Southern Sass and Killer Cravings by Kate Young is the first book in the NEW “Marygene Brown” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Kensington Books, coming May 28, 2019

Life has always been sweet on Georgia’s Peach Cove Island, but a case of murder has Marygene Brown down in the pits . . .

For generations, the women of the Brown family on Peach Cove Island have been known for their Southern sass and sweet homemade desserts at their beloved Peach Diner. Since their mother’s passing two years ago, Marygene has been stuck in Atlanta while her sister Jena Lynn has been running the family business. Now Marygene has left her husband and returned to her hometown, where she can almost feel Mama’s presence.

But all is not peachy back home. Marygene has barely tied on an apron when a diner regular drops dead at the counter. When it turns out the old man’s been poisoned, Jena Lynn is led away in handcuffs and the family eatery is closed. Now, to save her sister and the diner, Marygene must find the real killer. With some startling assistance from her Mama’s spirit, Marygene will be serving up a special order of just desserts . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Marygene’s Kitchen!

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What a delectably enticing new series this is. Marygene returns home to the family business but when a customer dies from poisoned food, her sister becomes the prime suspects and Marygene has to use all her resources to save her sister and the family business.

What a hoot this book is. Full of sass and southern charm. This is a fast-paced and light-hearted whodunit that quickly became a page-turner as I had to know how this will all end. The writing style and tone fit with how well this story was being told. The mystery was nicely prepared giving me enough suspects and clues to keep me immersed in all aspect. The narrative was visually descriptive and I felt like I was part of the action. We get a little backstory of the main characters and learn what brought Marygene back to town.

It was fun following along with what the author was detailing between the suspects and their possible motive and Marygene’s search for answers with a surprising ghost appearance. Betsy makes a great sidekick in this endeavor.  There were a few comical moments and one of the ones I liked best was the kitchen scene between Betsy, Eddie and Marygene. The aftermath was always “are we okay.” Too funny. This is a welcome addition to the cozy genre and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book in this delightfully charming new series.

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