Southern Sass and Killer Cravings (Marygene Brown Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Kensington (May 28, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages

Synopsis

Life has always been sweet on Georgia’s Peach Cove Island, but a case of murder has Marygene Brown down in the pits . . .

For generations, the women of the Brown family on Peach Cove Island have been known for their Southern sass and sweet homemade desserts at their beloved Peach Diner. Since their mother’s passing two years ago, Marygene has been stuck in Atlanta while her sister Jena Lynn has been running the family business. Now Marygene has left her husband and returned to her hometown, where she can almost feel Mama’s presence.

But all is not peachy back home. Marygene has barely tied on an apron when a diner regular drops dead at the counter. When it turns out the old man’s been poisoned, Jena Lynn is led away in handcuffs and the family eatery is closed. Now, to save her sister and the diner, Marygene must find the real killer. With some startling assistance from her Mama’s spirit, Marygene will be serving up a special order of just desserts . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Marygene’s Kitchen!

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Review

This is a peach of a new series with good food and ghostly help.

I always enjoy a new series because you never know what the author will come up with to entice a reader or create an intriguing new series.  I think the author is on to something and has created a winning combination between a ghostly mother trying to make amends, a diner on a small island with delicious food, and a protagonist that has some baggage and yet is working towards freeing herself and learning to live life again.

Marygene has had a tough life – from learning who her father really was at a younger age to ending up in an abusive relationship.  Now she is back home with her sister and brother and finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation.  As true to form with cozies, she finds not one but multiple dead bodies.  Nothing like being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  However, this just spurs her on to investigate on her own with the assistance of her friend Betsy and even goes as far as creating a timeline in her spare bedroom to help decipher the information she uncovers in hopes it will point her towards the murderer.

I didn’t suspect the killer until near the end because something just didn’t seem right with this character.  There were a few minor clues peppered throughout the book but nothing that really pointed this character’s direction.

It wouldn’t be a cozy without a love interest….or two!  I can’t wait to see how this plays out in future books.  Will it be Alex her childhood sweetheart or Calhoun the older reporter from out of town?

Lastly, I appreciated the awareness the author brought to the subject of domestic abuse.  It happens more often than we may know and I felt like it was handled well and showed Marygene in various stages of acceptance of what happened to her in the past.  I hope she continues to address this issue in future books.

Overall we give this 4 paws up!

About the Author

Kate Young writes humorous southern mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter. Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzu. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading or cooking.

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Giveaway

This is a pre-order giveaway – if you pre-order the book from one of the links above you can enter to win this giveaway via the link below.

* Grand Prize Winner receives a gorgeous Coach Avenue Tote and Coach wristlet (value $450) and a $100 gift card to either Amazon or B&N.

​​* 2 Runners up will receive a $10 gift card to either Amazon or B&N and an autographed paperback copy of  Southern Sass and Killer Cravings.

Click here to enter the Giveaway