Review: A Broth Of Betrayal By Connie Archer

Series: A Soup Lover's Mystery (Book 2)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: April 2, 2013
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425252086

Description:
Even a town called Snowflake, Vermont, has a summer season. In August, Lucky Jamieson’s By the Spoonful serves chilled soups—celery and green onion, cream of asparagus—and salads. The shop also serves as a gathering place to talk about cold-blooded murder…

A protest to stop the construction of an ugly car wash in the middle of the town’s picturesque Village Green is interrupted by the discovery of a skeleton that may date back to the Revolutionary War. While the remains pose a historical mystery, a present-day murder shakes the town to its core when local auto mechanic Harry Hodges is found dead in his shop.

Straining the patience of Chief of Police Nate Edgerton, Lucky soon finds herself in the soup again when her dear friend Elizabeth, the Mayor of Snowflake, goes missing. No matter how much trouble she has to stir up, Lucky is determined to use her noodle to uncover a killer and recover her friend…

My Thoughts:
Connie Archer has certainly stirred up one incredible mystery filled with history, intrigue, suspense, and a colorful cast of endearing characters!  Snowflake, Vermont has quite an amazing history and its role in the Revolutionary War is celebrated with re-enactments and a festival each year.  However this years, the quaint village of Snowflake is under a great deal of duress.  A local is found murdered, a skeleton is found at a highly protested construction site, and the town mayor goes missing.  Lucky Jamieson is completely beside herself with worry and fears she just can't handle the loss of another person in her life as she continues to struggle with the recent death of her parents.  However, Lucky's fear becomes her driving force and is determined to find her dear friend, Elizabeth.  In this second installment of the Soup Lover's mystery series, Connie Archer has proven herself to be a very talented and gifted storyteller with an eye for detail and insight into the human spirit.  Not often do I find myself tearing up at the end of a cozy mystery, but with this one I needed to reach for a tissue on more than one occasion and the ending gave me a great a deal to contemplate and mull over.  A Broth Of Betrayal is a delighful, well-crafted mystery that left me ins suspense until the very end....FIVE stars! 

Review: A Spoonful Of Murder By Connie Archer

Series: A Soup Lover's Mystery (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
Language: English
SBN-10: 0425251470

Description:
Winter is big business in small-town Snowflake, Vermont. Tourists arrive to hit the ski slopes--and what could be more satisfying after a chilly day of carving powder than a steaming bowl of soup?

When Lucky Jamieson inherits her parents' soup shop, By the Spoonful, she realizes it's time to take stock of her life. Should she sell her parents' house or move in herself? Does she really want to run a restaurant business? And what about her grandfather Jack, who seems to be showing signs of Alzheimer's?

But her life decisions are moved to the back burner after an icy blonde tourist is found frozen to death behind the soup shop. and Lucky is bowled over when her soup chef, Sage DuBois, is led out of the kitchen by the police. As suspicion and speculations snowball, Lucky decides that the only way to save her employee and her business is to find out herself who iced the tourist--and landed her chef in the soup...

My Thoughts:
This first installment of the Soup Lover's Mystery series is sure to chase away the winter chills! Set within the small, ski resort town of Snowflake, Vermont, the By The Spoonful Soup Shop has been bringing customers in from the cold for many years...that is until a tourist is found dead at the back door and the primary suspect is the shop's very own chef himself! Pushing aside her heavy heart and desire to mourn the loss of her parents, Lucky is determined to discover the identity of the real killer and quickly finds herself in harm's way. With the wide array of possible suspects, it was a challenge to guess who the guilty party was and the killer's identity was quite a surprise in the end. Filled with a cast of endearing characters and several red-herrings, Connie Archer has created a wonderful beginning to a new cozy mystery series. I look forward to visiting with Lucky Jamieson often...she's bold, independent, and has a way of saying exactly what's on her mind, not necessarily at the most proper moments now mind you, but an asset nonetheless. And her grandfather, Jack, is just a charming as can be and is always there to lend a hand. I enjoyed this a very much and look forward to reading the next installment, A Broth of Betrayal, published by Berkley as well. In the meantime, I'm going to try some of the incredible soup recipes that were included as well as the sandwich recipes...perfect for a winter's evening all the way around! This is an excellent cozy mystery and I easily give it a Five!