Customer Reviews

Peppermint Twisted (A Candy Shop Mystery)

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

 

 

The town of Paradise, Colorado, is gearing up for the annual arts festival. It's just weeks away. Abby Shaw, own of the local candy store Divinity, is the co-chair of the event and, therefore, very busy. But things really heat up when Meena Driggs is replaced as chair by Felicity Asbury. Not only is Meena well loved and extremely competent, but Felicity is reviled, and her first pronouncements do nothing to make the tense situation better.

The next morning, Abby awakes to discover a car in her parking lot. Investigating further, she finds Felicity stabbed with an awl. Because of her involvement with the festival and the location of Felicity's body, Abby feels the immediate scrutiny of the police and the town. While she has no desire to get involved, she begins to feel she has to in order to save her reputation and keep herself out of jail. Since Felicity had no friends, the list of suspects includes her own sister and her estranged daughter and granddaughter. But who was fed up with the woman enough to kill her?

It has been long enough since the second book came out that I had forgotten many of the details about the characters, but they all came back to me quickly as I once again got lost in their world. Abby is a strong lead with a bit of a short fuse. I love her. And she really seems to be growing and changing before our eyes. Once again, the story was strong with plenty of suspects and false trails. I have always felt the weakness of this series was the climax and wrap up, and unfortunately I felt the same way with this book. I really wish a couple comments from the last few pages had been elaborated further.

Still, Abby's fans will be quite happy to welcome her back into their lives. And peppermint lovers (like me) will welcome the addition of four new candy recipes, two of them peppermint themed. Here's hoping we don't have to wait nearly as long for Abby's next case.

It's that time of the year again. Time for the annual arts festival and Felicity Asbury, wealthy and as nasty as one can be, becomes the festival director. The participants of the festival are up in arms about it. Not much later Felicity is found dead in the parking lot of Divinity, Abby Shaw's candy shop. Evidence points to Abby as the suspect and she gets to work to clear her name.

Some authors will start right off with a murder and we never get to know the victim. Not the case here. There is an entertaining scene where readers are introduced to Felicity. The author did a great job making me hate her, so when she turned up dead, well, I can't say that I would miss her! I have read the two previous books in the series and I loved them. Abby was likable from the very start. She is smart and has common sense. I have to say I was disappointed with her in this one. She immediately dug into the investigation. I had a problem with the way she went about it. She was overly aggressive to the point of harassment. Then she couldn't figure out why no one wanted to talk to her. This attitude went on through most of the book. Thankfully, somewhere towards the end, she settled down and became the Abby that I was familiar with and liked in the previous two books. I was also saddened that Jawarksi, Abby's kinda boyfriend and a detective with the Paradise Police Department, was mostly absent from this one. There is a small B story which involves him, but that is pretty much it. The chemistry seemed to be missing this time.

I hope it doesn't sound like I didn't enjoy this book because I did. The story was a good one. I couldn't figure out who did it or why, and I was satisfied with the conclusion. I look forward to the next in the series. I just hope that we don't have to wait for it as long as we did this one.

As with the previous two books in the series
Candy Apple Dead
and
Chocolate Dipped Death
recipes that are mentioned in the book are included at the end.

These books are written in first person.

The mystery is good but I do find the main character to be somewhat annoying. She goes on and on about how her brother resents the fact that she left town after high school. Isn't that what kids are supposed to do? She is much too nice to the cousins that think they should have a say in the running of the shop even after one of the cousins nearly bankrupts her. I like many other things about this series so I will continue to read the books but unless the main character gets over herself a little bit, this will never be a "keeper" series for me.

I've liked the other books in this series, but now I think the series is starting to show its age.

In this go around, Felicity Ashburn is in charge of the local Arts Festival, much to everyone's surprise. Many, if not everyone isn't happy that Felicity is in charge of it, and then Felicity ends up dead (I won't way where she if found) but all of the evidence points to Abby.

I guess for me, there were some problems. There were a lot of characters, and we and we get to konw them all. The murder does not happen right away, and for me, that sort of made it drag on. Abby kind of annoyed me in this go around as well. She was asking a lot of personal and intrusive questions, and for the most part, people accepted it. I guess I had a problem with that one. I also thouhgt it was kind of silly that Abby had to take her dog everywhere with her. I find it annoying when people do that.

Overall, this was an okay read. Not the best, but not the worse. It's common for me to re-read books, but I don't think I'll be reading this one again. It was good to read once, and that was enough for me. I'm glad I read it, but won't be reading it again.

Perhaps the series is starting to show its age.

Former corporate lawyer and recent candy shop owner, Abby Shaw, has her hands full when a spiteful cousin orders way too much peppermint that can't be returned. Figuring out what to do with 100 gallons of peppermint oil becomes the least of her problems when Felicity Asbury is found dead in the parking lot of Divinity.

The much despised Felicity was recently named the new director of the local arts festival and none of the artists were too happy about it but was one of them mad enough to kill over it? When fingers start pointing and tongues begin wagging in Abby's direction she breaks her promise to the hunky police detective Jawarski and begins her own investigation into the murder that just might be a fatal mistake.

Of course just as with any other cozy the main character solves the murder and narrowly avoids being the next victim but Peppermint Twisted gives this tried and true formula a sweet story to keep you entertained.

My one gripe is that Abby's investigating didn't flow with the rest of the series. In Candy Apple Dead (A Candy Shop Mystery)and Chocolate Dipped Death (A Candy Shop Mystery)it was more just asking questions that led to her revealing the true murderer. Here she was too aggressive even to the point of harassment and that didn't sit well with my characterization of Abby.

Other than that I recommend this book and series to all cozy fans and look forward to reading the next installments: Goody Goody Gunshots: A Candy Shop Mystery (Candy Shop Mysteries)which is out now and Sucker Punch (A Candy Shop Mystery)due out in June.

My first of her books, and not the last. She's one of the better cozy writers.

The third installment in the series was a good way to pass a weekend in between doing holiday chores.

Near the end, Abby did start to get on my nerves. After promising to keep her nose out of the case, she inexplicably feels the need to go warn someone about another character, rather than leaving it to the police. Of course, that sets up her the resolution of the murder, but it just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story.

I look forward to the next installment.

The author has given another installment from Abby Shaw and her candy shop. I love this style of murder mystery--not too much blood and guts--This third book introduces some new characters and brings back the familiar ones. Could it be that Abby will finally end up with that policeman beau after all? Looking forward to the next installment of murder--candy style.

This was a great lighthearted mystery. I look forward to any more that might be coming. Jean