Ginger Snapped
Piper Prescott and Police Chief Wyatt McBride don’t always see eye-to-eye. Over the past year, their communications have progressed into a friendship more or less. When the body of realtor Shirley Randolph is found floating in a fishing hole on Wyatt’s property, their relationship takes a turn.
Shirley, the town’s Realtor of the Year, was also Wyatt’s suspected romantic interest. Now the residents of Brandywine Creek are speculating that Wyatt is responsible for her death. As the town council moves to suspend the lawman, Piper feels she has to solve the crime to save his reputation, job, and possibly his freedom.
The clues lead them toward high-powered real estate tactics and possible affairs. The investigation becomes personal when Piper’s shop, “Spice It Up,” is burglarized, and she’s forced off the road late one night. She realizes that someone thinks so is close to uncovering the truth. Enlisting her best friend, Reba Mae’s help, she sets out to stop a killer.
Series: Spice Shop Mystery – Book #5
Author: Gail Oust
Genre: Culinary Cozy
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Rating:
Ginger Snapped is a well written, highly entertaining story. Ms. Oust has a great imagination and writes in an easy to follow manner that is both intelligent and articulate. Her characters are fun with quirks and habits that are enjoyable and relatable.
Piper is a bit different. She owns a spice shop that carries everything a person could imagine; whether it is for cooking or used for home remedies, Piper has it all. She is likable if slightly quieter than expected. When issues arise, she isn’t always the first one to say anything. Quite often, she keeps things to herself that might otherwise be shouted from the highest tree by others. She is cautious as well as quizzical, all at the same time.
Reba Mae is outspoken, gregarious, and an all-around interesting character, more Reba in this book would have been a benefit. Wyatt is a typical police officer, closed mouth except when he doesn’t want to be, solid and easy to talk to. Other characters are equally entertaining and humorous as the main characters, while some are not likable at all.
The setting of Brandywine Creek is detailed only as much as needed to allow the reader to follow the clues, and the many walks Piper and her pet, Casey take. Other businesses are described with enough information to draw upon the reader’s imagination.
Although Ginger Snapped is an excellent who-done-it, the unveiling of the killer is a bit too sudden. The clues to the identity of the killer could have been better. All of this aside, the book is a fast-paced, enjoyable read that readers will not want to put down. It is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys writers such as Kirsten Weiss or Karen Rose Smith.
About the Author:
The author of the Bunco Babes mystery series, Gail oust, is often accused of flunking retirement. Hearing the words “maybe it’s a dead body” while golfing fired her imagination for writing a cozy. Ever since then, she has spent more time on a computer than at a golf course. She lives with her husband in McCormick, South Carolina.
Contact Gail: bgoust@wctel.net.
Find Gail on Social Media:
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