Cruel Candy by Mildred Abbott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*
Estes Park, Colorado: picturesque mountains, charming shops, delightful bakeries, a cozy bookstore… and murder.
Winifred Page and her corgi, Watson, move to Estes Park to hit the reset button on life. Fred is about to open her dream bookshop, and the only challenges she anticipates are adjusting to small town life, tourists, and living close to her loveable mother, Phyllis, and hippy stepfather, Barry.
When Fred steps into her soon-to-be-bookshop for the first time, she expects dust bunnies and spiders… not the dead body in the upstairs kitchen. The local police have an easy suspect—Barry.
Determined to prove quirky Barry innocent of murder, Fred puts on her detective hat, and with Watson by her side, she explores her new town and gets acquainted with her fellow shopkeepers. Could one of her friendly neighbors be the real culprit? And what would be the motive for killing the owner of the Sinful Bites candy store? The secrets Fred discover put her at odds with the local police sergeant and threaten her cozy future in Estes.
With snow falling outside, all Fred wants to do is curl up by the fire with a good book and Watson snuggled at her feet. But before she can begin her new life and put her plans for her bookshop into action, Fred and Watson have a mystery to solve…
I really like charming cozy mystery stories and when they are combined with a fierce sounding heroine and a dog I can’t help myself and need at least take a look at the book.
This book was charming and a great start of a promising series.
I can’t really say how much I laughed about Fred, Winifred, Page and her corgi Watson (yes, named after the companion of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes).
The town Fred is moving in is full of quirky people, and Fred is pretty soon involved in an unpleasant event: her stepfather is accused being the murderer of a shop owner next to Fred’s new, not open yet, cozy bookstore. It goes without saying that Fred didn’t expected this kind of debut.
And the worst: the body of the murdered woman, Opal, was found in her shop.
Being the daughter of a detective, she soon can’t help herself and start her own investigations – and meet the charming, good looking Sergeant Branson Wexler on her way. Needles to say that this can be the start of a romantic side story and I really hope this will be continued in the next books – even if the heroine doesn’t seem fond of bonding with men. 😉
I really loved the cozy investigation, the suspense, it had a few twists, a dangerous peak and was resolved well and satisfying. The characters with all their quirks made me laugh several times and some I instantly liked, others I wasn’t fond of. I can’t wait to see more of the residents of the small town, Estes Park, Colorado.
A few parts were weaker, and sometimes I had the feeling the whole thing could have been smother, therefore only 4 out of 5 stars. A solid start, a good introduction of character who seems to have a lot to tell. The heroine is likable and pleasant displayed and her corgi Watson is already the darling of the public. 😉
Mikku-chan 