I hope everyone has had a good Thursday. I am still fighting this awful cold, so I took it easy today. I am reading Amish Weddings by Leslie Gould while lounging in bed. After all the hustle and bustle before Christmas, I think all of us deserve a nice rest. Today I am featuring A Pawsitively Organic Mystery series by Liz Mugavero. The books in the series are Kneading to Die; A Biscuit, A Casket; The Icing on the Corpse, and Murder Most Finicky.
Custom Baked Murder by Liz
Mugavero is the fifth book in A Pawsitively Organic Mystery series. Kristan “Stan” Connor is working hard on
getting everything ready for the opening of her shop, Pawsitively Organic Pet
Patisserie and Café, in three months (in December before Christmas) in Frog
Ledge, Connecticut. Stan is running late
for her mother’s engagement party when her sister, Christine shows up at her
home with her daughter, Evangeline in tow.
Christine has left her husband, Michael and wishes to stay with Stan (like
she has a choice in the matter). Stan is
really running late now and quickly changes for the party. Stan is going with her boyfriend, Jake McGee
(who owns McSwigg’s). The four of them
end up arriving an hour late to the party (Stan was hoping they could skip it
altogether). Patricia Connor, Stan and
Christine’s mother, greets them (with a comment about their tardiness), but her
fiancé, Tony Falco is not present. Patricia
failed to tell Stan about some of guests she invited (people she would like to
avoid). Richard Ruse, Stan’s
ex-boyfriend, along with some of her old co-workers including Eleanor Chang. Tony, the town’s newly elected mayor, hired
Eleanor to be his “executive coach”.
Eleanor has an abrasive personality, and she seems to make enemies
wherever she goes (she is particularly hard on her daughter, Monica). Stan is upstairs with her sister,
Caitlyn. Caitlyn stops to freshen up in
the ladies room and lets out a scream upon entering the room. There is Eleanor Chang strangled with a scarf
with Patricia’s diamond ring between her teeth.
Richard Ruse ends up being the main suspect when he stumbles out of the
woods in a disheveled and drunken state.
Stan will not let Richard be railroaded for a crime he did not commit
(just because Tony wants everything wrapped up quickly and quietly). Stan sets out to find Eleanor’s killer and
clear Richard’s name. Things are made a
little complicated by Christine’s ex-lover, Kyle McLeod arriving in town. He is determined to woo Christine and win her
back. Then there is the matter of
Patricia and her meddling in Stan’s shop design. Stan knew it was a bad idea to let her
invest. Life is never dull in Frog
Ledge. Join Stan on her latest adventure
in Custom Baked Murder.
Custom Baked Murder is full of
quirky, fun characters (even the animals have great personalities). I found Custom Baked Murder to be an easy and
enjoyable book to read. I like the small-town
setting and various townspeople. There
are some definite laugh out loud moments as well as some “oh my” areas. It was nice to catch up with Stan’s family
and friends in Frog Ledge. I am happy to
see Stan’s relationships with Jake, Patricia, and Caitlyn developing over the
course of the series (and especially in Custom Baked Murder). I give Custom Baked Murder 4 out of 5 stars
(I liked it). I found the murder to be one that could be quickly solved by the
reader (or an avid mystery reader who loves to solve the puzzles presented in
the books). One clue is the key to
solving the murder (it’s like there is a big, neon arrow pointing to the
killer). There are other small clues in the
book that will help the reader discover the culprit’s identity. I wish the mystery had been a little more
complicated (more difficult to figure out the killer’s identity). I found the two words “long story” repeated frequently
throughout the book. I am also curious
about Stan’s trust fund that was mentioned again in Custom Baked Murder. I did not understand why Stan did not tap
into this money to finance Pawsitively Organic Pet Patisserie and Café. Why did Stan need investors (Jake and
Patricia)? It is mentioned that Stan
wanted to live on her own (working) and not rely on her trust fund (I am
curious). If you enjoy reading well-written,
humorous cozy mysteries with entertaining characters, then read Custom Baked Murder.
I appreciate you reading my latest book evaluation. I am going to put on my pj's and climb back into bed (the cold has to go away soon). PBS is showing Downton Abbey from the beginning starting tonight at 9 p.m. (I just love this show). I am going to enjoy the marathon. I hope everyone has a good night. Take care, stay warm and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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