Chocolate Dipped Death

Again, this is a great new author to me. I enjoyed both books and look forward to the next one. They are a light hearted mystery.

Fun book with recipes I really enjoyed this mystery good writer.

The Annual Confectionary Competition has become a staple of winter in the small town of Paradise, Colorado. Abby Shaw is doing her best to carry on the tradition. As the new owner of the candy shop Divinity, it is her responsibility to run the weekend. Things are running okay until Savannah Horne arrives. Savannah hasn't been in town since high school, but memories are long in Paradise. When she was here, she made life miserable for everyone. Twenty years later, Abby thinks that Savannah might have changed, but the rest of the town isn't ready to forgive. When Savannah wins the first night of the contest, Evie Rice is furious. The two women used to fight over everything in high school, and neither is quite ready to let the old rivalry go. The next morning, however, Savannah disappears. After a day of searching, Abby finds her body. The list of suspects is long, including the obvious like Evie and Savannah's sister, who is hardly upset at her sibling's death. Also on the suspect list is Abby's cousin Karen. Karen has been acting rather strange since Savannah showed up the first night and the evidence seems to keep pointing to her. While Abby had no intention of getting involved, she quickly determines that she will have to find the real killer to keep her cousin out of jail. Abby's resolve is only reinforced when the case takes a very personal turn. Meanwhile, tensions in the family are brewing over Divinity. Abby inherited the shop from her aunt, and some of the cousins think they had more of a right to own the shop. Can Abby keep the peace and the store? This is the second book in the series, and another good light read. The plot did seem to bog down a little during the search for Savannah phase since it's obvious to the reader what the outcome will be. But once the body is found, things kick into high gear. The story weaves all over the place with one red herring after another until Abby finally puts everything together. While at first I thought the ending was great, the more I've thought about it, there are several loose ends that were left unresolved in the rush to finish things. In the first book, Abby was struggling with her recent divorce and seemed a bit harsh at times. She's really smoothed out here and is a very likable heroine. The family story lines are interesting and add depth to the story and Abby. I'm interested to see where the author goes with these plot lines. My biggest gripe is a matter of timing. There are several times when Abby seems to live through the same time twice, having left the shop in late afternoon then suddenly doing something at 2 PM, for example. This is something that really bugs me, and it happened several times. It doesn't affect the timeline of the story, but it did pull me out of an otherwise well written book. The inclusion of six recipes will just be icing on the cake for readers with a sweet tooth. While not perfect, this book is still enjoyable.

I didn't read Sammi Cater's first book, "Candy Apple Dead," but was delighted to feel that maybe I hadn't missed much in this second book. It was a fast moving read from the beginning which I really enjoy. I think most of us have gone to school with someone similar to Savannah Vance Horne.....no surprise she ends up dead. Abby Shaw, our heroine, has the right amount of spunk to deal with the whole situation, but I did find her cousin Karen MORE than annoying and nasty about a situation she should have let her husband explain, instead of going off on a rampage like a lunatic for most of the book. I have no idea why Abby would even want her back to work in the store! I'm sort of use to the fact that all mystery writers seem to have their leading lady fall for the sheriff..... no exception here, but I am rooting for her. One thing....where does Abby find time to make all the candy that she needs to sell in the shop when she is hardly ever there? Also, I believe Ms. Carter needs to follow through with the ending. A few questions were left unanswered and it leaves the reader wanting more info which is not forthcoming. I know we would like to know more about who Jason was and who Miles really was, BUT the big question that I felt should have been answered earlier on ....'was Savannah making her own candy for the contest or having it made and if she was, where was it being made since she was living in a hotel!' Was I the only one who wondered about that since Evie and others had asked a few times to have it looked into? That would have been nice to know. I'm looking forward to this authors third book in Paradise. Sounds like the town I grew up in!

After being away from Paradise for twenty years, Abby is doing her best to prove she can go home again. Her Aunt Grace left her the Divinity Candy Shop and Abby is working hard to make it as successful as her late aunt did. She is slow to make changes as she keeps much of the traditions including the three day Confectionary Competition. She prays all will go smooth but her hopes are dashed when the runner up Evie accuses the winner Savannah Horne of cheating by using a recipe downloaded from the web. That accusation proves to be the catalyst as other community members who were wronged by Savannah make it clears they want her to leave as she has before. Abby's cousin hates her because has on her she slept with her then fiancé before they married and her sister hates her because she never came home to see her sick parents. When Abby finds Savannah's murdered body, she decides to investigate because her cousin is a prime suspect. Sammi Carter has written an exciting one sitting amateur sleuth tale that will have readers feel sympathy towards the vicious victim as no one should die without a soul mourning their loss. In fact most townsfolk celebrated her death. Anyone who knew Savannah is a person of interest because to know her is to hate her. Abby is slowly making a home in the community and with her family though she remains headstrong and rejects their advice. Readers will appreciate her spunk and desire to insure justice occurs. Harriet Klausner