Burned To A Crisp
Cookies & Chance Mystery, Book #3
Catherine Bruns
5 Stars
Synopsis:
From USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns comes the next sinfully delicious Cookies & Chance Mystery…
Just when things appear to be going well for baker and sometime sleuth, Sally Muccio, life turns up the heat again.
It’s summertime, and the living is easy for the Muccio clan. Sal’s wedding to her beloved fiancé is rapidly approaching, Mom’s won a beauty contest, and sister Gianna is now a licensed public defender. But when the bakery Sal’s worked so hard for goes up in smoke—along with her dreams!—she’s not sure how much more she can stand. Even worse, the man found dead in the bakery’s back room is none other than Gianna’s latest client, Bernardo Napoli.
The dough really hits the fan for Sal and Josie when they’re forced to temporarily relocate their bakery to the crazy Muccio home. Trouble is quickly stirred up as the best friend team must now contend with Sal’s father and his new mortuary business “undertakings,” a middle aged mother parading around customers in bikinis, and an Italian family hell bent on revenge. For Sal, several questions demand answers. Where has Gianna disappeared to? What role did she play in Bernardo’s death? What secret is Sal’s fiancé hiding from her? Sal is determined to find answers…before she gets burned once again! (Goodreads)
Review:
Sally is a hard working business owner who has made her dream come true of owning her own bakery. But those dreams turn into a nightmare when her shop burns down and a dead body is found in the charred remains. Not only has she lost her dream, she has also lost her sister. She has no idea where she is and if she is in any danger. Sally has to find her sister and figure out who torched her bakery before things get even worse.
The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. I really enjoy the friendship between Sally and Josie. You can tell that they are best friends and would do anything for the other one. We all need a friend like this in our life. Sally’s parents are crazy and they lend a lot of humor to the book. And everybody loves Sally’s grandmother and I enjoy reading about the interactions between her and her granddaughters. The author is very talented in her character development and they are top notch.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. The author is also very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the story I felt like I was right there, watching all the action take place. I could almost smell the fire and I could listen in on conversations going on around me. That is definitely a plus in my book.
The author is also very talented (yes, she is multi-talented) in creating suspense and tension with the written word. There were times that I was afraid to swipe the page because I did not know what was going to happen. I do not ask for more when I am reading a cozy mystery. The mystery was carried on well throughout the entire book and I was very surprised to learn who the culprit was. I had no inkling of the killer until the very end when I picked up on a clue, I was pretty proud of myself for that.
I would absolutely recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a well crafted, well plotted cozy mystery. Every book that I have read by this author has been fantastic and I look forward to reading more of the books she pens. Do not miss out on her awesome books.
Cookies & Chance Mystery Series:
mjbreviewers 
This sounds like a good series. I’m going to have to add it to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing.
It is an excellent series and I would recommend that you do read it.