Review of Fruit Baskets and Holiday Caskets

Fruit Baskets and Holiday Caskets
Down South Cafe, Book #5
Gayle Leeson
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Amy Flowers thinks her biggest problem is going to be creating an enormous cake dummy to mount atop her car for Winter Garden’s upcoming Christmas parade. But when one of Roger’s employees is murdered, making the float is the least of Amy’s worries. Her childhood friend is a prime suspect, Aunt Bess is making a new Pinterest board: Things That’ll Probably Kill Me, and her boyfriend’s mother is insisting on helping Amy make three-hundred-seventy-five sugar cookies to hand out along the parade route.

When Amy starts trying to clear Roger of the murder, she unexpectedly finds herself involved in international intrigue. How will our favorite café owner outwit sophisticated criminals who want to deck the halls with her head? (Goodreads)

Review:
The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. Amy and her gang of family and friends all get along very well and I wish I was a member of that special group. When one of her friends is a prime suspect in a murder, they do what they do best: SNOOP! They also have to spend time creating a float for the Christmas parade. With all they have going on, they will be busy.

The writing style flows smoothly and it helped bring the story to life in my mind’s eye. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book, I felt like was right there, working on the float or conversing with Homer in the restaurant. The mystery was well plotted and it was not easily solved.

I would highly recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a well plotted cozy mystery. I did not feel like I was reading a book. I felt like I was sitting with friends, being involved in their lives.