Macarons and Mayhem by Agatha Frost
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*
Excitement blossoms through Peridale when a prestigious gardening magazine picks the village as the spotlight for their next issue, but that joy quickly turns to dread when members of the local gardening society, The Peridale Green Fingers, start dying one by one after their obituaries are sent to The Peridale Post the day before their murders.
Julia is asked to bake macarons for the magazine’s unveiling of ‘The Best Garden in Peridale’ party, but with death striking the village, she has more important things to worry about. Is somebody killing The Green Fingers’ to better their chances of winning the title as well as the cash prize, or is there something more sinister happening? With her old friend and newspaper reporter, Johnny, by her side, Julia must uncover the truth before every member of the club is crushed like an unwanted weed.
Julia is surprised but soon excited when Perridale is the focus of a gardening magazine which is providing a cash prize and her baking skills are in need. But soon the normally happy event is overshaddowed by the murder of some of the member of Perridale’s gardening club. What is behind this? Julia is – as always – quick and investigates; and reveals pretty ugly details of the villahe people.
With the 7th installment Julia is witty as always, soon engrossed in the investigations and not soon after that only a small step behind the solution.
Along with the crime case which is really capturing the interactions between the character are getting closer and closer. It is pleasant to have the homey feeling, getting more pieces of the puzzle, combined to a bigger picture. Reappearing character have their spotlight. The humor and the wit isn’t dulled, and again Julia makes the reader’s mouth water when she bakes her amazing pastries, cakes and cookies.
Agatha Frost’s writing is solid as always, she knows how to capture the reader’s attention, gives little sparks, mix the suspense with the daily live of the character. A really solid crime book, with pleasant character who build a constant foundation for further books.
5 out of 5 stars for this. Julia is in her natural element: baking and investigating. 🙂
Mikku-chan 