Candy, Cigarettes, and Murder (Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Wyatt, Arizona
Independently Published (March 7, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages

Synopsis

It’s a birthday weekend with the gift of murder.

Recently widowed, Emma Banefield looks forward to a getaway birthday weekend with her free-wheeling sister, Nicole Earp, sipping chocolate martinis at the peaceful, historic Dulce Inn. When a rude stranger, a nasty food critic, and a madhouse of temperamental artists greet them, all hope for a tranquil weekend evaporates faster than dew on a hot desert morning.

Overlooking the riotous atmosphere is doubly hard after Em discovers the body of a hotel guest, and a second murder affects Nic personally. Now, entrenched in a caper that pits them against a surly detective, they cozy up to a hotel staff hiding dangerous secrets to uncover clues to the killer.

Using their smarts and love of all-things mystery, will the Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime ahead of the obstinate Chief Detective or find themselves trapped in the middle of a third murder?

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Review

What happens when you think you are on a relaxing birthday weekend with your sister and stumble across a dead body? You investigate, of course!

Emma and Nicole are quite the pair of sisters. They have a fondness for chocolate martinis, weekends away, and solving puzzles – or murders, in this case. Both sisters bring a set of skills with them to help narrow down the pool of potential killers. The sisters are quite different from one another in how they approach the crime, possible suspects, and their personalities in general. Emma is much more reserved, and Nicole is very gregarious.

The pool of suspects isn’t large, but I couldn’t quite figure out who had the motive to kill. There are clues that will point you in the right direction, but you have to pay attention! I suspected a few things as they were revealed but didn’t quite put all of the pieces of the puzzle together.

This book is told from two different points of view – Emma and Nicole. This is the only thing I didn’t like about the book because I never knew whose point of view was being shared, and trying to decipher it made the story about bit clunky from that point.

Overall, this was a fun mystery to try and solve, and we give it 4 paws up.

About the Authors

Joyce Proell is the award-winning author of Amaryllis, Eliza and the Cady Delafield mysteries: A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth. Along with her husband and little dog, Nellie, she lives in Minnesota in her very own little house on the prairie. She loves to hear from readers.

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Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and cozy mystery. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart and won’t discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.

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