Review and Giveaway: Final Sentence

Final Sentence (Cookbook Nook Mystery - Book 1) by Daryl Wood Gerber

Publication Date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425258041
ISBN-13: 978-0425258040

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Daryl Wood Gerber (aka. Avery Ames) on the WEB: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Cozy Mystery

Excerpt from Final Sentence, courtesy of the author.

Synopsis:

In need of a change, Jenna Hart leaves the high-pressure world of advertising to help her aunt Vera open a culinary bookshop and café. Back with her family in Crystal Cove, California, Jenna seems to have all the right ingredients for a fresh start--until someone adds a dash of murder.
 
As a marketing expert, Jenna wants to make sure the grand opening of the Cookbook Nook draws a crowd, and no one is better at getting attention than her old college roommate, celebrity chef Desiree Divine. But when Desiree arrives in quiet Crystal Cove to do a cookbook signing, the diva stirs up more trouble than business...especially when she turns up dead.
 
Known for stealing husbands and burning bridges, Desiree left behind plenty of suspects--including Jenna. Though the celebrity's life always appeared to be an open book, Jenna will have to read between the lines in order to clear her name, and catch a killer before another body is served cold.

Thoughts:

Murder and mayhem abound in the first book of the Cook Book Nook mystery series. Author Daryl Wood Gerber is not new to the cozy genre. She writes the Cheese Shop mystery series under the name, Avery Ames. It's easy to see that this author is a foodie!. Final Sentence is cozy with a lot going on, from the intriguing characters to the enchanting small town feel of Crystal Cove. Heroine Jenna Hart is sassy and full of surprises that will leave readers feeling as satisfied as the food in the Cook Book Nook cafe!

I have long been a fan of this author. Her stories are both fun to figure out and full of charm and small town goodness. Gerber has a knack for creating an atmosphere that readers feel comfortable with, maybe a little nostalgic and full of surprises. Crystal Cove quickly got into my heart when reading Final Sentence. I liked this little California town. It had that California feel too it. Not like LA where everything is fast paced and hectic, but like the little towns up and down the coast where the weather is always fair and the rat race is left long behind. I look forward to seeing this town and its inhabitants grow and develop as this series continues.

I liked the whole idea of a cookbook store. My mother would be in heaven. She is a cookbook collector and the idea of a whole store based just on cookbooks was amazing. I liked the fact that Jenna has had some experiences in the bigger wider world and decided that small town living was more for her and that she wanted to help her aunt with her venture into the cookbook world. I loved the recipes at the end. My sister has recently started a gluten free diet and lets face it, there isn't a lot to choose from, but the Gluten-Free Orange Chocolate Biscotti, sounds quite tasty!

The mystery aspect of the story was a lot of fun to try to put together. It took me awhile to figure this one out, in fact I didn't figure it out until the big reveal though I was on the right track. I love it when a cozy gets just the right mix of mystery and the rest of the story, so to speak. Final Sentence had a great balance, but still kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what was going to happen next. The murder victim was interesting and the motives and suspects that came from it, were intriguing and kept me guessing right up until the end.

Jenna and her aunt are great characters and the townspeople of Crystal Cove really added to the overall feel of the story. I think Gerber did a great job of making Jenna relatable to the reader and unique in her own way. I liked her advertising background and the way she was able to use her skills in her new endeavors and I think she is going to be a heroine that readers will get behind and really enjoy. Can't wait to see what she gets into next. I loved the preview chapter of the next book in the series. I love it when they do that, it just whets your appetite for what's to come. 

Final Sentence is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Daryl Wood Gerber is an Agatha Award-winning author who writes the Cheese Shop Mystery series under the pseudonym Avery Aames. Like her protagonist, Daryl is an admitted foodie and an avid reader of books, including cookbooks. Prior to writing, Daryl acted onstage and television, including on Murder, She Wrote.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Final Sentence by Daryl Wood Gerber.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US Addresses only (publisher request)
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, July 25th.

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