Lemon Tart: A Culinary Mystery (Culinary Mysteries (Deseret Book)) [Paperback]

Josi Kilpack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2009 | Series: Culinary Mysteries (Deseret Book)

Award- winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary cozies that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado turned amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller tries to solve the murder of her beautiful young neighbor a single mother who was mysteriously lured from her home while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie s search is the woman s missing two year-old child. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects including her! For an added treat, original mouth- watering recipes for Sadie s Lemon Tart, Homemade Alfredo Sauce, Carrot Cookies, Brownies, and Granny s Gingerbread Bundt Cake are sprinkled throughout the book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Josi Kilpack was born and raised in Salt Lake City and credits much of her success to her mother always making oatmeal for breakfast. She is the author of several contemporary LDS novels for women, including Her Good Name, Sheep s Clothing, and Unsung Lullaby. She recently received the 2007 Whitney Award in the mystery/suspense category for her book Sheep s Clothing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Deseret Book (March 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606410504
• ISBN-13: 978-1606410509
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Josi S. Kilpack began her first novel in 1998 and hasn't stopped. Her seventh novel, Sheep's Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Her most recent book, Baked Alaska, is the ninth book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. She is a frequent presenter at writers conferences.

Josi was born and raised in Utah and only made it about 50 miles from home. She lives in Northern Utah with her husband and three children (her oldest is now in college. Go Utah Utes!) For more information about Josi, you can visit her website at www.josiskilpack.com or her blog at www.josikilpack.blogspot.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun! February 16, 2009

By Ali Cross

Format:Paperback

I loved Josi Kilpack's Lemon Tart. It was a fun and fast read, totally enjoyable from start to finish.

Kilpack managed to bring to life a whole cast of colorful characters and even while the main character was a goody-two-shoes busybody, she managed to make me really like her and route for her the whole way. I'm excited there's a new culinary mystery in the works featuring Sadie Hoffmiller, because she's just awesome.

Lemon Tart tells the story of a murdered young mother, a missing baby, an adulterous man, a pair of completely opposite detectives and Sadie Hoffmiller, the neighborhood's resident baker AND busybody. With so many balls up in the air, I wondered hos Kilpack was going to put it all back together again, but she did and it was amazing.

The only reason why I didn't give the book five stars is because it was a LIGHT read. I reserve my fifth star for those books that really make me THINK and change me somehow. But sometimes, you just need a great book that you can sit down with and not worry about it churning up your soul, ya know?

Lemon Tart is just such a book. Grab a blankie, curl up by the fire and crack open Lemon Tart for an evening of fun and relaxation. And don't forget your favorite treat! Lemon Tart will have you drooling and maybe throwing off your blankie so you can go bake up one of it's handful of included recipes. They sound delish!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightul. April 6, 2009

By Holly VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

A lot of fun. I'm not normally a big fan of mysteries, but I'm a big fan of Josi Kilpack. Lemon Tart is simply a fun book to read.

Sadie Hoffmiller is one of those neighbors you wish you had living next door. A widow whose children are raised, Sadie loves to cook and bake and look out for her neighbors. When Anne Lemmon, a young, single mother moves into the neighborhood, Sadie becomes her friend and mentor. When Anne is tragically murdered while a lemon tart bakes in her oven, Sadie decides to begin her own investigation. Anne's young son is missing and Sadie is convinced that the police detectives aren't able to solve the murder and find Trevor.

Josi has given us a cast of interesting characters and blended the story so well, that I didn't have the actual murderer figured out until the very end. Sadie is delightful and you just want to laugh out loud at her antics and thought processes as she trips up the detectives and forms her own opinions and conclusions.

A simply delightful read. Light, but not fluffy and packed full of delicious recipes that I'm determined to try. I'm excited that this is part of a series. Sadie is someone I want to visit again.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LEMON TART contains great recipes the reader will enjoy as much as the creative plot May 8, 2009

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Paperback

Josi S. Kilpack hails from Salt Lake City, where she was born and raised. She is a baker; traveler; canner; and has a deep faith. She won the Whitney Award in 2007 in the mystery/suspense category for her book SHEEP'S CLOTHING. LEMON TART is her ninth published mystery.

Sadie Hoffmiller is a culinary virtuoso. She lives in a tight community with her brother, Jack, living beyond the black walnut tree that gives both homes a degree of privacy. But Sadie is well known in her community, and she also has a deep, abiding interest in the "goings on" around her. So when another neighbor, Anne Lemmon, is found murdered and her son, Trevor, has turned up missing, Sadie goes into action. The police try in vain to stop her, and one particular officer, who has recently transferred into their town, seems particularly hostile. And, he is well connected:

"'The name Madsen - doesn't it ring a bell?'

Sadie thought hard. Madsen - Marlene Madsen had been a girl in Sadie's graduating class, but Sadie didn't think that's what Susan meant.

'Think upper levels of the Colorado state judicial system,' Susan prodded, a half smile showing her amusement.

Sadie's eyebrows went up. 'Madsen as in Barney Madsen, attorney general of Colorado?'

'Bingo,' Susan said, leaning forward across the desk with a glint in her eye that Sadie knew too well - gossip was on its way. 'Barney Madsen has one son - Sterling.' She said 'Sterling' as if she were a serpent, elongating the S and letting the rest of the name seep out from between her teeth. 'He was a second-year cop in downtown Denver, maybe you remember how our distinguished AG made a big deal about his son finding the criminals and Barney prosecuting them.'"

LEMON TART is an enjoyable mystery with a well hidden culprit and an unlikely heroine in Sadie Hoffmiller. She comes off as everyone's grandmother, but Kilpack endows Sadie with logical hidden talents that come in handy at just the right moment.

LEMON TART contains great recipes the reader will enjoy as much as the creative plot.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer