contest, and must stay at Jane's Place overnight until all the scenes have been filmed. Yet, Sarah is still working with Harlan, the attorney's secretary during the day. Harlan has a trial coming up, keeping him and Sarah busy at the office. To add to the mix, Southwind, her family restaurant, is one of the vendors competing in the contest.
Sarah's boyfriend isn't in this story. However, she rekindles her friendship with Cliff. Taking them back to the friend zone works out well for the two, especially since Maybelle and Cliff's Uncle George are seeing each other. Sarah seems to be doing well. She is there for her family but able to be present at her job. It is slightly different with her not spending so much time with her pets. That did seem to throw her off balance a bit. Yet, overall, Sarah appears to be in a good place.
We start with Jane Clark arguing with the producer of the Southern Belle show about her contract. Seriously, that woman is drama. You would think that she would learn, but obviously, she doesn't. Later that same night, we find Alan dead with Jane kneeling over the body. It doesn't look good for Jane as Chief Gerard always looks for the easiest culprit. He is another one that you would think should learn from past mistakes. Although, it feels as if he is trying to be better at his job in this installment. Then we have another body found with Jane leaning over him. Clues are adding up for Jane. Honestly, Sarah helping Jane was a surprise, but then again, Sarah is such a nice person.
I was caught off guard. I thought it was a completely different person, one who was briefly made a red herring but nonetheless seemed shady to me. Ms. Goldstein surprised me. Next time I will have to follow the clues better.
I enjoyed Five Belles Too Many. Sarah Blair is one of those really nice, shy people that takes a bit to warm up to you. Sarah makes an excellent sleuth as people talk to her. Ms. Goldstein has a way of sucking you into the Wheaton community. My rating for Five Belles Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is five stars. If you are looking for a cozy culinary animal mystery, this is a good one.
There are three recipes included: Chef Bernardi's Breakfast Biscuits, Chef Wanda's Honey Baked Apples, and Wanda's Baked Pears. I plan to try that baked apple recipe this fall. I sound scrumptious.
Prize: (1) Print Copy - A Complete Set (total of 5 books) of the Sarah Blair Mystery Series (U.S. ONLY); (1) A Print Copy OR Digital Copy of Five Belles Too Many (Print U.S. ONLY); and (1) $10 Amazon Gift Card
Will Sarah figure out what happened before her archnemesis Jane ends up in jail?
Sarah Blair
Our sleuth, Sarah, is wearing a few hats in this installment. She is her mother, Maybelle's chaperone for the Southern Belle contest, and must stay at Jane's Place overnight until all the scenes have been filmed. Yet, Sarah is still working with Harlan, the attorney's secretary during the day. Harlan has a trial coming up, keeping him and Sarah busy at the office. To add to the mix, Southwind, her family restaurant, is one of the vendors competing in the contest.
Sarah's boyfriend isn't in this story. However, she rekindles her friendship with Cliff. Taking them back to the friend zone works out well for the two, especially since Maybelle and Cliff's Uncle George are seeing each other. Sarah seems to be doing well. She is there for her family but able to be present at her job. It is slightly different with her not spending so much time with her pets. That did seem to throw her off balance a bit. Yet, overall, Sarah appears to be in a good place.
The Mystery
We start with Jane Clark arguing with the producer of the Southern Belle show about her contract. Seriously, that woman is drama. You would think that she would learn, but obviously, she doesn't. Later that same night, we find Alan dead with Jane kneeling over the body. It doesn't look good for Jane as Chief Gerard always looks for the easiest culprit. He is another one that you would think should learn from past mistakes. Although, it feels as if he is trying to be better at his job in this installment. Then we have another body found with Jane leaning over him. Clues are adding up for Jane. Honestly, Sarah helping Jane was a surprise, but then again, Sarah is such a nice person.I was caught off guard. I thought it was a completely different person, one who was briefly made a red herring but nonetheless seemed shady to me. Ms. Goldstein surprised me. Next time I will have to follow the clues better.
Five Stars
I enjoyed Five Belles Too Many. Sarah Blair is one of those really nice, shy people that takes a bit to warm up to you. Sarah makes an excellent sleuth as people talk to her. Ms. Goldstein has a way of sucking you into the Wheaton community. My rating for Five Belles Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is five stars. If you are looking for a cozy culinary animal mystery, this is a good one.
There are three recipes included: Chef Bernardi's Breakfast Biscuits, Chef Wanda's Honey Baked Apples, and Wanda's Baked Pears. I plan to try that baked apple recipe this fall. I sound scrumptious.
Other Books in the Series
Giveaway
Prize: (1) Print Copy - A Complete Set (total of 5 books) of the Sarah Blair Mystery Series (U.S. ONLY); (1) A Print Copy OR Digital Copy of Five Belles Too Many (Print U.S. ONLY); and (1) $10 Amazon Gift Card
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Until the next time,
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
bookwormbunny's review
5.0
Five Belles Too Many is the 5th installment in Debra H. Goldstein’s Sarah Blair mystery series. Sarah’s mother and her friend George have been selected to participate in the reality show – Southern Belles. The winner gets a paid for wedding, or money for their honeymoon. While her mom knows it’s a long shot, it still sounds like a lot of fun. For everyone except for Sarah...and her nemesis Jane who isn’t pleased when Southwind gets pulled in for the meals. Jane’s in trouble, but things are only going to get worse when she’s found over a body. Looks like Sarah is going to have her hands full.
Five Belles Too Many is an engaging cozy mystery novel that had me trying to figure out – who could the killer be and why? Well, the number of suspects – many. Anyone could be the culprit when things start coming to light. The characters in this book are engaging and really help pull you into the story. You almost believe that you could cross paths with them should you go to this small town.
