The Chocolate Cat Caper (Chocoholic Mysteries, No. 1) (Paperback)

by JoAnna Carl (Author) "Every town has a crooked lawyer," I said..." (more)
Key Phrases: black nightgown, chocolate shop, Clementine Ripley, Warner Pier, Chief Jones (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Looking for a fresh start, divorcée Lee McKinney moves back to Michigan to work for her aunt's chocolate business-and finds that her new job offers plenty of murderous treats to chew on.

When a high-profile defense lawyer dies after eating a cat-shaped chocolate laced with cyanide, it's up to Lee to find out who tampered with the recipe-before she and her aunt end up behind not-so-chocolate bars.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Signet (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451205561
• ISBN-13: 978-0451205568
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,605 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Chocoholic Mystery Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Debut in a Great New Series, March 7, 2002

By	Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Lee McKinney is looking for a new start after her divorce. Her Aunt Nettie needs someone to help with the business side of TenHuis Chocolade, a gourmet chocolate business in Michigan that Lee worked at as a teen. But Lee's only been back in town for a week when famous defense lawyer Clementine Ripley is poisoned while eating one of their chocolates. Clementine had made a lot of enemies over the years in her cases and seems to have just as many in the small resort town of Warner Pier. Now Lee must sort through the suspects and motives to find the real killer before she and her aunt get framed for a murder they didn't commit.

I've been looking forward to this book since I read the short story in AND THE DYING IS EASY that introduced these characters. And it didn't disappoint. The characters are well developed. Lee's way of mixing up words when she's upset or nervous is fun but not so overused that it becomes annoying and makes her more human. The story is tightly plotted and moves along at a brisk pace. The style invites the reader in and makes it very hard to put down. The only thing that seems odd is the chocolate trivia scattered throughout the book. It doesn't really add anything; it's just kind of there.

I am definitely addicted to the Chocoholic Mysteries and look forward to many more. Pick up this book and enjoy a wonderful new series.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious new mystery., November 11, 2002

By	Michele Gregersen (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

After divorcing her husband, Lee McKinney moves back to Warner Pier, Michigan to handle the business end of her aunts chocolate shop. But, Lee soon discovers chocolate can be deadly!

In this first chocoholic mystery by JoAnna Carl ( aka Eve Sandstrom), Lee is hired to help out at a fund raising party for the local Animal Rescue League. A party in which her aunt, Jeanette TenHuis, has provided [a lot] of chocolate for the guests. However, before the party even starts the hostess Clementine Ripley falls prey to a cyanide laced amaretto truffle, making both Lee and her aunt suspects in Ms. Ripley's murder.

Lee steps into the roll of amateur sleuth in an attempt to uncover the murderer, before she and her aunt become the next victims.

This book is a must for anyone who enjoys reading cozies. The charaters are well-developed, and the storyline is light and fast-paced making it a good vacation or beach read. I enjoyed the chocolate facts that are scattered through out the book as well as the chocolate quiz at the end.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series The Chocolate Bear Burglary.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun new series, May 10, 2002

By	Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Lee McKinney has tired of her life as a trophy wife in Texas. So, the ex beauty queen chucks it all and moves to Michigan to help her Aunt Nettie in her gourmet chocolate factory shop. She takes an order for two thousand dollars worth of chocolate from a much hated local woman. She delivers the chocolate, and is hired to help serve drinks at the party that evening. The hostess pitches over a balcony shortly before the start of the event, evidently poisoned by one of the chocolates. It seems that everyone in town is a suspect, even Aunt Nettie and the local police chief.

This is a really fun new series, the story line moves along quickly and the novel itself is short. A great beach book!