Not According to Flan

Jane Marsh has empty nest syndrome. She needs to recover from the death of her first and second husbands, by starting over in a new place. She sells her home and moves to northern Denver. Just when she thought her life was going to settle down and get better, things take a turn for the worse. The day she moves into her new home, she discovers a dead body.

Jane’s dinner club is changing, and her life is as well. She meets an attractive gourmet chef, has a new home, and is trying to make new friends. She doesn’t feel at home in a town where she’s surrounded by cowboys, horse pastures, and murder suspects. Not to mention a murder was committed practically on her doorstep. How can she focus on romance and dinner clubs when one of her new friends or neighbors might be a murderer? Things go from bad to worse when a second body is discovered.

---

Series: The Dinner Club Murder Mysteries – Book #2
Author: Karen C. Whalen
Genre: Culinary Romance Cozy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

Rating:

Not According to Flan, is a fast-paced, fun, easy-to-read cozy that keeps the reader guessing the identity of the killer until the very end. The location is a wonderful combination of city and country living mixed with old acquaintances and new romantic interests. Karen Whalen has created believable and likable characters that almost any reader can relate with.

Jane is an older woman who has had a rough life, and all she wants to do is start over in a new place with new people. Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan when her new home is next to a crime scene. The only suspects Jane can find are the very people who created her new neighborhood and the not so unhappy windows.

The characters in this story are likable and entertaining. The action is intriguing and filled with twists and turns. This is the second book in “The Dinner Club Murder Mysteries” series and has all the makings of an original story and series that can go on indefinitely. Although it isn’t necessary for the reader to have read the first book in the series, it is something they will want to go back to after reading the second installment.

Readers of romantic cozy mysteries will enjoy the interaction between Jane and Everett as they learn to trust each other and enjoy their time together. Jane’s friend Cheryl has moved on to a new life with her husband. She pops up throughout the story to remind readers that good friends even when they are far away will still be there in the background waiting for a call or an email or a late-night conversation.

The reader will be on pins and needles waiting to find out who the killer is and anticipating the next book in the series. There is no sexual content, bad language, or anything that would be inappropriate for readers of all ages. Not According to Flan is highly recommended.