The mystery is well done and kept me page-turning trying to figure out who the culprit is. While I wasn’t able to piece all together to figure it out first, the author definitely took me on a ride with this book. With delicious foods (and yes, recipes) and a twisted mystery this book is a must read.
I’m rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you have enjoyed the previous books in this series then you’re not going to want to miss out on this addition. I’m looking forward to the next mystery and what the author has in store for Sarah and those around her.
Five Belles Too Many is an engaging cozy mystery novel that had me trying to figure out – who could the killer be and why? Well, the number of suspects – many. Anyone could be the culprit when things start coming to light. The characters in this book are engaging and really help pull you into the story. You almost believe that you could cross paths with them should you go to this small town.
The mystery is well done and kept me page-turning trying to figure out who the culprit is. While I wasn’t able to piece all together to figure it out first, the author definitely took me on a ride with this book. With delicious foods (and yes, recipes) and a twisted mystery this book is a must read.
I’m rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you have enjoyed the previous books in this series then you’re not going to want to miss out on this addition. I’m looking forward to the next mystery and what the author has in store for Sarah and those around her.
thriftyloco's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
I really enjoyed Five Belles Too Many. A big part of that is protagonist Sarah Blair, who can't cook. At all. It's so much fun to see a main character who can't cook up a 5-star feast in 20 minutes with three ingredients she found in the pantry. This installment in the series featured Sarah's mother starring in a reality show, with Sarah on-hand as her chaperone.
I really enjoyed the reality show aspect of the book! It was interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at how a show like this is made. It also makes me question the authenticity of some of my favorite reality programs...is there really this much manipulation going on? Fascinating!
The mystery itself was interesting because of the sheer number of suspects. Sarah (and the reader) have a lot to narrow down! Subtle clues were provided, but plenty of red herrings were there as well to keep the reader guessing. Once everything was revealed, it all made sense while still being something of a surprise to me.
I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in this fun series!
I really enjoyed the reality show aspect of the book! It was interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at how a show like this is made. It also makes me question the authenticity of some of my favorite reality programs...is there really this much manipulation going on? Fascinating!
The mystery itself was interesting because of the sheer number of suspects. Sarah (and the reader) have a lot to narrow down! Subtle clues were provided, but plenty of red herrings were there as well to keep the reader guessing. Once everything was revealed, it all made sense while still being something of a surprise to me.
I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in this fun series!
dollycas's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Sarah’s mother, Maybelle is a gem handled in small doses. In this fifth installment of the Sarah Blair Mystery Series, Maybelle and her friend George will be participants in a reality television show to win the “perfect” wedding and honeymoon of their dreams. They are the eldest of the five competing couples but they still need a chaperone and Sarah has been chosen for that task. To make matters worse, the crew, the contestants, and the chaperones have been booked to stay at Jane Clark’s B&B meaning Sarah will be spending a lot of time with her nemesis.
The reality show takes a devastating turn when Jane is found kneeling next to the dead body of the show’s director, her hands covered in blood. While Sarah does not trust Jane farther than she can throw her she doesn’t believe she is a murderer. The show becomes somewhat of a free for all as the producers try to keep filming. Sarah uses that to her advantage as she tries to protect everyone and catch the real killer before someone else gets voted off the island permanently, I mean gets killed.
Again Ms. Goldstein has packed these pages with a story that grabs a hold and hangs on tight.
Her characters and their continued development is so strong. Sarah seems to be almost in constant motion except for the little bit of time she takes to give her Siamese cat RahRah and her rescue dog, Fluffy a little bit of love. Her boss, Harlan has a big legal case coming up so he needs her in the office. She wants to help out at the restaurants she owns with her sister too. But the reality show and her job of chaperoning her mother is much more time-consuming than she could even imagine and that was before the murder happened. Maybelle is high maintenance but it seems George knows how to take care of her. They do make a cute couple. I was thrilled to see Emily, Marcus, and Southwinds get the recognition they deserved and that restaurant was used much more than originally contracted. Harlan also steps in to help anywhere he can and Cliff is back as the show’s general contractor. All these characters feel so genuine and their interactions and dialogues read very true to life.
We meet several new characters in the contestants and crew of the reality show. All these new characters are cleverly crafted. Many are pretty sketchy or hiding something which is great for a reality show. Drama drives up those ratings, which is why some of the drama is totally scripted but I really loved when anyone went off-script.
The plot was very interesting and not just because of the murder mysteries. The behind-the-scenes look at a reality show was entertaining with the crazy competitions and the decisions made that weren’t usually on the up and up. The method of death was unexpected but I was surprised because I had recently seen it used on a television show. I think the author implemented it better than the tv show did because I was kept guessing right up until the very end. Ms. Goldstein did an excellent job of twisting things up so the reveal was very dramatic.
After the case was wrapped up there was a very heartwarming ending.
Every trip to Alabama to visit Sarah, her family, and her friends has been a Perfect Escape and all seem to end too soon. As soon as I turn the final page I can’t wait to return. So while I know Six _________ Too Many will probably not be released for a year, this girl can hope. Thank you, Deborah J. Goldstein. Five Belles Too Many
To get maximum enjoyment I do recommend reading this series in order but the author has written this story to stand on its own.
valeris29's review
4.5
When Sarah Blair’s arch nemesis is the main suspect in not one but two murders that take place in her place of business Sarah can’t help feeling just the tiniest bit compassionate for approximately the time it takes Jane to open her mouth again. Unwillingly finding herself involved in finding the right culprit to ensure the safety of herself and her mother during the filming of a reality show at Jane’s Place and Southwind This installment of the Sarah Blair Mysteries is a real page turner. The author has a knack of detail that brings the story to life as she writes one heck of a puzzling mystery!
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