A Doomful of Sugar by Catherine Bruns

Series Name: Maple Syrup Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: October 25, 2022

There’s nothing sweet about murder. . .

Leila Khoury has always believed that everyone loved her father as much as they loved his artisanal maple syrup. But when he’s killed, and she returns to Sugar Ridge, Vermont to take over his business, she starts to realize how much of his life she’s left untapped.

With her brother under suspicion, her mother just barely holding it together, and police not producing any leads, Leila will have to investigate herself if she wants answers about her father’s sticky end. But the more she learns, the more she worries that there won’t be a sappy ending to the story.

A cozy mystery perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke, this edition includes 5 delicious maple recipes for mystery readers with a sweet tooth!

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Dru’s Short Musing:
The prodigal daughter returns home upon her father’s death to learn he was murdered and when her brother is arrested, she’ll do everything in her power to clear his name and find the person responsible.

What a great start to this debut series that quickly became a page-turner as I had to know who was doing what to whom. This was a well-written whodunit with a comfortable tone making it easy to follow along with what the author intended. The mystery was nicely executed with a small pool of suspects and clues tossed here and there with a few red herrings that kept me in immersed in all that was happening. With visually descriptive narrative, engaging dialogue, and a small-town atmosphere, I felt like I was in the middle of all the action trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle. As the story moved forward, the pacing accelerated, and I couldn’t put the book down until all was said and done; and wow at that surprised twist I did not see coming. Good job, good job. This was a terrific read and I can’t wait to read more about Leila, her friends and family in a series that is a welcome addition to the cozy genre.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.