Customer Reviews

Murder by Mushroom (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense #63) (A Cozy Mystery)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Murder By Mushroom" by Virginia Smith, published by Love Inspired Suspense was an incredibly fun read. Here's the blip -

A Killer Casserole

Serving up murderous munchies at a church potluck social wouldn't win any popularity contests, as Jackie Hoffner discovered. Someone had laced the casserole she brought with poisonous mushrooms...and the deadly dish had fellow churchgoer and town fussbudget Alice Farmer pushing up daisies. Now the gossip-hungry townsfolk suspected Jackie of foul play. To prove her innocence, she decided to conduct her own investigation, and Trooper Dennis Walsh's helpful efforts and boy-next-door charm were welcome. Meanwhile, the town's mysterious poisoner seemed to have more victim's in mind...

This is what I considered a fluff book (a quick, fun, light book with not a lot of depth but still satisfying somehow), until I read it. It turned out to not only be very fun and highly enjoyable book that kept me guessing til close to the end (although I did figure it out before it was revealed :-) but it also had a lot of meat to it and really hit home in some areas too. It dealt bluntly with the issue of church gossip and how it can really hurt when people assume and rush to judgement, but without being preachy. The heroine is NOT perfect, but is willing to ask forgiveness when she messes up. I finished the book with a smile and a resolve to think a little more before I judge and to be a little quicker to ask for forgiveness when I mess up. What more can you ask from a quick read - enjoyment, suspense, romance, comedy and some real meat in the middle. Pick it up and give it a read!

Jackie Hoffner loves the homey feel and fellowship of Heritage Community Church a small Kentucky church she's become a part of. One of the church's mainstays is its monthly potlucks following Sunday service. Jackie can't wait to show off the Italian casserole she's cooked, her right of passage for becoming fully accepted by the women of the church.

The casserole is a hit. But when Alice Farmer, a crotchety parishioner, brings home some of Jackie's leftovers and winds up dead because the dish was laced with poisoned mushrooms, matters look bad for Jackie. She vows to clear herself, launching her own private investigation, bull dozing through and plying church members and associates with questions that offend many. What she learns is that just about everybody had a reason for hating Alice Farmer.

If you have ever been a part of a small church you will surely identify with and enjoy Murder by Mushroom which successfully nails both the characters and the character of small churches and small towns. Add in a dash of romance with a handsome cop assigned to accompany the detective Jackie's involvement in the murder, and you've got a winning recipe for fun, romance, and suspense.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had just enough mystery and just enough romance. I look forward to reading another cozy mystery by this author.

I enjoyed the pace of this story. The romance portion unfolds slowly and has some conflicts along the way, which I liked. The descriptions of Jackie's cat became a quirky bonus to the story, adding to her own character. The plot itself moved along well with the final outcome completely a surprise to me when it came. I like that Jackie learned something about love and the damaging power of gossip. The minor character of Margaret was a bonus, though I wondered why a Pastor's wife would indulge Jackie so much in her snooping. Overall, this is an enjoyable murder mystery well worth reading. It seems worth a sequel because I liked the couple, Jackie Hoffner and Dennis Walsh.

I enjoy reading romantic suspense of a Christian nature. I read a lot of them. This is the first one I didn't care for much. The heroine Jackie, was to me, silly, insipid, and a bit obnoxious in her pursuit of solving the case. The cop she was infatuated with wasn't much better. He wasn't a very strong, confident character IMO. There was really no romance at all. No kiss, nothing..The plot was just not strong enough for me though I did finish the book. I like reading the kinds of books that have the hero and heroine strong in character and admirable with better personalities as well as a bit more romance. I didn't like either one of these characters.

I enjoy reading good 'light' books at times, romance, mystery, humor. I also enjoy books with a Christian theme. This is just a bad book. Yes, it has a Christian theme and it is a mystery. But that alone doesn't make it a good read. The main character is just plain silly. The story line is absurd. There is practically no romance at all. Unless you call meeting a police officer at McDonalds one time 'romance'. The mystery plot could have been ok, but the writing and story development was just so poor. This should have been a free book. It is very short, only took a couple of hours to read. I did read all of it just to see 'who did it'. It could have been so much better. I am really disappointed. I honestly don't know how people in good conscience could have rated this an 'excellent' book.

Not being a murder mystery reader, I began reading this with some reluctance. But I was quickly drawn into the story as Jackie is driven to clear her name of any wrong-doing. Well paced with motives of every kind to explore, Jackie often gets into trouble for being overzealous to find the murderer. The love story woven into the story is a good fit as well.

I am an avid readers of cozy and am thrilled to find Ms. Smith. Murder By Mushroom is just the type of book I love to read. Well done, Ms. Smith. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

This is the first book I've read by the author and I am really impressed. She kept you guessing until the very end. A very quick read, really witty and fun. I anxiously await her next book.

This is a true cozy murder mystery. Red herrings,overbearing police investigators,an amateur sleuth thrown into the middle, a cat, a little romance and lots of twists and turns has the reader jumping to conclusions. A church potluck with a heroine whose first casserole ever becomes the scene of the crime is also the place where everyone finds grace--eventually. Author Smith is witty, has quirky characters and writes with a down-home feel. This is plain fun--as long as you don't eat the church potluck!

Buy it.