Sifting Through Clues by Daryl Wood Gerber

This was my 1st book by the author, but it definitely won't be my last. Even though it's #8 in the series I never felt lost . The Cast of Characters at the front was a big help. Not only does it tell you who they are related to, but what businesses they own or work for. At the start I referred to it frequently, but, the author does a great job of giving you enough background that eventually I didn't need it anymore.

Pros=The town of Crystal Cove is almost its own character. It is so well described that it's easy to picture in my mind's eye. And, I like what I see. Only wish I could go there! What a great variety of shops. And I liked how it was mentioned that there are several diners, bakeries & candy stores. That's very realistic. As a Floridian, where every town is a tourist town, or wants to be, I think we could actually learn from Crystal Cove. The book club festival idea was very unique. The characters are very well rounded and fleshed out. They come across as real people. I liked everyone I met. Although Cinnamon came across as a little bitchy towards Jenna. They are supposed to be friends after all. I actually liked that she was cranky, but I just didn't really understand why. I mean in real life we all know people who are that way. Jenna was very smart & didn't take stupid risks.She also spent the majority of her time actually running her business & living her life, not snooping. Most of her "detective" work was by thinking about things & talking to her friends about things. I thought the pacing was perfect. It never dragged or had me losing interest. Most importantly, the ending wasn't rushed. I really liked how many books the author mentioned. However, I don't cook, so a few cozy books revolving around the same topic would have been nice. But I thought it was very generous of her to give shout outs to so many other books.

Cons=Aside from wishing for a few cozy recommendations, the only con I have is one cringe worthy line towards the end of the book. "Of course, yes, my darling man." It just didn't ring true to Jenna, and seemed more fitting for a cheap romance novel. A very minor complaint. I did think the killer was fairly obvious, but how they'd be caught and the red herrings had me wondering several times.

Bottom Line=An excellent, well written book that I highly recommend. You'll enjoy your visit to Crystal Cove.