Jessica Beck (1)

“The sleuth of April Springs is back at it, is she?”

In my rating system the author starts with three stars automatically for writing and publishing a book. And that’s all I can say about this one unfortunately. I usually love this series but in this outing the normally likable heroine came off as a bitter shrew to her temporary investigative partner, her business partner and pretty much everyone she encountered. If I hadn’t been behind on the series and knew there a couple of more books left I would have suspected she was the murderer. Give this one a pass.… (mehr)

Suzanne Hart lives in the small town of April Springs, North Carolina, with her mother. She's a divorced woman who decided to take a chance and open a donut shop, Donut Hearts, and has found that every day it's filled with people who want a little morning pick-me-up, which makes her happy.

Her best friend Grace has been dating a man named Peter Morgan that Suzanne just can't like, no matter how hard she tries. She thinks he's smarmy; so when Grace shows up one night at her house crying, she quickly finds out it's because Grace has found Peter cheating on her and broken up with him. But the next morning when Suzanne goes to work she discovers that someone has thrown yellow paint all over the front of her building, and she has an idea who it was. Still, when the police chief himself shows up, she's surprised -- at least until he tells her why: someone has killed Peter and he wants her to come with him to Grace's -- not to accuse her, but because he thinks Grace will need her after he breaks the news.

Still, Suzanne realizes that Grace is the main suspect, so she and her friend go into investigative mode, trying to figure out who wanted Peter dead. What they don't expect to find is the man was a huge womanizer, and practically all of them had a real reason to kill him.

When they start investigating further, they also find that Peter was more than just a womanizer, and the suspect list grows. Now, all Suzanne has to do is ask questions and avoid a killer. Easy, right?...

This is the eighth book in the series and I have read them all. I know this is an older book, but once in a while I feel the need to go back to my library and dig an older one out. The reason being is that these books don't have political overtones or leanings, and you're not getting someone else's personal views in your reading.

I have found that these books are a lot of fun to read. They feature Suzanne, who's practically fearless but also careful, and she stands up for what she believes in -- which is loyalty to her friends and justice for the innocent. She's also a pretty good donut maker! Anyway, I like the characters in the book, and like Suzanne, I'm even warming to Chief Martin.

In this book we find out that Peter was quite a womanizer. What gets me is when did he have any time to himself? There's no shortage of suspects, and while many of them don't want to be questioned, one of them goes to great lengths to avoid it, which only puts that person on the major radar, if you will.

But when things come to a head, Suzanne realizes she only has her wits to save her, and she uses them for everything it's worth (as we know she will survive!). The ending is quite nice, and makes for an easy read any evening, with a feel-good satisfying result. Recommended.… (mehr)

Suzanne Hart owns Donut Hearts, a donut shop in small-town April Springs, North Carolina, She lives with her mother in the home she grew up in, and has made a nice life for herself after her divorce. But one day she finds her mother completely riled up by the mayor, who has done something no mayor should ever do, and decides to run against him in the upcoming election. But before that can happen, the mayor is discovered dead at one of her properties, and now Suzanne's mother Dorothy is a big suspect. When she asks her to help clear her name, how can she refuse? Even if it means going against her police inspector boyfriend Jake. But someone killed the man, and once you've murdered someone, it's a lot easier to murder again...

This is the seventh book in the series, and I'm really starting to enjoy it. I like the fact that it's not stagnating, and is moving right along. I also go back to older series every now and then because I know that the authors aren't going to throw their political beliefs in everywhere. It's sad, but I read to escape from reality, not have it pushed in my face. There's also a cute conversation about male writers using female pseudonyms, which is funny because of the author (who is very good, by the way).

Suzanne has several suspects to sift through, and none of them want to give her any answers, especially the ex-wife of the police chief, who is running against Dorothy. Not even Suzanne's donuts can open her up. But Suzanne has her posse of best friend Grace and retired cop George to help, and they all seem to glean information one way or another.

When the ending comes it is surprising in more ways than one, and there are changes for Suzanne that we will have to wait and see how it plays out. The narrative is lighthearted and playful, just as it's supposed to be. I really enjoyed the book and visiting with these characters again, and will continue on with this series. Recommended.… (mehr)