Devil’s Kiss: A Small Batch Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Kentucky
Level Best Books (May 31, 2022)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 278 pages

Synopsis

Rook Campbell is broke, divorced, jobless, and in desperate need of steady employment, which is hard to come by in the small town of Rothdale, Kentucky. With the help of her friend and neighbor Bryan, she lands a good job at the Four Wild Horses Distillery and meets an attractive co-worker with lots of dating potential. Her life is finally headed in the right direction until a co-worker dies under suspicious circumstances and a shipment of rare small-batch bourbon goes missing. Worse, her personal life begins to unravel as her beloved grandmother falls ill. Normally she can depend on her ex, Cam, for help, but his new fiancée’s jealousy is getting in the way. As the body count rises, Rook becomes ensnared in discovering who’s committing the crimes—or she might be the next to die.

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Review

For the first book in a new series and a debut author, I found myself engaged in the characters and the mystery. I had difficulty putting the book down because I had to know what would happen next for Rook, Cam, Prim, and many others.

Rook is divorced from Cam, but thankfully it is amicable because she calls on him for help often. She doesn’t want to, but she has no choice based on some other circumstances in her life. This doesn’t sit well with Jacie, Cam’s fiancée. But you have to wonder if Cam really wants to marry Jacie, or perhaps he still has feelings for Rook. You will have to read the book to get the answer to that question!

I loved the setting, a whiskey distillery in Kentucky. While I am not a whiskey drinker, I have wanted to visit one for many years to see how it operates. Until then, the author briefly discusses how whiskey is made to give us an idea of how the company operates. Rook is hired to work in the marketing area, and her background makes her the perfect candidate for the job. Luckily, she has an in via her best friend and next-door neighbor Bryan. However, something is happening at the company, and someone ends up dead. Rook is the new kid on the block and decides to investigate on her own despite warnings to leave it to the authorities. At least she is smart enough to hand over any information she uncovers to the police so they can unearth the killer.

There are various characters, but I was quite surprised when the killer was finally revealed. I had my eyes on a couple of the characters because they just seemed shady, but the truth was quite a surprise. While it is obvious to the reader what killed the victim, it takes some time for the police to connect the dots. It doesn’t help that the Sheriff does not like Rook and the feeling is mutual. There is a huge backstory that explains the animosity, and I had to applaud Rook for standing up to him at every turn.

Prim is an unsung character. She is Rook’s grandmother and helped to raise her when Rook’s mother was killed years ago. However, Prim has health issues, and the truth is heartbreaking. She is a woman that will not let anything get her down and takes charge whenever possible.

Rook is another strong female character, and I’d like to say she got it from Prim. She doesn’t take any guff and does what she must to uncover the killer. This also puts her in harm’s way several times, much to the chagrin of Prim and Cam.

I was quite surprised and pleased with this new book and look forward to reading the next book in this series. We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Born and raised in the beautiful Bluegrass state of Kentucky, Michelle Bennington developed a passion for books early on that has progressed into a mild hoarding situation and an ever-growing to-read pile.

When she’s not creating contemporary or historical fictional worlds full of mysteries, she obsesses over all things British and historical. In rare moments of spare time, she can be found engaging in a wide array of arts and crafts, dance, and attending ghost tours.

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