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A review by katreader
Éclair and Present Danger by Laura Bradford
4.0
ÉCLAIR AND PRESENT DANGER By Laura Bradford
The First Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery
Winnie Johnson's life has taken an unimaginable turn. She has one last shot to save her bakery from closing due to the imposed rent hike, an inheritance from her elderly friend Gertrude. Cash is not on the agenda however, and instead Winnie leaves with a vintage ambulance and an ornery cat named Lovey. Ornery to Winnie, that is, and friendly to everyone else! Winnie's day gets even worse when she delivers a pie to a widower neighbor only to find him dead. Someone smothered the elderly man! Could it be the mother of the bratty girl who destroyed his flowerbed? Or a son too eager for his own inheritance? While Winnie ponders these questions and tries to reassure her neighbors she has an epiphany. Her building may be lost, but her business isn't! Taking advantage of the ambulance, she decides to create a mobile dessert service. After all, when things are bad baked goods always make you feel better. Winnie and her friends embrace their new theme coming up with pithy dessert names such as Dump (him) Cake, Hot Flash Fudge Sundae, and Don't-Be-Blue Berry Pie and the business starts to take off. But can her emergency dessert service make it? Will she be able to reassure her neighbors that they're safe? Will she discover who the murderer is? And, most importantly, will she get Lovey to like her?
ÉCLAIR AND PRESENT DANGER is a fun start to a new series. The characters are down to earth with real appeal. I'd be pleased to be Winnie's friend, even though she pulled a totally stupid move when she realized who the killer really was! My favorite character, however, has to be Lovey. Her life has drastically changed as well and I can't help but smile at how she deals with it! I appreciate Bradford illustrating the importance of the elderly in this world, and the joy our elders can bring as well as the humor! There's a never let life get you down attitude, even when life does get you down. However bad it gets, you never know what lies around the corner-it could be better than you ever imagined.
While I did truly enjoy this book, one thing really nagged at me. When Winnie lost the bakery she continued to bake and sell her items via her new business. But she baked in her home. Something tells me the health department would take issue with that-unless the home was already certified, but that fact was never mentioned. Still in all, ÉCLAIR AND PRESENT DANGER was a delightful read which brought many a smile to my face.
Recipes Included.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
The First Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery
Winnie Johnson's life has taken an unimaginable turn. She has one last shot to save her bakery from closing due to the imposed rent hike, an inheritance from her elderly friend Gertrude. Cash is not on the agenda however, and instead Winnie leaves with a vintage ambulance and an ornery cat named Lovey. Ornery to Winnie, that is, and friendly to everyone else! Winnie's day gets even worse when she delivers a pie to a widower neighbor only to find him dead. Someone smothered the elderly man! Could it be the mother of the bratty girl who destroyed his flowerbed? Or a son too eager for his own inheritance? While Winnie ponders these questions and tries to reassure her neighbors she has an epiphany. Her building may be lost, but her business isn't! Taking advantage of the ambulance, she decides to create a mobile dessert service. After all, when things are bad baked goods always make you feel better. Winnie and her friends embrace their new theme coming up with pithy dessert names such as Dump (him) Cake, Hot Flash Fudge Sundae, and Don't-Be-Blue Berry Pie and the business starts to take off. But can her emergency dessert service make it? Will she be able to reassure her neighbors that they're safe? Will she discover who the murderer is? And, most importantly, will she get Lovey to like her?
ÉCLAIR AND PRESENT DANGER is a fun start to a new series. The characters are down to earth with real appeal. I'd be pleased to be Winnie's friend, even though she pulled a totally stupid move when she realized who the killer really was! My favorite character, however, has to be Lovey. Her life has drastically changed as well and I can't help but smile at how she deals with it! I appreciate Bradford illustrating the importance of the elderly in this world, and the joy our elders can bring as well as the humor! There's a never let life get you down attitude, even when life does get you down. However bad it gets, you never know what lies around the corner-it could be better than you ever imagined.
While I did truly enjoy this book, one thing really nagged at me. When Winnie lost the bakery she continued to bake and sell her items via her new business. But she baked in her home. Something tells me the health department would take issue with that-unless the home was already certified, but that fact was never mentioned. Still in all, ÉCLAIR AND PRESENT DANGER was a delightful read which brought many a smile to my face.
Recipes Included.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.