Review by Booklist Review
Baker Allie Catt spends a lot of her free time in the bookshop run by Marigold Markel, the aunt of Allie's best friend, Tegan, in Bramblewood, North Carolina. One day, Marigold passes out, but she insists she's fine. Days later, Marigold is found dead behind the counter of her bookshop, clutching a copy of Pride and Prejudice. Tegan inherits the controlling interest in the shop, and Allie also inherits a piece of it--a complete surprise to both of them. But to the police, it gives Tegan a motive for murder. Meanwhile, any sparks that may have flown between Allie and Detective Zach Armstrong (he keeps inviting her out but doesn't call it a date) are extinguished when Allie won't stop looking into Marigold's death, especially when Zach lets it slip that she was poisoned. The large cast of characters offers up a lot more suspects and helps round out the small-town atmosphere. Gerber combines the hallmarks of a great cozy mystery--books, baking, and a cat named Darcy--in this charming series starter that ends with a few recipes.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Gerber (the Fairy Garden Mysteries) underwhelms in this formulaic series launch centered on Asheville, N.C., caterer Allie Catt. Despite her self-described good looks and "smoldering sage-green eyes," Alice has been unlucky in love, a streak that may finally end when she meets handsome police detective Zach Armstrong. Zach is investigating the poisoning of bookstore owner Marigold Markel--the aunt of Allie's best friend, Tegan Potts. Marigold was found dead inside her locked shop, clutching a copy of Pride and Prejudice. Tegan, who clerked at the store and stood to inherit a share of it, is accused of the killing by her half sister, Vanna Harding, leading Allie, a mystery buff, to play sleuth. While Allie tries to clear Tegan's name and nurses a secret crush on Zach, Gerber methodically hits all the familiar cozy beats, including a timely intervention by Allie's cat, Darcy, who can not only read her thoughts but harbors "a particular fondness for Pride and Prejudice." The romance lacks spark and the central mystery is underheated. Cozy fans have loads of better options. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Nov.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A popular caterer turns detective to find the killer of her bestie's aunt. Even when she's rushing to cater a midmorning tea for the Bramblewood Community Theater Foundation, hosted by bookshop owner Marigold Markel, Allie Catt keeps calm by channeling her favorite literary characters, especially Elizabeth Bennet. She's joined in that obsession by Tegan Potts, Marigold's niece, whose husband has just asked for a divorce. A phone call from Marigold sends them both racing to the bookstore, where they discover Marigold in a dazed condition, perhaps dehydrated. Arriving shortly thereafter are Tegan's half sister Vanna, a rival caterer whose open hostility reminds Allie of one of her least favorite Austen characters ("persnickety and rude" Caroline Bingley); Marigold's younger sister Noeline, quarter owner of the bookshop; and her new boyfriend, financial consultant Rick O'Sheedy. When Marigold is found dead in the bookshop clutching a copy ofPride and Prejudice, Allie has little doubt that she's been murdered, and Detective Zach Armstrong tends to agree. Although the two are obviously attracted to each other, Zach isn't happy when Allie starts sleuthing. Marigold was even better off than her relatives knew. In addition to the store, she leaves behind a large jewelry collection and plenty of cash--at least, until $100,000 of it goes missing. Tegan does not seem to have an alibi, and Vanna is quick to accuse her and Allie once she learns that Marigold left Allie an interest in the bookshop. Money is always a plausible motive, but is it the right one here? Foodies and Jane Austen fans alike will delight in this charming mystery. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
