A review by peggyemi
Murder Most Sweet: A Bookish Baker Mystery by Laura Jensen Walker
3.0
This is the first book in a new cozy series by author Laura Jensen Walker. I thought the story was a solid start to the series. Theodora St. James, or Teddie as she is known by friends, is a sympathetic and likable protagonist. She is a breast cancer survivor and is taking nothing for granted as she lives her life. She is surrounded by a secondary cast of characters that includes her two best friends Sharon and Char, and her childhood friend Brady, the town Sherriff, as well as her mother and her cute dog Gracie. I thought the secondary characters were well done and enjoyed the friendship between all of them. Teddie is a bit self-deprecating when it comes to some of the repercussions of her cancer, but there were times when I just wanted to smack her mother. Fortunately, she mellowed by the end.
The mystery involves two killings that occur when a well-known writer comes to town on a book tour. He and Teddy hit it off but things don't go as planned when she circumstances appear that she is the killer. I thought the mystery was the weakest part for me. I'm not really good at always figuring out the whodunit part of a cozy mystery, but this time I did. Early on I suspected that I knew who the culprit was and I was a bit baffled as to why this person was not even on the radar. To me, it seemed obvious. I also thought it was a bit flimsy that Teddie became a suspect on circumstantial evidence.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. The characters were interesting and it was fun to see how Teddie tried to clear her name. There is a budding romance with the other author that I think works for the series and characters. I enjoyed this story enough that I will check out the next book in the series. Oh...Teddie is a baker, which helps relieve her stress, so there are some delicious sounding recipes included.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through Netgalley.
The mystery involves two killings that occur when a well-known writer comes to town on a book tour. He and Teddy hit it off but things don't go as planned when she circumstances appear that she is the killer. I thought the mystery was the weakest part for me. I'm not really good at always figuring out the whodunit part of a cozy mystery, but this time I did. Early on I suspected that I knew who the culprit was and I was a bit baffled as to why this person was not even on the radar. To me, it seemed obvious. I also thought it was a bit flimsy that Teddie became a suspect on circumstantial evidence.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. The characters were interesting and it was fun to see how Teddie tried to clear her name. There is a budding romance with the other author that I think works for the series and characters. I enjoyed this story enough that I will check out the next book in the series. Oh...Teddie is a baker, which helps relieve her stress, so there are some delicious sounding recipes included.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through Netgalley.