A Half-Baked Murder - A Review

 Review

A HALF-BAKED MURDER by Emily George
The First Cannabis Cafe Mystery 

With her engagement broken and career in tatters pastry chef Chloe Barnes flees Paris to return to California to care for her grandmother who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Reluctant to follow her doctor's recommendation to use cannabis to ease the side effects of chemotherapy Chloe takes up the challenge to make it more palatable, making high end brownies with a special ingredient. When her aunt comes up with a unique business idea, Chloe is tempted, but has a run in with an old elementary school bully. When he winds up dead and her aunt a suspect, Chloe finds herself looking for clues as well as creating recipes and contemplating a new business.

I really liked meeting Chloe in the first Cannabis Cafe Mystery. She's approachable, caring, and real. A shining pastry chef star who, through a disastrous chain of events flees Paris and returns home to Azalea Bay to start over and perhaps find her true purpose in life. I like how she's hesitant to embrace her aunt's concept, but when she does, I love how she follows through. Grandma Rose is wonderful with her burgeoning romantic relationship and I love Aunt Dawn, free wheeling and spontaneous, but with a secret. Incorporating unique hobbies such as dog dancing and Dungeons and Dragons add to the fun.

Though completely cozy A HALF-BAKED MURDER has some more worldly components. Normalizing the use of marijuana might even be considered avant-garde. Add bullying, sexual harassment, as well as other timely subjects, and the book becomes even more pertinent to today's readers. As for the murder, I'm always happy when a thoroughly bad person becomes the murder victim and such is the case here.

I am not a smoker or a midnight toker, but the idea of high end pastry infused with cannabis as a way to ease my arthritis pain is compelling. I appreciate the way cannabis use is handled, the realization that there is a stigma surrounding its use, despite it being legal, as well as the professional ways it can be sold and ingested. Though it is a fictional novel, the information appears well researched and valid. I especially like the warning to use responsibly and the fact that Chloe had all the guests at her "special" dinner arrange transportation so that no one imbibing would be driving.

A HALF-BAKED MURDER is a culinary mystery with a contemporary twist. Giving a fresh look to murder mysteries this book is a fantastic start to what promises to be a great new series.

Deadly Sweet Tooth - A Review

 Review

DEADLY SWEET TOOTH by Kaye George
The Second Vintage Sweets Mystery

Tally Holt has a lot on her plate. In preparation for the huge reception to welcome her parents' visit she's looking to hire servers who will also work in her vintage candy shop.  She's also having to deal with the arrival of her footloose younger brother, wondering if he'll be more of a hindrance than a help. On the day of the party almost the entire town of Fredericksburg, Texas joins in the festivities, munching on Tally's homemade Clark Bars, Twinkies, and other sweets. And everyone appears to be having a good time, except for Fran, an old nemesis of her mother. But the party comes to a halt when first her mother takes ill, then Fran. Nancy is diagnosed with dengue fever, but Fran's diagnosis is murder!

I lived in Austin for 10 years and often made trips into the Texas Hill Country, including Fredericksburg. I would have loved to visit Tally's Old Tyme Sweets. I love the idea of a vintage candy shop where the sweets are made on premises. I would devour homemade twinkies!!! 

The mystery itself in the second Vintage Sweets Mystery was made quite obvious. It was so obvious I wondered if the author was planning a surprise twist, but no. I was very disappointed in the ending. There was a penultimate confrontation, but no resolution. Things were getting exciting and I was ready to see what happened next...but there was nothing. The next chapter started at a party with no mention about how the confrontation was resolved and the killer caught! I thought pages were missing from my book...but that wasn't the case.

I did love Nigel and seeing the friendship of Tally and Yolanda. I also appreciated the fact that Tally did consider the fact that either of her parents could actually be guilty and the titillating facts surrounding their possible motives.

DEADLY SWEET TOOTH serves up delicious sweets and not so savory characters in this Texas Hill Country mystery.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Deadly Sweet Tooth by Kaye George. This book is the second in the Vintage Sweets Mystery series.

Tally Holt has a lot on her plate. In preparation for the huge reception to welcome her parents' visit she's looking to hire servers who will also work in her vintage candy shop.  She's also having to deal with the arrival of her footloose younger brother, wondering if he'll be more of a hindrance than a help. On the day of the party almost the entire town of Fredericksburg, Texas joins in the festivities, munching on Tally's homemade Clark Bars, Twinkies, and other sweets. And everyone appears to be having a good time, except for Fran, an old nemesis of her mother. But the party comes to a halt when first her mother takes ill, then Fran. Nancy is diagnosed with dengue fever, but Fran's diagnosis is murder!