Series: Culinary Mystery #9
Format Read: PDF
Release Date: February 18, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Book Blurb from the author:
An Alaskan cruise is the setting for amateur detective Sadie Hoffmillers latest adventure. Sadie plans to spend time relaxing with her two grown children, Breanna and Shawn, and her boyfriend, Pete, while enjoying the luxury and cuisine of an elegant cruise ship and helping to plan her daughters upcoming wedding. But even as the crew prepares to leave port, Sadie has suspicions about the voyage ahead and the relationship between her normally easygoing son and a mysterious female passenger he obviously knows but refuses to discuss. When the woman is discovered unconscious during the second night at sea, Sadies apprehension escalates. Over the last few years, Sadie has developed an extreme dislike for secrets and it would seem her son is keeping one from her.
*Includes eight new mouthwatering recipes, tested and approved by the official bakers of Sadies Virtual Test Kitchen.
Bea's Thoughts:
This was the first book in this series that I've read and it worked well as a stand alone except for vague and mysterious references to an unnamed, apparently traumatic event that happened in Boston. That was a minor irritation though.
I had a hard time at first warming up to Sadie. Another character described her as "a super-controlling-freak-out-mom" and that was how she struck me also. She has a hard time letting her grown children make their own decisions and choices and she wants to know everything about their lives. She loosens up during the book and I warmed up to her.
The mysteries happen organically and don't feel artificial nor does her involvement. She is intimately tied to the first mystery and, though it's not apparent at first, to the second one. In addition to the mysteries, we get a close-up look at Sadie's family and their dynamics. What appear to be coincidences at first are later revealed to be otherwise and Kilpack does an excellent job of sprinkling hints and clues throughout the story. I enjoyed meeting her children Shawn and Breanna, and her boyfriend Pete. The ending was unexpected and a tear jerker but in a good way. As I said, at first I had a hard time warming up to Sadie and I had a difficult time staying engaged with the story, but gradually I got pulled in and enjoyed the mysteries and the story.
I'm not a baker or even much of a cook yet I enjoy reading mysteries with food themes, maybe because I love to eat? There are recipes in the book ranging from easy to complicated, based on reading them. It's a nice bonus though I wish they'd all been collected at the end of the book instead of interrupting chapters. It might be less disruptive in print but on my kindle it was a nuisance (I had the PDF converted kindle format).
I received a PDF from the publisher for review as part of the blog tour.
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| Click on image for the tour schedule |
GIVEAWAY INFO:
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/20/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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I think I'd better look for this next time I want a challenging read.
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