I am sorry that Bad Bites was a disappointment. I have little to say about it. I kind of guessed the murderer's identity as soon as the choice location for the finale was chosen. The solution was underwhelming. The motive of the murderer, plus her being so lucky that no one saw her coming and going meant that the murder had no fine point to discuss.

I guess Jessica Beck wanted to duplicate the formula of Lemon Larceny. The trouble with that was Lemon Larceny was full of new characters in a different community. Whereas the structure of Bad Bites was restrictive, dull, grey, unchallenging, cold, and pointless. Beck would have done well to include the staple cast of April Springs, including the various businesses, like the Italians, Gabby and Trish. Also, there was nothing more than the weak plot. More than any other book, Bad Bites was all about solving a mystery that was never exactly a mind bending conundrum to begin with.

Focusing purely on the murder was a mistake that a seasoned writer such as Beck should never have committed. The best cozy mysteries, including those that I don't like, flesh out the world and characters where the story is based. Beck tried to do something else, and took out the tried ingredients of her books and replaced them with nothing. I had one other point to make but all the details of the book is eking out of my mind even now. Bad Bites would have been the fourth consecutive book to gain 4 stars. Indeed that was the score midway through. Unfortunately the quality nosedived from thence. I am sorry it turned that way. Now I'm looking forward to the next - and last - cozy mystery of the year. ( )