Key Lime Pie

From Goodreads:    When Sadie Hoffmiller's new friend, Eric Burton, receives word that his missing daughter's body may have been found in Florida, he immediately packs his bags. Sadie is determined to stay home and prove to everyone that she is not a busybody. But when she senses Eric is hiding something, Sadie is compelled to take action. Before she knows it, she's in the heart of Miami, trying to piece together a trail that might just give Eric the answers he's so desperately searching for. In the process, Sadie finds herself in the company of some colorful characters and some good ol' southern cooking. But despite the drama and intrigue, all Sadie really wants is to go home ... as soon as she does just one more thing.

Includes eight new mouthwatering recipes, tested and approved by the official bakers of Sadie's Test Kitchen.

My Thoughts:

-    FINALLY!! Something other than a murder mystery! Well...there is still some murder involved, but the main mystery isn't a murder! 

-    The beginning was a tad slow. It doesn't really pick up until about 3/4 of the way through, and then the fun really begins!

-    Every time I fee like I'm not going to continue with these books, the story pulls me in, and I want to read another. 

-    For some reason, I feel attached to Sadie. I don't know why, but I feel attached, and I want to keep reading about her and her nosiness.

-    I'm starting to get the rhythm and feel for these books, so the ending wasn't a shocker, and I kinda predicted most of what happened. There better be some surprising things in the future for Sadie. 

-    My favorite character in this book was Monty. What a guy!

-    I thought Eric was a jerk and a loser in this book! I didn't like that. I wanted to continue loving him, but Pete stole the stage. Pete was a jerk in the last book though, so now I'm just confused!

-    Why are these considered LDS books? The author is LDS, but so are other authors from Utah that aren't considered LDS authors. There is almost no religion in these. I would just consider them mysteries. 

-    I like it when Sadie gets roughed up. Violence is exciting!

Previous Books in the Culinary Mystery Series

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

  

Devil's Food Cake

From Goodreads:    Its been years since author Thom Mortenson has been back to Garrison, Colorado. As part of the committee who invited the bestselling writer to speak at the library fundraising benefit, Sadie Hoffmiller wants everything to be perfect right down to the homemade devils food cake she baked herself. Certainly, murder was not on the menu.











My Thoughts:

-    This was a fun and exciting mystery! This is probably my favorite so far. It was clever and thrilling to read. 

-    Another murder though? I'd like a different mystery. How about Sadie could visit a haunted house, catch a burglar, or anything else!

-    Sadie is a bit of a busy body who thinks she can do a better job than the police. I get that she is curious, but she goes beyond that! 

-    I don't like that the police are pretty useless. I like to have a bit more faith in my police officers! They know how to do things! 

-    I liked the thrilling parts of the story where Sadie was running or fighting for her life! I couldn't read fast enough. I wanted to know what happened next! Some parts of the book are a little slow, but it makes up for it with the action!

-    A lot happens in one night! Wow! I love that everything but the last couple chapters occur in one evening!

-    I liked how the last book had Breanna in it, and this one had Shawn in it. I like getting to know Sadie's children, and I like seeing the relationship Sadie has with her children. It is nice. 

-    I liked the new character, Eric, a lot! He was right there when Sadie needed him, and he stuck by her for the rest of the crazy events! I would totally dump Pete for him! Women like men that they can count on and will back them up!

-    These culinary mysteries make me hungry! I love that recipes are added in the book, and i really want to make everything! They sound SO yummy, and it makes me crave it! If there is one thing Kilpack can do, it is to work up an appetite in her readers! 

-    These are fun books, but I can see how I could get bored with them. For now, I'm still interested, so I'll continue to read. 

Previous Book in the Culinary Mystery series

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

 

English Trifle

Goodreads Description:    High Crimes at High Tea

Things to Do in England

Visit Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and the London Zoo. Take the Jack the Ripper tour
Sample authentic English scones and crumpets.

Discover a dead body

What begins as a holiday trip for amateur sleuth and cooking aficionado Sadie Hoffmiller and her daughter, Breanna, turns into a bizarre mystery when they discover a dead body in the sitting room of an English manor.

Breanna's boyfriend, Liam, is heir to both the family title and the family estate of Southgate, where everyone seems to have a secret . . . or two.

When the body in the sitting room disappears, Sadie and Breanna are stranded at the estate until the police can clear them to leave. With their departure delayed, they might as well solve the murder.

Armed with a jogging whistle, her personal recipe collection, and an unfailing sense of American justice, Sadie begins her own investigation to find the killer. But as Sadie uncovers layer after layer of misdirection, secrets, and outright lies, she wonders if anyone is telling the truth
Take a missing family history, toss in a secret romance, mix with a mysterious murder, and this is one vacation Sadie will never forget.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a fun clue-like mystery. I don't read many murder mysteries, but I liked this one.

-    It was nice read about a grown woman. I usually read about teenagers, so this was a nice change.

-    I want to bake all sorts of foods now. I just love that there are recipes to a lot of the foods mentioned in the book! I want to try them all!!

-    What are crumpet rings? I cannot even picture what they should look like!

-    I like how curious and stubborn Sadie is, but I would not want her as a neighbor. She would be too nosy!

-    I liked that Breanna was a bigger part of this story. I like her character, but I think she could be developed a bit more. I want to get to know her!

-    I really couldn't figure out everything. There were so many pieces, and none of them seemed to fit together. It takes a while for the whole picture to be seen! The story is really intricate.

-    I wish Liam had been more assertive. He really needs to learn how to take charge.

-    I love that this book took place in England. There were so many fun English things, and it made me want to watch Downton Abbey.

-    The book has some slow parts, but it is worth sticking through til the end.

Previous Book in the Culinary Mystery series

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

Lemon Tart

From Goodreads:    A recipe for murder!

* 5 families living on Peregrine Circle
* 1 flowered curtain tieback
* 1 missing child
* 1 body in the field


Mix with a long list of suspects and top with two very different detectives. Increase heat until only the truth remains.

Award-winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary "cozies" that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado-turned-amateur detective, Sadie Hoffmiller, tries to solve the murder of Anne Lemmon, her beautiful young neighbor - a single mother who was mysteriously killed while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie's search is Anne's missing two-year-old son, Trevor. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects - including her!

Armed with a handful of her very best culinary masterpieces, Sadie is determined to bake her way to proving her innocence, rescuing Trevor, and finding out exactly who had a motive for murder.

My Thoughts:

-    This murder mystery (that was chucked full of yummy food) was really fun!  It had everything a good mystery book needs:  good cop, bad cop, murder, several suspects, chase scenes, hiding scenes, sneaking around scenes, shocking secrets, etc.  It was great!

-    This made me want to bake and cook....A LOT!!  I'm definitely trying out most of the recipes in the book.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE that the book includes recipes to some of the yummy goodness mentioned in the book. 

-    I loved the main character.  Sadie is so funny and so believable.  I think I know a few ladies just like her.  

-    This whole book took me through so many emotions.  It was suspenseful, thrilling, sad, anger inducing, and other varieties of emotions. 

-    There were a lot of victims in this book, not just the one that got killed.  I feel really bad for some of the people in Sadie's life.  I hope the other books address how everyone gets their lives together...or don't get their lives together. 

-    There were some slow bits in the book, but there were a lot of "I can't turn the pages fast enough" bits too.  The latter outweighed the first.  

-    The whole story and plot were really well thought out!  Koodos for the author!  She did a good job putting this whole mystery together and how it was going to be solved.  There was no way for me to predict the ending!  It was really well done. 

-    My only worry is that there are a lot of books in this series, and I hope they aren't really similar so I get tired of them.  I'm looking forward to the next one though!