Happy Book Release Day! Claws for Concern by Miranda James, The Book of Secrets by Melissa McShane, The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen, Death of an Honest Man by M.C. Beaton and Pressing the Issue by Daryl Wood Gerber are out today.
Pressing the Issue by Daryl Wood Gerber is the sixth book in A Cookbook Nook Mystery series. Jenna Hart is busy getting the Cookbook Nook ready
for the Crystal Cove Renaissance Fair. Bailey
Bird, though, is of little help since she is out of sorts. Bailey is getting married in two weeks to
Tito Martinez at Baldini Vineyard. Lola Bird has not helped matters by telling Bailey
that she has a bad vibe about the nuptials.
Bailey receives a cryptic message from Nick Baldini and it sounds like he
is in trouble. Jenna and Bailey rush to
his home to find him on the floor with blood coming from a head wound. They check for a pulse and find their King of
the Renaissance Fair, Nick is dead. Jenna
quickly contacts Police Chief Cinnamon Pritchett who warns Jenna to stay out of
the investigation. The murder weapon
turns out to be a winepress that Nick had shown them earlier in the day. Bailey is thrown into a tailspin. What will
happen to her wedding? Jenna quietly
(does not want to incur Cinnamon’s wrath) begins asking questions to find out
more about Nick and who could have wished him harm. Time is running out because soon the
Renaissance Fair visitors will be departing, and the killer could be hiding
among them. Who could have committed
this dastardly deed? Will Bailey and
Tito have their wedding?
Pressing the Issue can be read
alone. Everything a reader needs to know
is included in the book. Returning to
Crystal Cove is like visiting old friends.
It is a charming town with welcoming townspeople, a beach, and inviting
shops. The main characters are warm,
friendly and relatable. It was lovely to
catch up with Jenna, Bailey, Kate, Rhett and Aunt Vera. The descriptions of the Renaissance Fair are
vivid. I enjoyed reading about the
costumes, food and activities (the Renaissance Fair speak was entertaining and
amusing). It felt like I was there enjoying it with them. There are delightful book descriptions
(cookbooks and some cozy mysteries). The
tantalizing food narratives will have your mouth watering (recipes included at
the end of the book). I appreciated how
the author incorporated Charlotte Bessette of Fromagerie Bessette into the
story (from the Cheese Shop Mystery series written under her Avery Aames pen
name) and her mention of Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes). The mystery was enticing, but avid cozy
mystery readers will find it child’s play to solve. There are several suspects and some good
misdirection that will lead readers down the wrong path. I do wish that Police Chief Pritchett would
start working with Jenna on the investigations.
Cinnamon knows that Jenna’s natural curiosity will not keep her away
from looking into a case and Jenna is good at ferreting out information. I found the ending to be endearing. I am rating Pressing the Issue 4 out of 5
stars.
The other novels in A Cookbook Nook Mystery series are Final Sentence, Inherit the Word, Stirring the Plot, Fudging the Books and Grilling the Subject. I will return on Wednesday with my review of Claws for Concern by Miranda James. May you have an enticing day full of delightful books! Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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