Synopsis:
Robbie Jordan is temporarily leaving Pans ’N Pancakes, her country store in South Lick, Indiana, to visit Santa Barbara, California—where wildfire smoke tinges the air, but a more immediate danger may lie in wait . . .
While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie’s anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother’s untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors—avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery—but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive . . .
Includes Recipes for You to Try! (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed and well rounded. Robbie is smart, strong and caring and she likes to see justice served. She goes back to California for her high school reunion, she just wants to have a good time. But that changes when a member of an activist group is murder, she wants to help solve the murder. Especially since her mother was killed in a similar way, and she was an activist too. Robbie has some help from old friends from school and her mom’s old friend. But I really missed Robbie not being in South Lick, Indiana, where her family and friends are and having them help her. But Robbie deserves to go on vacation too.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions made the book much more enjoyable. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. I thought the mystery was well plotted and it was not easily solved.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. This is a great series and I look forward to reading the next one when it comes out.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
mjbreviewers 