Apples and Alibis by Gayle Leeson

Apples and Alibis (A Down South Cafe Mystery Book)

Cozy Mystery

4th in Series

Grace Abraham Publishing (August 13, 2019)

Print Length: 188 pages

ASIN: B07V1X8SW3

That's the last time Amy agrees to do a favor for a stranger...

Down South Cafe owner, Amy Flowers is in over her head. Operating a cafe while hosting the first Farmers' Market in Winter Garden has her swimming in apples. And when an elderly woman calls the cafe, pleading for a delivery for her upcoming party, Amy relents, feeling compelled to help the desperate customer.

But when she arrives, the woman is slumped over her kitchen table, and Amy is catapulted into the middle of a small town crime. Guilt-ridden for not arriving earlier to save the woman, she sets out to unravel the mystery surrounding the woman. Now, between running the cafe and dealing with the chaos of the farmers' market, Amy is squeezing in a murder investigation, a run-in with her boyfriend's mom, and her own mother's quirky life decisions. Life can't get any worse...or can it? This cafe owner needs a break--in the case.

About Gayle Leeson

Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. I also write as Amanda Lee. As Gayle Trent, I write the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. As Amanda Lee, I write the Embroidery Mystery series.

The cake decorating series features a heroine who is starting her life over in Southwest Virginia after a nasty divorce. The heroine, Daphne, has returned to her hometown of Brea Ridge to open a cake baking and decorating business and is wrestling with the question of whether or not one can go home again. She enjoys spending time with her sister, nephew, and niece, but she and her mother have a complicated relationship that isn’t always pleasant. Daphne has also reconnected with her high school sweetheart and is pursuing a rekindled romance while desperately trying to put her past behind her.

The Embroidery Mystery series features a heroine who recently moved to the Oregon coast to open an embroidery specialty shop. Marcy Singer left her home in San Francisco, along with the humiliation of being left at the altar, in order to move to Tallulah Falls and realize her dream of owning her own shop. She takes along her faithful companion, a one-year-old Irish wolfhound named Angus O’Ruff. She makes many new friends in Tallulah Falls, but she also makes a few enemies. Thankfully, her best friend Sadie MacKenzie and her husband Blake run the coffeehouse right down the street from Marcy’s shop, the Seven-Year Stitch; and Detective Ted Nash always has her back.

I live in Virginia with my family, which includes her own “Angus” who is not an Irish wolfhound but a Great Pyrenees who provides plenty of inspiration for the character of Mr. O’Ruff. I’m having a blast writing this new series!

Author Links

Webpage: http://www.gayleleeson.com http://www.gayletrent.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GayleTrent

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/gayletrent/pins/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gayletrentleeson/

My Thoughts

Apples and Alibis by Gayle Leeson is the fourth A Down South Café Mystery.  It can be read as a standalone if you have not read the previous three books in this series.  I like Gayle Leeson’s relaxed writing style which makes for a lovely, easy to read story.  Amy Flowers is a kindhearted character who has good friends, a boyfriend, close to her family, and sweet pets. Amy has organized a farmer’s market to take place every Saturday in her parking lot for six weeks which has caused an increase in customers into the café.  When Amy receives a call asking for food to be delivered after closing that day, she does not have the heart to refuse Gladys Pridemore.  Jackie, Amy’s cousin, tags along and the pair discover Gladys slumped over in her kitchen with a faint pulse. Gladys does not survive, and Amy wants answers despite being warned off by several people.  Apples and Alibis is a lighthearted, humorous cozy mystery.  It is a character driven story.  There are a variety of quirky characters which include Homer and Aunt Bess.  Aunt Bess and her zany antics provide many laugh-out-loud moments.  Her Pinterest boards are unique especially the one featuring local crime scenes.  There is a new doctor in town who Jackie and Amy believe is a good match for Amy’s mother, but another female has her eye on him as well.  Amy gets to meet Ryan’s parents after an explosive day at the farmer’s market.  The mystery provides a variety of suspects, a red herring or two plus direct clues.  This entertaining story has charming cozy moments including the ladies enjoying an evening with Aunt Bess.  There are recipes at the end for a couple of Amy’s dishes.  I wanted to share one of Homer’s saying with you “curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect.”  I loved the butler animatronic in the book.  It's quotes had me chuckling.  Apples and Alibis is a witty cozy mystery with an absconded automobile, delectable dishes, a pompous Pridemore, a bothered boyfriend, a spooky corn maze, fiery altercations, and one curious café owner. 

Apples and Alibis will be out on Tuesday, August 13 and it is available at Amazon, B&N, and Kobo.  The first three books in A Down South Cafe Mystery are The Calamity Cafe, Silence of the Jams, and Honey-Baked Homicide.  Thank you for joining me today.  Tomorrow I am sharing my review of The Loyal One by Shelley Shepard Gray.  It is the second book in The Walnut Creek Series.  I hope you have a stupendous day.  Take care, stay cool (August is much hotter than it was in July) and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader