READING, WRITING, AND MURDER by Joyce Proell & Brenda Whiteside
#2 in Chocolate Martini Sisters Mysteries
Fiction, Cozy Mystery, 273 pages
4****
Blurb: At the writers’ conference, murder tops the program. Aspiring mystery author Emma Banefield and travel writer Nicole Earp are excited to attend a writers’ conference during their latest sisters’ getaway. Nic’s birthday should be all about relaxation, writing, and a chocolate martini to toast another trip around the sun, but the climate at the gathering rumbles like a sudden desert thunderstorm. When sparks fly between the keynote speaker and her timid assistant over a handsome mystery author, the subtitle on this anticipated tranquil weekend spells drama. If a heated love triangle, bruised egos, and betrayal aren’t enough to upset the atmosphere, the conference banquet erupts into a drunken brawl and sends the place spinning. After a body is discovered, Nic and Em do what they do best—snoop—and become embroiled in a mystery that jumps off the pages of a true-crime bestseller. With more than enough suspects and little time, the amateur sleuths have their hands full finding the killer. But can the competitive Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime before the prickly chief detective does, or will a murderer outwit them all?
Thoughts: This is a different type of cozy than I am used to. First, there are two sleuths – older sisters. Which is really nice. Second, usually in cozies, the sleuth gets into a really tough situation at the end when they face the killer. That doesn’t happen here. Yes, the sisters are instrumental in catching the perp, but they don’t actually face the killer. An interesting difference. The authors depict the sisters really well. They are individuals, not mirror images of each other. Nic and Em are fun and interesting — and known as the Chocolate Martini Sisters because of their love of that drink.
In this story, they are at a writer’s conference in their town. They are staying at a hotel they stay at for their “birthday weekends” – one of which just also happens to be this weekend. The keynote speaker is a well-known romance writer who manages to alienate everyone with her attitude. And yet, fans swarm around her even when she gets drunk. Along with her, there is her “best friend”, her assistant, her ex-husband, ex-lover, ex-agent—all of whom are trying to get in her good graces. Because of the conference, there are plenty of suspects for the police—and the sisters—to check out. I had to question though, I’ve been to writing conferences and there isn’t a lot of down time (except in the evening) because of classes, pitches, panels, etc. That didn’t seem to be the case so much here. There didn’t seem to be a lot going on for the sisters. One pitch, one class, one dinner… Not a biggie, it just didn’t ring quite right for me. And the one sister’s daughter’s issues seemed to be thrown in as an aside because it didn’t really add anything to the story.
Still, I enjoyed the story and the ending satisfied in that the killer was caught. I’ll be looking for more about the sisters.
Recommendation: recommended.
Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
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