Icing on the Casket by Catherine Bruns is the ninth book in the “Cookies & Chance” cozy mystery. Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing, coming May 5, 2020.
Full-time baker and sometime sleuth Sally Muccio finally has everything she’s always wanted—a beautiful baby, loving husband, and a thriving business. Now that she’s a mother, Sal has vowed she’ll stay out of future murder investigations. But when her eccentric father’s friend, mortician Eddie Phibbins, is found dead in one of his own caskets, Sal’s father begs her to help find the killer.
With their famous coffins cookies in hand, Sal and her best friend Josie “undertake” the process of questioning mourners and employees at the funeral home, hoping for a lead to Eddie’s killer. Between a recently fired hearse driver, resentful family members and a wacky, love-struck makeup artist there’s no shortage of suspects. Once again, Sal’s snooping has attracted the attention of a killer, and her good intentions may have only succeeded in digging herself an early grave. . .
*Recipes Included*
Dru’s Musing:
This is another fine example of a well-written work that continues to keep me engaged with fresh stories and a delightfully, yet quirky entertaining cast of characters. Sally is pulled into a murder investigation when her father’s friend meets an ugly death. Between this and being a first-time mother and running her business, no wonder Sally is sleep deprived.
I love this series and the author knows how to tell a story to keep me immersed in all that is happening with bits of jovial moments when dear old dad gets involved. With visually descriptive narrative, the dialogue and interactions among the various casts made me feel like part of the action. The suspect pool was small and I had a great time watching for clues that would help me figure it out, but no, the author added a few strategic twists that had me looking at others. When all the clues were presented, only one person was standing, that of the killer and I was impressed. This was an enjoyable read and I can’t wait for more adventures with Sally and her friends.
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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC from the author.