Candy Apple Dead: A Candy Shop Mystery [Large Print] [Paperback]

Sammi Carter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 2005

Includes candy recipes

No visit to Paradise, Colorado, is complete without a stop at Divinity Candy Shop for a little taste of heaven. For owner Abby Shaw, it was a sweet deal, too - inheriting Divinity gave her the opportunity to leave her career as a corporate lawyer and dump her cheating husband. But Abby's new life sours when a fellow merchant dies in a fire, with all clues pointing to arson . . . and Abby's brother as the number one suspect.

Product Details

• Paperback: 381 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; 1 edition (December 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597221120
• ISBN-13: 978-1597221122
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,555,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet Debut, September 6, 2005

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Candy Apple Dead (A Candy Shop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Abby Shaw is trying to readjust to life in Paradise, Colorado after years away. Part of that adjustment is running Divinity Candy Shop, which she just inherited from her aunt.

But adjusting to life in a small town also means adjusting to local politics. The Downtown Merchants Alliance is currently debating the merits of moving the local Arts Festival to the downtown area. The issue is hotly contested. Brandon Mills is spearheading the effort to move it, so when he doesn't show up at a meeting about the issue, Abby is concerned. That night, Brandon's shop burns down - an act of arson. Then Brandon's bones are found in the ruins and Abby's brother Wyatt becomes the chief suspect. With the detective assigned to the case infuriating Abby, she decides to step in and see what other motives she can dig up. What she uncovers sheds a whole new light on many people she knows. Yet more and more the evidence is pointing to Wyatt. Did he do it? If not, can Abby clear him?

I've been looking forward to this book for quite some time, so I started reading as soon as I could. The small town is nice and I really felt at home there. The main characters are well drawn and I really liked them. Abby especially is a likeable heroine and I couldn't help cheering out loud for her on a couple occasions. The plot could have used a little polish, however. Several plot lines seemed to get dropped and the ending felt rushed. A bit longer book could have ironed out these problems. The book ends with several candy recipes which certainly sound tempting.

Overall, the book is an enjoyable debut with leaves you hungry for more.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good debut novel, January 31, 2006

By 

Mackie "mackie3745" (Lancaster, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Candy Apple Dead (A Candy Shop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Like many other authors in the genre, Sammi Carter has created a likable character and an enjoyable setting. Unfortunately, simply because it's so similar to many other novels, I had a sense of "been there, done that." The book is well-written and comfortable. The plot becomes obvious as each new clue is uncovered. But there's nothing wrong with comfortable, and I hope the author can expand her creativity and find more inventive plot lines. There's a lot of potential here, and I look forward to many more Abby Shaw mysteries in the future.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Debut Novel, August 14, 2006

By 

S. Collier - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Candy Apple Dead (A Candy Shop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked up this mystery because I love chocolate and have grown fond of culinary mysteries over the years.

I have to say that the main character, Abby, reminded me a lot of Diane Mott Davidson's character, Goldy Schultz. They have that same determination that can often lead them into harm's way, and both Abby's and Goldy's attraction to law enforcement personnel makes for some interesting similarities between the two characters.

I very much enjoyed the setting of the novel in an up-and-coming tourist town in Colorado, as well as the interesting dynamics between the shop keepers and their acceptance, or lack thereof, for Abby. It shows that she has her work cut out for her merging back into the community she grew up in, but I can't wait to see what transpires in future novels. I hope that she finds the life she is looking for, without putting herself in too much danger!

I really liked the character development, and could even picture what Abby, her brother Wyatt, Brandon and others looked like, and how they acted. The dialog was excellent, and realistic, not exaggerated like in some mystery novels I have read. Clearly, this author does not need to create a lot of fluff to support her story line!

Also recommended: anything by Diane Mott Davidson.