Review and Giveaway: Ladle to the Grave

Ladle to the Grave (Soup Lover's Mystery - Book 4) by Connie Archer

Publication Date: 03/03/2015
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Obsidian Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425273113
ISBN-13: 978-0425273111

(Received for an honest review from Obsidian Mystery)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes

Connie Archer on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series:

Soup Lover's Mystery

1. A Spoonful of Murder
2. A Broth of Betrayal
3. A Roux of Revenge
4. Ladle to the Grave

Coverart:

Excerpt from Ladle to the Grave, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

By the Spoonful is Snowflake, Vermont’s most popular soup shop, but owner Lucky Jamieson doesn’t have any time to enjoy her success—she’s too busy trying to keep a lid on false accusations against her loved ones… 

It’s almost May, and some of the local ladies have organized a pagan celebration in the woods to welcome spring. But the evening goes terribly wrong when one of the attendees winds up dead, apparently poisoned by an herbal concoction prepared by Lucky’s grandfather, Jack.

Lucky’s sure her grandfather could not have made such a tragic mistake. But before she can clear him of suspicion, her best friend, Sophie, is diverted from planning her wedding to By the Spoonful chef Sage DuBois when she finds a dead man floating in the creek on her property. Now it’s up to Lucky to get both Sophie and Jack out of hot water before a killer stirs up more trouble…

Thoughts:

Connie Archer brings readers the fourth book in her Soup Lover's mystery series, Ladle to the Grave. In this book readers get two for the price of one, since there is more than one murder for soup restaurant owner, Lucky to solve. Readers looking for a charming small town mystery with reoccurring characters and plenty of mayhem will love this one. Archer has an eye for detail and her characters both villains and heroes are well drawn and easy to relate to. A great addition to this very popular series!

Snowflake, Vermont is the kind of New England small town I've always dreamed of living in, minus the murders that do seem to occur on occasion. Archer brings Snowflake to life with her vivid imagery and details. Readers know everything about this little town, from the details in the lives of it's citizens to the descriptions of the shops and places that make the town seem so real. Archer shows us how important the right setting can be for a mystery series.

Lucky is as always very protective of her family and her friends. In Ladle to the Grave she has to deal with suspicion being thrown on not only her grandfather, but her best friend Sophie as well. Two murder's instead of the customary one in cozy mysteries, makes the reader feel like they really get their money's worth with this one. Not only is the mystery well thought out and executed, the reader is able to discover the clues right along with Lucky. It didn't wrap up to quickly and it wasn't too apparent who the villain or villains could be. A complex but very entertaining mystery.

One of the parts that I like best in this series are the reoccurring characters. We get to learn new details in every book about Lucky and her family, her doctor boyfriend and other members of the community. In this one we get to see the planning of Sophie's wedding to the chef at Lucky's restaurant. It was fun to check in with everyone and find out what was new. Archer always makes it a good visit with old friends as well as a top notch mystery.

Bottom Line:

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. Archer's eye of detail makes the setting come alive and the people of Snowflake seem like old friends. You two mysteries wrapped up in one in this one and there's plenty going on in town to give the readers even more to like about it. A great addition to the series!

Ladle to the Grave is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

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

About the Author:

Connie Archer is the author of the Soup Lover's Mystery series set in Snowflake, Vermont. Spoonful of Murder, the first in this series, is now a national bestseller. Connie was born and raised in New England and now lives on the other coast.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, April 13th.

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