Author: Sarah Fox
Series: A Pancake House Mystery
Publication: Alibi (August 16, 2016)
Description: In the debut of a delightful cozy mystery series, Sarah Fox introduces a charming new heroine who finds herself in a sticky situation: stacking pancakes, pouring coffee, and investigating murder.
Bonus content: includes original recipes inspired by the Flip Side Pancake House menu!
When Marley McKinney’s aging cousin, Jimmy, is hospitalized with pneumonia, she agrees to help run his pancake house while he recovers. With its rustic interior and syrupy scent, the Flip Side Pancake House is just as she pictured it—and the surly chef is a wizard with crêpes. Marley expects to spend a leisurely week or two in Wildwood Cove, the quaint, coastal community where she used to spend her summers, but then Cousin Jimmy is found murdered, sprawled on the rocks beneath a nearby cliff.
After she stumbles across evidence of stolen goods in Jimmy’s workshop, Marley is determined to find out what’s really going on in the not-so-quiet town of Wildwood Cove. With help from her childhood crush and her adopted cat, Flapjack, Marley sinks her teeth into the investigation. But if she’s not careful, she’s going to get burned by a killer who’s only interested in serving up trouble.
My Thoughts: Marley McKinney comes to Wildwood Cove where she spent the happiest part of her childhood when her Cousin Jimmy is hospitalized with pneumonia. She is taking care of his restaurant The Flip Side Pancake House. She is having a good time getting to know the locals and rekindling friendships from childhood.
Just after Jimmy releases himself from the hospital, he is found dead near his restaurant. Even though the police are competent and concerned, Marley decides that she needs to find her cousin's murderer. She has all sorts of suspects from the girlfriend Jimmy parted ways with before he got sick and her creepy son to a disgruntled ex-employee who delights in causing trouble to the real estate magnate who has built a tasteless mansion next door to Jimmy's Victorian and would love Jimmy's land too.
There are some love interests for Marley too. Brett is a local who was a childhood friend. Michael is a relative newcomer who has a plumbing business.
This story was fast-paced and the heroine managed to avoid occasions to be To Stupid To Live. She did have to deal with a couple of break-ins at her home and the pancake house. She also walked in on an intruder but immediately called the police. I liked the story and the recipes at the end sound good too.
Favorite Quote:
I had some time to spare, so I settled into a chair on the back porch to read, immersing myself in a fictional mystery rather than the real-life ones that had been occupying my thoughts lately. There was something comforting about knowing that the mystery would be solved by the end of the book. all loose ends tied up, justice prevailing.I got this one in exchange for an honest review from Alibi via NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
The cover is adorable- anything with a cat on it pulls me in. And recipes :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like another fun cozy and I never get enough of them. I'm liking that this is the first book too. I often start somewhere besides the beginning in a series. LOL
ReplyDelete