Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Book Review: Sugar and Vice by Eve Calder

Lately, Kate has a lot on her dessert plate. She’s launching a cookie-of-the-day challenge in the heart of Coral Cay, providing sweet treats for the reception of the town’s handsome new veterinarian—not to mention dealing with tourists in town for a pirate festival and the surprise arrival of her former fiancé, Evan, who seems determined to win her back.
And if that’s not enough, a skeleton has been found—in the backyard behind her best friend Maxi’s floral shop. Kate knows Maxi could never hurt a fly. Maybe the remains belong to Sir George Bly, a long-dead pirate whose name has become urban legend—until now? It’s time for Kate to use every trick in the recipe book to prove Maxi’s innocence, and find the truth about the skeleton, before the last of the cookies crumble…[summary via Amazon]

For lovers of culinary cozy mysteries there is a relatively new series on the horizon, the Cookie House Mysteries. If my experience with the second book in the series, Sugar and Vice, is anything to go by, we're going to be raving about this series for years to come!

Kate is settling into her new life in sunny Coral Cay. She's busy baking up a storm as part-owner in The Cookie House, and getting ready for the Pirate Festival. However all plans go awry when her friend and neighbour, Maxi, uncovers a skeleton in her yard. Could it be the 400 year old bones of notorious pirate, Gentlemen George Bly, or something more recent and sinister?

I leapt right into Sugar and Vice without reading the first book in the series. Quite often I do this, and sometimes I feel a little lost and sometimes I land right on my "reading" feet. In this case it was the latter. Within a chapter I was feeling right at home in Coral Cay, and cursing myself for not picking up this series sooner!! Coral Cay is the perfect picturesque, sunny, island. The townsfolk are friendly, and they live off the tourist trade. There is a little shop for everything, and as I read, I was wishing I could visit this town, and step into The Cookie House, and all the other shops in the centre of town. Eve Calder has a way of describing the town and occupants so well, that you just want to dive right into the book!!

I love the uniqueness of the mystery. The skeleton, who Maxi nicknames "Alvin", when her husband calls it "Exhibit A", is a complete unknown. The police, nor Maxi or Kate, are all grasping at clues trying to figure out who it was. The whodunnit is cleverly plotted and it kept me guessing right up until the end! Combine it with the mystery of pirate George Bly and you've got a very fascinating and unique cozy mystery, and one readers won't forget in a hurry!

I highly recommend Sugar and Vice be on your Winter/Spring reading list! This is a delightful series for lovers of culinary cozy mysteries, and those that are looking to read a first class whodunit. The delightful locals, and not to mention Oliver, the adorable puppy that wanders the island and lives with Kate, will have you coming back for more.

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