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A review by literary__escapism
Final Sentence by Daryl Wood Gerber
5.0
In the first book in the Cookbook Nook Mystery series, Daryl Wood Gerber creates a mouth-watering mystery set in Crystal Cove, a idyllic by-the-sea town where murder and mayhem take place.
Jenna returns home to Crystal Cove, after her husband was declared dead two years earlier, after going missing during a sailing trip. Her Aunt Vera has convinced her to open The Cookbook Nook, a cookbook store with a cafe, and with Vera, her father and school friends they prepare to open the most delicious store in Crystal Cove. Jenna has lined up Desiree Divine, celebrity chef and a friend from her college days. However before opening day Desiree turns up dead and it's up to Jenna to try and solve the murder!!
I feel for authors with first books in a new series. There is a lot of pressure to not just create a great murder mystery, but to set up a memorable town with likeable characters that will make readers want to return for consecutive books. For me, first books in a series are make or breaks. If I like the town and characters I will return. A fantastic mystery to solve is always a bonus.
With this in mind I was interested to see whether Crystal Cove would steal my attention just the way that her other series (The Cheese Shop Mysteries under the name Avery Aames) has. I'm happy to report that Crystal Cove, the Cookbook Nook and the Hart family left me completely captivated. Apart from the mystery, there is a lot of other things going on in Crystal Cove. There is Jenna's father, retired "FBI analyst", Aunt Vera and her psychic abilities, and the devilish Rhett Jackson (yes I imagined him having a Rhett Butler voice!!!).
I won't spoil any of the little secondary stories but I will say that it's not just the mystery that will keep you guessing but also the gossip and happenings in the lives of the locals of Crystal Cove.
With the mention of several delicious cozy mystery series (many of which I recognized) and mouth-watering cookbooks, Final Sentence was an absolute winner for me. I absolutely can't wait for Daryl Wood Gerber to release the second book in this series. In the meantime, I think I will heading out to the bookstore to pick up some cookbooks and to try the recipes in the back of Final Sentence.
Jenna returns home to Crystal Cove, after her husband was declared dead two years earlier, after going missing during a sailing trip. Her Aunt Vera has convinced her to open The Cookbook Nook, a cookbook store with a cafe, and with Vera, her father and school friends they prepare to open the most delicious store in Crystal Cove. Jenna has lined up Desiree Divine, celebrity chef and a friend from her college days. However before opening day Desiree turns up dead and it's up to Jenna to try and solve the murder!!
I feel for authors with first books in a new series. There is a lot of pressure to not just create a great murder mystery, but to set up a memorable town with likeable characters that will make readers want to return for consecutive books. For me, first books in a series are make or breaks. If I like the town and characters I will return. A fantastic mystery to solve is always a bonus.
With this in mind I was interested to see whether Crystal Cove would steal my attention just the way that her other series (The Cheese Shop Mysteries under the name Avery Aames) has. I'm happy to report that Crystal Cove, the Cookbook Nook and the Hart family left me completely captivated. Apart from the mystery, there is a lot of other things going on in Crystal Cove. There is Jenna's father, retired "FBI analyst", Aunt Vera and her psychic abilities, and the devilish Rhett Jackson (yes I imagined him having a Rhett Butler voice!!!).
I won't spoil any of the little secondary stories but I will say that it's not just the mystery that will keep you guessing but also the gossip and happenings in the lives of the locals of Crystal Cove.
With the mention of several delicious cozy mystery series (many of which I recognized) and mouth-watering cookbooks, Final Sentence was an absolute winner for me. I absolutely can't wait for Daryl Wood Gerber to release the second book in this series. In the meantime, I think I will heading out to the bookstore to pick up some cookbooks and to try the recipes in the back of Final Sentence.