Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. The recipe reviews and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.
Puzzle Me A Murder
An Alice Pepper Lonely Hearts and Puzzle Club Mystery
Roz Noonan
This is a series starter that starts off pretty well. Alice
Pepper, former chef/restaurant owner turned librarian is someone who likes a
good puzzle, literally. Alice and friends put together several puzzles during
the story as they “puzzle” out not only a murder but also a few cold case mysteries.
Alice is a mature sleuth, not a Miss Marple, more of a Jessica Fletcher, and
she is surrounded by friends and family who are more than happy to help with
the investigation. I was quickly drawn into the story. The pace was perfect and
the clues made sense, but there were still a little misdirection to keep you
guessing.
This mystery is like an onion, it starts out with Alice consoling
lifelong friend Ruby, who just learned that her husband George is a philandering
jerk. Threats of “I’m going to kill him,” lands Ruby at the top of the suspect
list. After all, George was an upstanding citizen, the city comptroller, and
the man who helped with the apprehension of the Cola Bandits. George looked
good on paper, which is more than can be said about the town budget. The other supporting
characters of the story are all unique and entertaining. Ruby is a
sophisticated no nonsense business lady who has a way with words. Virginia,
Alice’s sister is a middle school vice principal by day and a bit of a free
spirit in her off time. Then there are the twin granddaughters who couldn’t be
more different. Now that I think of it, they are somewhat like Grandma Alice
and her sister. Madison is a local police officer assigned to assist
Detective Bedrosian while the Chief is
out of town on vacation. Taylor, Madison’s twin, lives in Alice’s basement so
she doesn’t have to pay rent because it isn’t a room with a bed. Yes, Taylor is
a bit of a free spirit who hasn’t quite figured out what she wants to be when
she grows up.
The list of suspect starts to grow, as does Alice’s
attraction to Stone Donahue, the manager of the West Hazel Senior Center where
Alice and Virginia take their Aunt Gildy for dinner night on Wednesdays.
Although Alice feels an attraction to the cowboy-handsome Stone, she also has
some hurts from her “amicable” divorce that left her life in need of repair for
her finances, her heart, and her soul.
The stage was well set and the overall series arc has a
great foundation. Alice does a good job of describing her past but I am left
with some questions about Alice’s daughter “who shall not be named” and what
recipe she use to make that delish sounding Chicken Francais. Overall this is a very enjoyable cozy and I
look forward to the next one in the series.
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