This month, I read the first entry in the Cookbook Nook Mystery Series by Daryl Wood Gerber (aka Avery Aames), titled Final Sentence. This is yet another entry in my (mostly) monthly series about the most popular and recommended Cozy Mystery series.
Marketing expert Jenna Hart has returned to her home town of Crystal Cove, a small coastal town in California known for both water sports like skiing and surfing as well as crafting stores for things like knitting, sewing, and embroidery, after the death of her husband left her with little desire to remain in San Francisco at her advertising job. Still, she’s going to be keeping her business skills busy enough, as she’s helping her Aunt Vera open a culinary themed bookshop and cafe.
To that end, she’s invited her old college roommate, celebrity chef Desiree Devine, to do a cookbook signing at the cafe’s grand opening. Unfortunately, Desiree brings more than just her autographing hand to the opening – she brings drama as well, in the form of her dodgy boyfriend/director, her jealous sister, and her self-absorbed masseur. Oh, and a potential motive for Jenna herself to take a sudden dislike Desiree, as the aforementioned jealous sister lets slip that Jenna’s deceased husband may or may not have had an affair with Desiree at some point.
With all that baggage, it’s hardly any surprise when Desiree turns up dead, concealed in a sand mermaid sculpture on the beach. Naturally, Jenna is both shocked and pained when she finds the body – though hurt by the thought that her friend may have had an affair with her husband, she never would have hurt her, and hadn’t even had a chance to clear the air on whether or not such an affair had even occurred yet. But the – a motive made more believable when the local police chief’s own mother indicates she saw Jenna and Desiree speaking on the very beach the corpse was found on.
Fortunately, Jenna has people in her corner as well. Her Aunt Vera, her father – a former FBI analyst – and even the local police chief, who was something of a protege of her father’s, all seem less than convinced that Jenna committed the crime. Still, that doesn’t make Jenna feel any more secure, and it isn’t long before she’s investigating herself – not only to find out who killer her friend, but also to see if her friend had had an affair with her husband.
Final Sentence may not exactly break the mold for modern Cozies, but it certainly does a good job of making a nice, pleasant setting for the characters to live in. At the same time, it gives enough attention to the murder and introduces new clues enough to keep the investigation element engaging. If you’re interested in a culinary-themed Cozy with a coastal setting and a decent mystery, this might be just what you’re looking for.
If you’d like to see other entries about some of the most recommended Cozy Mystery authors, be sure to check out the Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.
PS: For those who love recipes, this one does include a number of them at the end – deserts, in this case!
Lenore Kay says
Wonderful review really gives an idea of what the book is about I’m up to the third book in the series and really enjoying it having previously read my way through her other series written under a different name.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Lenore, I’m glad to see more fans of this great Cozy series!
Roxane says
It sounds good! i just ordered it for myself at the library where I work!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Roxane, I certainly hope you enjoy it!
Bek says
I read this series a bit ago, or all that were out at that point, and really enjoyed it!
I’ve finally finished the Leaphorn and Chee series by Tony and Anne Hillerman. In some ways, it isn’t really a cozy series, being more serious than most, but in many it is. Almost no cursing, no sex, the little gore that there is, isn’t lovingly lingered over. It is a wonderful glimpse into traditional Navajo lifestyles and spirituality, and is filled with characters worthy of one’s liking and admiration! I highly recommend these books to anyone with a love of mysteries, and with any interest in Southwestern Native American history and culture.
After that, I read the first three books of the Miss Fortune series by Janna DeLeon, and can’t even express how much I love those. Funny. Spit tea all over the living room funny. Laugh until I cry funny. Tummy hurting from laughing funny. I’m already plotting to fit another few books into the budget. The books are set in Sinful, Louisiana (which is near Mudbug, LA, another town in another of her series…GOTTA LOVE THOSE NAMES!), where CIA operative, Fortune Redding, is hiding out disguised as a retired beauty queen. Fortune become mixed up in the Sinful Ladies’ Society, a group of MOST redoubtable women who secretly (sort of) run the town. Sinful, Louisiana actually has its very own web page, and I am now an honorary member of the Sinful Ladies Society. With the certificate to prove it (fill out online and print…HEY! I’m a FAN!).
I’ve also started the Aunt Dimity series, and am currently reading #5, “Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil.” This is yet another atypical cozy series. And I’m finding it wonderfully refreshing! There are mysteries aplenty…very engaging mysteries, but the central themes are not murders…or not thus far. I’m kinda enjoying trying to solve mysteries that do not involve a body on the ground! Especially in a small village!
Which brings me to another thought…although I enjoy a LOT of series set in small towns and villages, I always wonder about the murder per capita rate in those towns…I mean, WHAT ARE THE ODDS, people? Kinda makes me want to move to the big city where you have less chance of being offed!
Pat Plummer says
I just looked at the list! It is high and it has given me hope that I will never run out of books. I just hope that mysterious “cloud” where most of my kindle books reside is big enough! Thanks for reminding me of some series that I enjoyed years ago and they slipped out of my mind.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Pat, I’m always glad when one of my posts reminds people to read (or re-read) books like this!
Barbara Harman says
I love this series!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Barbara, it’s definitely a series worth reading!
Bek says
I’ve read a few of these now, courtesy a wonderful friend who keeps sending me books ALL THE WAY FROM ENGLAND! I agree with your assessment…nothing earth-shattering about this series, but it is a fun and pleasant way to while away an afternoon, and really, isn’t that why we love our cozies rather than more traditional mysteries?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bek, that’s certainly a great way to view Cozies – there are times when I want mysteries with atmosphere, and sometimes you want atmosphere with some mystery in it.
Pam says
I love this series and have read all but one.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Pam, I’m glad to hear other site readers have been enjoying this series.