Lemonade and Lies by Agatha Frost
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*
Book 2 in the Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Series!
When the entire village is invited to a garden party for a mysterious ‘special announcement’, nobody expected that party to end with a man being thrown to his death from a window. The murder is committed at Julia South’s estranged father’s manor, so all eyes in Peridale turn to her to solve the case. In a race against the clock, Julia must juggle her blossoming romance with Detective Inspector Brown, and her young lodger, Jessie’s, sudden strange behaviour, to uncover the truth behind the man’s untimely death. With members of her own family in the frame, will Julia like what she discovers?
Book 2 in the Peridale Cafe Mystery series! Can be read as a standalone, but enjoyed better as part of a series. A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe owning female amateur sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky
The second book in the series, taking place at Peridale, a small village in the UK, gives another great insight of how wit and smart Julia, the fierce heroine is. This time there is a bit more “danger” for Julia and the reader get more insight of the family constellation of Julia and her sister Sue.
This time it’s about her father and his new marriage to a woman in Julias age – which is a fact not only Julia finds very disturbing. Julia’s worries and her hesistant, uncommon behaviour towards Katie, his father’s wife, are understandable and you feel totally with her. It is quite heartbreaking to read about the sad Julia when she is other times a sunshine.
There is also the slow building relationship with Barker though I hope the third book will get a bit more romantic events than this. 🙂 The pace is though for the book fitting and it’s charming to see how Barker interacts with Julia and how well they fit together.
I really like Julia as a heroine, she is a bit different with her love for dresses fitting in the 60s or 70s, but she must look charming with them. ❤
You are soon engrossed in the storyline, the investigation runs smoothly and though there are some parts you reveal yourself there are twist and turns which make the novel really captivating.
It is also charming to see how well developed the character are and after two books they have a place in your heart.
It is a cozy read though it’s a light crime novel. But the surroundings, the character and the case themself are so comforting you can’t stop reading.
Mikku-chan 