CRIMES AND CONFECTIONS by Catherine Bruns

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cookies & Chance Series

5*****

Blurb: With her beloved grandmother on vacation in Italy, baker Sally Muccio has her hands full. Between running a business, running after her toddler daughter, and running to keep her crazy parents out of trouble, Sal can’t seem to catch a break. Adding to her overload, Sal’s ever youthful mother Maria decides to enter the local Mrs. Buffalo beauty pageant, and she elects Sal and Josie to provide sweet treats for the audience. It’s sure to be an exciting day for all involved. But when vengeful contestant Charmaine Weatherwax sabotages Maria’s gown, the beauty contest quickly turns into an ugly affair. Hours later, Charmaine is found dead in her apartment! To make matters worse, Sal’s mom is caught on a surveillance camera entering the woman’s apartment shortly before her death. Are the chaos cookies about to hit the fan for the Muccio clan? Sal will need to find the real killer before her mother’s sent up the river without her stilettos!
Recipes Included!

Thoughts: I loved this story! It was full of quirky characters and lots of suspects. My favorite character—and she wasn’t even there for most of the story—was Sally’s grandmother, Rosa. Goodness, how she has that family spoiled! They seriously need to learn how to cook! And I’m sure there are lots of takeout places around Buffalo, NY. Why just cold cuts or burned pizza? If Sally can make cookies, surely she can learn to make a simple pot of spaghetti! One character I didn’t care for much (besides all the suspects) was Sally’s father. Unfortunately, though, I have known people like him so he was realistic, just a pain.

And that’s the who draw of this story—the characters. They are realistic, if a bit comical. This series is all about family, and what a family they are. But when bad things happen, they are all there to make sure you have support. When Sally’s mother gets accused of murdering the winner of the Mrs. Buffalo beauty contest, Sally and friends get to work figuring out who really did the deed. Add in a little romance for Rosa, and you have an entertaining read. And the delicious recipes at the end are an added bonus.

Recommended.

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”