fuonlyknew

Ladle to the Grave
by Connie Archer

The mystery is such fun and with old and new characters and an ending that will leave you hungry (pun intended) for the next book!
~A Chick Who Reads

Even though I knew there was going to be murder involved, Ladle to the Grave was simply a cozy (pun intended) comfort read from beginning to end.
~Read Your Writes

This was a cup of tea kind of mystery. This is an interesting story, great pacing, nice characters and soup. What more can you want!
~I Wish I Lived In a Library

I adored the characters Lucky and Sophie are a hoot. This book is indeed cozy from the first page. I wanted the pages to keep going and not end.
~Bab’s Book Bistro

LADLE TO THE GRAVE was just as wonderful as the first three books in this series. No, wait. Scratch that. LADLE TO THE GRAVE was even MORE wonderful than the first three titles.
~Lisa K’s Book Reviews

Ladle to the Grave
(A Soup Lover’s Mystery)
4th in Series
Cozy Mystery
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (March 3, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0425273111
E-Book ASIN: B00LMGLY7E

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 My Review

I sure do enjoy cozy mysteries and I have a new one to share today.

When I first started reading this, mention of a pagan ritual had me going back to the cover on my Kindle to be sure I was reading the right book. Several local women have formed a coven and are performing the ritual of spring, the Beltaine, when one of their members dies after drinking a potion.

This is where Lucky, owner of By The Spoonful, a popular soup cafe, enters the story, as her grandfather, Jack, was the one who gathered the herbs and spices for the brew. She begins her own investigation to clear his name after he comes under suspicion of foul play.

As if that’s not enough, her best friend, Sophie, and her fiance, Sage, an employee at the soup shop, are planning their wedding and when the two women are visiting the site of Sophie’s future home, they stumble upon a man drowned in the stream that runs through the property.

As the bodies pile up and light of suspicion is cast upon family and loved ones, Sophie places herself in the middle of the investigation and paints a dangerous target on herself. It’s only a matter of time before things start boiling over.

There’s more than one plot to follow in this story, but the author kept it flowing smoothly. I don’t usually get caught by surprise in a cozy, but there were two big ones for me in this book. One made me cry. And one set me back as I realized I hadn’t solved this mystery. This kept me on my toes and emotionally engaged.

One part that had me chuckling was the wedding. Sophie and Sage are planning a small, private one. But the town folk are bombarding Lucky about what to buy the couple and when their invitations will arrive.  I was anticipating a big pickle about this and wasn’t disappointed.

I enjoyed all of the colorful characters and a few became near and dear to me. A few others felt familiar, as I’m from a small town, much like Snowflake, where everybody knows everybody, and there are those few people that seem to be everywhere at once and know everything.

Even though this is the fourth book in the series. I easily got familiar with the characters and references to previous events had me curious to go back and read the series from the beginning. It’s always fun to begin at the beginning and find out how and why the characters ended up where they are.

A fun cozy and a series I”ll be following. I hope you give it a try.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

By the Spoonful is Snowflake, Vermont’s most popular soup shop, but owner Lucky Jamieson doesn’t have any time to enjoy her success—she’s too busy trying to keep a lid on false accusations against her loved ones…

It’s almost May, and some of the local ladies have organized a pagan celebration in the woods to welcome spring. But the evening goes terribly wrong when one of the attendees winds up dead, apparently poisoned by an herbal concoction prepared by Lucky’s grandfather, Jack.

Lucky’s sure her grandfather could not have made such a tragic mistake. But before she can clear him of suspicion, her best friend, Sophie, is diverted from planning her wedding to By the Spoonful chef Sage DuBois when she finds a dead man floating in the creek on her property. Now it’s up to Lucky to get both Sophie and Jack out of hot water before a killer stirs up more trouble…

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About This Author

Connie Archer is the national bestselling author of the Soup Lover’s Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime.

A Spoonful of Murder, [http://amzn.to/1pRKL9TA]

A Broth of Betrayal [http://amzn.to/1ofLs86] and

A Roux of Revenge [http://amzn.to/1ofLCMD]

are set in the imaginary village of Snowflake, Vermont.

The fourth book in the series,

Ladle to the Grave, [http://amzn.to/Zs1GGg] will be released on March 3, 2015.

 

Links:

Website:  www.conniearchermysteries.com

Facebook:  www.Facebook.com/ConnieArcherMysteries

Twitter:  @SnowflakeVT

Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/1y1CYeM

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