The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit
The Blurb
With Old Town’s DIY Home Decorating Festival in full swing, Sophie’s swamped, juggling a bumper crop of artisans, antique dealers, and decorators for the busy street fair. Still, when her best friend Nina suddenly needs a ride from the airport, Sophie is happy to help…until she sees Nina disembarking in a state of disarray. It’s obvious the trip to Portugal soured somewhere along the way. But after one of Nina’s traveling companions turns up murdered the following day, Sophie knows something is truly rotten.
Though the crime scene is staged to look like an accident, Sophie isn’t fooled and peels off to conduct her own investigation. Her only clue is a strange image the victim scratched into the soil before dying. Could it point to a cryptic killer in Old Town? A bitter travel adversary? Or a cursed artifact smuggled back from the trip? As the mystery grows, so does the body count, and if Sophie doesn’t pluck the murderer soon, her best friend may be the next to fall.
The Details
Series: A Domestic Diva Mystery – Book #14
Author: Krista Davis
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/DIY
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 1496732731
Page Count: 304
Rating: 
The Review
The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit is the 14th book in the “A Domestic Diva Mystery” series. It is easy to read, has wonderful characters, and a plot that will have readers working to find who the culprit is and what their motive might be. It is filled with a great group of DIY’ers who are enthusiastic and charming. Of course, one of them might also be a murderer, so maybe someone took DIY too far.
Sophie is one of those characters that, after so many books, feels like a friend or family member. You always know what she will do, and you can always tell how she feels. She makes no secret of her love for her friends or her job. She never gets bogged down in other people’s issues unless she is helping them work out a solution. She is always willing to lend a helping hand, even when it comes from her enemy or her ex. Other characters are well-loved, entertaining, and a mixed bag of personalities that keep readers smiling and happy. ( I’m still not sure who the diva is though.) The DIY’ers in this book are varied, engaging, and add value to the cast of characters and the overall story.
When friends come home from an overseas trip, Sophie finds herself fearing for and protecting people she never thought she would have to. Even during the DIY festival, suspects are everywhere, and no one is sure who to trust. Relationships are stretched to their limit, and sooner or later, something has to give. Evidence is spread out, and the twists come fast. It takes time and a bit of danger, but eventually, Sophie figures out who the killer is, and justice is served.
This is a well-written book, like all of Krista Davis’ material. Characters are likable; locations are detailed enough to keep readers wanting to explore with room to grow. DIY is something almost anyone can associate with and is a great basis for a book series. The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit is delightful, and the recipes are mouth-watering. I hope this series continues for another fourteen books!
The Author
Krista Davis is a New York Times bestselling mystery author. She writes three mystery series: the Domestic Diva Mysteries, the Paws & Claws Mysteries, and the Pen & Ink Mysteries.
Krista resided in Northern Virginia for many years and lived for a time in Old Town, Alexandria. Today she lives with an assortment of dogs and cats in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Like her Domestic Diva protagonist, Sophie Winston, Krista loves to entertain friends and family but would just as soon leave the cleaning to someone else. In the unlikely event that Krista ever wins the lottery, you will find her in the middle of a giant pile of rescued dogs and cats.
Readers will also enjoy The Diva Spices It Up, book sixteen in the “A Domestic Diva Mystery” series, or a completely different series from Krista, such as the “A Paws & Claws Mystery” The Dog Who Knew Too Much.
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