First line: “Quiz me,” Sadie said, straightening the row of cherry chocolate chip cookies she’d laid out on the platter.
From the back cover:
Modern Miss Marple: A Magnet For Murder?
by Jane Seeley, feature reporter, The Denver Post
Local “celebrity” Sadie Hoffmiller has been involved in a number of unfortunate situations that have taken her to crime scenes from London, England, to Miami, Florida, and even in her own backyard of Garrison, Colorado. but is she truly an unwitting bystander in all these investigations? Or is she something more? Is she, perhaps, even the cause…?
The word is out about Sadie Hoffmiller’s amateur detective work, but it’s not the kind of publicity Sadie wants. When Jane’s article threatens Sadie’s reputation in the community, she accepts her first investigation-for-hire and travels to Portland, Oregon – if only to give herself some space from her whispering neighbors. And from Pete, who is sending her mixed signals about their budding relationship.
Sadie hopes the Portland air will clear her head, and she is eager to get to work for May Sanderson, who has suspicions about her father’s untimely death.
Putting her detective skills to the test, Sadie delves into a complicated past that includes a business partnership that didn’t end well, several unsavory family secrets, and more than a few motives for murder.
Sadie is afraid she might crumble under the pressure, but in a new place with new recipes, she finds herself more determined than ever to uncover the answers buried in scandal, insatiable appetites, and pure and simple greed.
My thoughts: This is the fifth installment of Josi S. Kilpack’s culinary mystery series and I found it delectable. Once again, Sadie is up to her amateur sleuthing – this time with her first paid job! She heads to Portland, Oregon and begins investigating the death of her client’s father. She had been studying investigating habits back home and one of her first stops in Oregon is to Camera World, where she picks up a few “tools of the trade.” Armed with her laptop, voice recorder, video recorder and lock-picking case, she starts looking into the case and finds that things are not what they appear to be. Sadie’s quirkiness continues, which leads to many laugh-out-loud moments in the book. True-to-form, Sadie even finds time to add some delicious recipes to her growing collection. She asks the owner of a restaurant she ends up using for a meeting place for a recipe she has had a few times – Blackberry Crumble. This recipe just so happens to be included in the book, among many others, and I can’t wait to try it! I found this book to be a fun and quick read and had me guessing the outcome of the investigation until the very end! I look forward to reading more about the adventures of Sadie in the next installment, Pumpkin Roll, which comes out later this year.
About the author: Josi has combined her love of MOST things edible and her love of writing into the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series. Blackberry Crumble is the fifth book in what will be an eight book series. When Josi isn’t cooking or writing she’s trying to say ahead of her four children, hiding somewhere with a book in hand, or enjoying her backyard chickens. Josi and her family live in Willard, UT.
For more information about Josi, you can visit her website or her blog.
I received a complimentary copy of Blackberry Crumble by Josi S. Kilpack from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour.
Okay, seriously, the book title is making me hungry for something sweet. This does look like an enjoyable series and it may be the first food+cozy mystery that I decide to read.