CORNBREAD, RIBS, AND MURDER
Brenda Whiteside and Joyce Proell
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GENRE: Mystery
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BLURB:
It’s a rib cookoff…with a recipe for murder.
Nicole Earp and Emma Banefield are celebrating another birthday at the Dulce Inn with the added fun of a rib cookoff in the park. Not only are chocolate martinis in their plans, Nic has her heart set on winning the cornbread contest. But as the excitement bakes, someone is stirring up trouble for the inn and its employees.
Strange occurrences at the Dulce are on the rise. Slashed tires, menacing phone calls, and unsavory characters add a vibe that threatens the sisters’ anticipated fun-filled stay. When the hot-headed hotel owner is caught wielding a bloody letter opener over a dead coworker, the sisters are embroiled in a caper to help the one person who finds their sleuthing as welcomed as a rattlesnake in her bed. But is she innocent?
The Chocolate Martini Sisters are primed to find out. First, they’ll have to eliminate a host of suspects that includes a dishonest restaurant owner, a jilted girlfriend, an ex-wife, the barkeeper, and a masseuse with a crush. If they can stay off the radar of the surly chief homicide detective long enough, they can put out the fire…unless the killer burns them first.
The third book in this amateur sleuths, cozy mystery series will have you chuckling and on the edge of your seat as the sisters solve the murder.
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Excerpt
“I did, and all emotions would be expected, considering they’d once been friends. He seemed embarrassed he’d missed the opportunity to reconnect with Leo. Or, if not that, embarrassed we questioned him on it. Hearing about his death shook him, and his regret was palpable.”
They’d reached the doors of the Dulce Inn. “I’m not coming in for a nightcap. I need to pack. You’ll have total peace and quiet tonight, all alone in the room.”
Em did a slow blink. “Yes, as much peace and quiet as one can have after witnessing the aftermath of a grisly murder.”
She gave her sister a one-armed hug. “Put it aside, Em. Get a cup of tea to take to the room. Work on your next great novel or read. Enjoy the lovely inn décor without listening to hammers. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Early?”
“No. Not too too, anyway. I’ll give a call when I’m on my way.”
Once Em disappeared through the inn entrance, she spun on her sandaled foot for the short hike to the parking lot. She truly hoped Em wouldn’t fixate on the vision of Leo. Instead, she could use her smarts to analyze what clues they might have unknowingly collected today. As for herself, she wasn’t sure what constituted a clue from the mishmash of sleuthing they’d achieved. Jillian? Bailey? The ex-wife? And what was Bear about? She rubbed her scar. This weekend brought more than a rib cookoff and birthday celebration. The Chocolate Martini Sisters had a mystery to solve.
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Free use image from Open Clipart Vectors
Ornery Owl's Review
Rating: Four out of Five Stars
This story lures the reader in from the first line and keeps them hooked with a snappy pace and lavishly described setting. I could really imagine myself at a chili cookoff with a diverse cast of characters.
Unfortunately, few things spoil my appetite for a story quite like a heaping helping of body shaming. This occurs early on in the narrative. It would be great if more writers realized that many of us larger folk are capable of reading, and we do not appreciate always being used as bad examples or being subjected to assumptions about what and how much we consume.
As a burly individual with an obnoxious demeanor, Bear is difficult to ignore. He owns a rib joint. Given his imposing personality and big body, I might describe Bear as having a name perfectly suited to him. The authors describe Bear as "a walking advertisement for how you might look if you ate the food served at Bear Ribs too often." They also compare him to an "overbaked potato" while referring to Leo (the murder victim) as "a silky, smooth chocolate mousse."
The characters' comparisons with foods actually fit the tone of the story, but why not compare Bear to a food such as a double bacon cheeseburger? Bear is a big, loud, good-ole boy. Comparing him to bland food like an overbaked potato is a missed opportunity.
I tried to shuffle my unhappiness with the appearance-shaming aspect of the story to the side so I could enjoy following along as the sister sleuths solve the mystery of Leo the silky smooth chocolate mousse's murder. There is some snappy banter between the sisters and the police, and there are many exciting twists and turns.
Overall, this story is great fun, and I recommend it to fans of cozy mysteries.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
After hearing countless stories as a mental health professional, Joyce retired to create her own tales. As an award-winning author, she writes historical romance and cozy mystery where all endings are guaranteed happy. She shares her home on the prairie with a husband and a little dog with a big personality. When she isn’t reading or writing, she likes to swim and finds baking almost as relaxing as a day at the spa.
Visit here at her website: https://joyceproell.com/ or at https://www.facebook.com/JoyceProellAuthor
Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and cozy mystery. She writes children’s books under the pen name, Brenda Sue. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart and won't discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.
Visit Brenda at https://www.brendawhiteside.com or https://www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor
Book Link:
Series Link:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Brenda Whiteside and Joyce Proell will award a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter.
Thank you for hosting and reviewing today.
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ReplyDeleteSounds like a great cozy.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun read.
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