Asking for Truffle

Charity Penn won a trip to Camellia Beach, South Carolina, and free cooking lessons at The Chocolate Box. She knows that she didn’t win because she never entered. She figures it is just another scam, like so many before trying to get into her bank account. Too bad that the scammers didn’t know how little control she had over her trust fund. Her best friend and former school friend, Skinny, offers to look into the situation and ends up drowned in a vat of chocolate.

Charity “Penn” as she is known, hurry’s to the seaside town determined to find Skinny’s killer. As much as she distrusts everyone, and tells herself that she wants to get in and out of the decrepit old town, she finds herself enjoying her time and the people. That is until she gets involved in a second murder and puts her life in danger to solve both.

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Series: A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery – Book #1
Author: Dorothy St. James 
Genre:  Culinary Cozy
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Page Count: 320

Rating:

Penn is a bit too untrusting and not a very likable character, at least not at first. Her childhood issues continue to plague her and make her into an angry and, at times, rude individual. Her mistrust of everyone and everything gets in the way of her genuinely learning to live. She is given the opportunity of a lifetime but can’t accept it for what it is, a genuine gift.

In many ways, the character of Penn in Asking for Truffle is not in the least unusual in the real world. However, the fact that she continues to hold onto her issues in the face of acceptance and love is, in no small part, the attraction to the character and the story. The reader has to keep turning the pages to find out if she will ever let go of the past and find true happiness, and solve the murder of her friend.

This story is fast-paced, entertaining, and filled with possibilities. The twists and turns often leave the reader reeling from the harshness of Penn’s thoughts and attitudes. There comes the point when the reader may want to shout at the character, shake her and tell her to stop living in the past and to look at what is right in front of her.

In the last few chapters, the reader is left with a sense of anxiousness and satisfaction, knowing that they didn’t waste their time reading to the end. The ending gives people joy and an outlook on life that all things are possible even for Charity Penn.

Asking for Truffle is the first book in a new series. It is highly recommended for its entertainment value as well as its ability to pull an emotional response from the reader. Those who enjoy a good who done it will love this book.

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About the Author:

Mystery author Dorothy St. James (Dorothy St. James is the alter-ego of award-winning multi-published author, Dorothy McFalls ) was born in New York but raised in South Carolina. She makes her home on an artsy island community in South Carolina with her husband, a crazy dog, and a fluffy cat. Though writing has always been a passion for her, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology and a graduate degree in Public Administration and Urban Planning. She put her educational experience to use, having worked in all branches and all levels of government including local, regional, state, and federal. She even spent time during college working for a non-profit environmental watchdog organization.

Switching from government service and community planning to fiction writing wasn’t as big of a change as some might think. Her government work was all about the stories of the people and the places where they live. As an urban planner, Dorothy loved telling the stories of the people she met. And from that, her desire to tell the tales that were so alive in her heart grew until she could not ignore it any longer. In 2001, she took a leap of faith and pursued her dream of writing fiction full-time.

Contact Dorothy: dorothy@dorothymcfalls.com

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