Deadly Sweet Tooth by Kaye George

Good Day!  I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.  It is a strange, new world we live in.  I was tickled to find toilet paper in my local store recently along with paper towels and a small supply of foaming hand soap.  I found a recipe in a book that tells me how to make my own foaming hand soap.  I cannot wait to try it out.  I obtained some essential oils with scents that I am not allergic to (hot chocolate, apple cinnamon, snickerdoodle, and candy cane are just a couple of them).  Has anyone tried to make their own soap?  Do you have any suggestions or tips?

Deadly Sweet Tooth by Kaye George has Tally Holt preparing a reception for her parents, Bob & Nancy Holt who have been performing around the world.  Tally is holding the party at her shop, Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets in Fredericksburg, Texas.  She has hired three ladies to help at the event and hopes they will become permanent employees for her shop.  The event begins well, but then Fran Abraham confronts Nancy Holt causing a scene.  The meanspirited woman collapses soon thereafter and is rushed to the local hospital.  Early the next morning, Tally gets a phone call from Detective Jackson Rogers announcing Fran has died and foul play is suspected.  Unfortunately, the list of suspects includes Tally’s parents.  Tally works to unwrap the clues and assemble the pieces so she can present the guilty party to the police.  

Deadly Sweet Tooth is the 2^nd book in The Vintage Sweets Mysteries.  It can be read as a standalone.  I had mixed feelings about this cozy mystery.  It is a light story featuring Tally’s sweet shop and Yolanda’s shop, Bella’s Baskets.  The two are best friends with their shops next door to each other.  The point-of-view switches between both ladies which can be confusing.  They are so similar that it is hard to discern between them.  I wish the author had written it the story in the third person instead (or just picked one of the protagonists).  I found the characters lacking depth.  They need more fleshing out to give them life.  Tally and her shop are puzzling.  She calls it Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, but it seems to feature more baked items than candy (homemade twinkies, Mary Jane’s, whoopie pies, etc.).  She seems to lack experience with employees which becomes obvious with who she hires.  Tally does not even contact references.  I question this because we are told she sold a flourishing bakery to return to her hometown and open the sweet shop.  The mystery was straightforward.  I was able to identify the killer immediately (there might as well have been a giant neon arrow pointing at the person).  Tally reacts to something near the end in an unexpected way (I wish I could say more but it would be a spoiler).  My mother says that I am thinking about the situation too logically.  Readers will have no problem solving this whodunit.  The ending was abrupt.  We go from an individual in peril to a party in swing at the local winery.  There was no reveal scene that would wrap up the mystery.  Tally did little investigating which was disappointing because I enjoy following the amateur sleuths as they investigate the crime.  Deadly Sweet Tooth is lighthearted cozy mystery with lackadaisical laborers, toxic treats, a dead director, peripatetic parents, a determined detective, and a disquieted daughter.  

Deadly Sweet Tooth can be purchased at Amazon*.  The next The Vintage Sweet Mystery is Into the Sweet Hereafter (preview at the end of the book). Revenge is Sweet is the first novel in The Vintage Sweet Mysteries.  I appreciate you reading my review today. Please remember that I am expressing how I felt about the book.  The beauty of books is that we each view them differently.  Please obtain a sample to judge the book for yourself. A Gilded Lady by Elizabeth Camden is what I plan to feature tomorrow.  It is the 2nd book in the Hope and Glory series.  I do hope you have a sweet day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

Revenge is Sweet by Kaye George

Welcome!  Berried in the Past by Peg Cochran releases on March 24.  It is the fifth A Cranberry Cove Mystery.  Six Cloves Under by Gin Jones comes out April 21.  It is the debut of A Garlic Farm Mystery series.  Sugar and Vice by Eve Calder comes out April 28.  It is the second novel in A Cookie House Mystery series.  As you can tell, I love reading cozy mysteries.

Candy shop window

Revenge is Sweet by Kaye George has Tally Holt opening Tally’s Old Tyme Sweets in Fredericksburg, Texas.  She is lucky to be right next door to her best friend, Yolanda Bella who operates Bella’s Baskets.  When Tally’s fridge goes on the fritz, she calls local bad boy handyman, Gene Schwartz.  Tally is shocked when she finds Gene dead on her kitchen floor.  Because Gene was the local Casanova who liked to borrow money from his dates (and not pay it back), there are several suspects including Yolanda who had a loud disagreement with him before he died.  With the police focusing on Yolanda, Tally begins asking questions.  But then another victim turns up dead inside Tally’s shop.  The evidence begins piling up against Yolanda.  Tally needs to find the killer before her best friend ends up behind bars.

Revenge is Sweet by Kaye George is the debut novel in The Vintage Sweets Mysteries.  Tally Holt has opened Old Tyme Sweets next door to Bella’s Baskets owned by Tally’s best friend, Yolanda Bella.  When the local Romeo handyman, Gene ends up dead in her kitchen, Yolanda finds herself the prime suspect.  Tally searches for the killer so she can clear Yolanda from suspicion.  I enjoyed the descriptions of Fredericksburg, Texas and the charming shops in the tourist town.  I also liked the delectable descriptions of Tally’s sweet confections.  I was put off, though, by the point-of-view being split between Tally and Yolanda.  It was confusing because both characters seemed similar.  Plus, it took me out of the story as I adjusted to the new speaker.   The characters felt flat and lacked development. They never came to life for me.  I thought the mystery was too simple.  I was able to identify the guilty party immediately (there might as well have been a giant neon arrow over the killer’s head).  Tally questions people as does Yolanda.  They are both obvious and abrupt when talking to people (the way they questioned people made it sound like accusations).  There is a lot of personal drama happening for various characters in Revenge is Sweet.  Tally has her brother visiting town and he brought his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Nigel (my favorite character in the book).  Nigel is a large Maine Coon cat with a sweet personality.  You can tell the brother is trying to unload Nigel on Tally.  Yolanda has financial trouble and issues with her father.  She also has terrible taste in men and lacks business acumen.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  I also found some conflicting details.  I also thought it was gross when Tally failed to hire a crime scene clean up crew for her kitchen after the first body was removed.  I do not believe the local health inspector would be happy with the do-it-yourself job.  I know it is fiction, but little details are important for a believable story.  Romance is in the air for our two main characters.  There are two potential suitors for Tally (unfortunately).  Revenge is Sweet needed another round of rewrites and editing in my opinion.  There is a recipe for twinkies at the end (homemade version) and a preview of Deadly Sweet Tooth which is the second book in the series.  Revenge is Sweet is a new cozy mystery with tempting treats, sharp scissors, money misfortunes, fridge on the fritz, proof of pilfering and multiple murders. 

Revenge is Sweet is available at Amazon*.  The second The Vintage Sweets Mystery is Deadly Sweet Tooth which comes out June 2 and is available for pre-order.  Thank you for visiting today.  I will be back tomorrow with One Little Lie by Coleen Coble.  It is the first book in The Pelican Harbor Series.  Before I go. . .What do you call a beautiful woman with an overdue library book?  Fine.  I never claimed they were fabulous jokes.  They can make you laugh, smile or groan. I hope you have a humorous day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.