Criminal Confections

Criminal Confections by Colette London is the first book in the new Chocolate Whisperer Mystery series.  I was looking forward to reading this book.  It looked like a great cozy mystery.  Unfortunately, I was very disappointed.  Hayden Mundy Moore is an expert on chocolate.  Hayden is hired by companies to help them improve an old chocolate dessert, start a new line of chocolates, or help a fading chocolate company.  When Hayden does a job, it is kept hush-hush.  Most companies do not want the word to get out that they have hired her.  Her latest job is for Lemaitre Chocolates.  They needed help with a new line of “healthy” chocolates (talk about taking the fun out of our favorite snack).  Hayden has been invited to the Lemaitre retreat at Maison Lemaitre (reminds you of the Hotel Hershey with the chocolate buffet and spa).  Hayden has invited her best friend, Danny Jamieson to join her (to be her plus one).   Danny is her oldest friend and works as a security expert.  The retreat starts off well, but soon someone is dead.  Hayden knew the deceased and is upset that her death is being written off as “accidental” so she starts to ask questions.   I know that this sounds like a great book, but it is not.  I would rate it as okay.  I liked it, but did not love it.  Hayden Mundy Moore is supposed to be really smart and well-traveled, but by the end of the book she comes across as a bumbling idiot except on the subject of chocolate.  The killer is also very easy to figure out (I had it solved within the first fifty pages). Criminal Confections is also written in the first person.  I think that the book has potential.  With more editing (deleting some scenes completely and not making Hayden look like an idiot) it could be a great book. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for visiting.  I hope you are having a lovely evening and are reading a great book!  Happy Reading!

Kris