The Candy Cane Caper (A Culinary Mystery) by Josi S. Kilpack + Book Giveaway!

This Christmas, Sadie Hoffmiller Cunningham is making a list and checking it twice. For the first time since she and Pete married five years ago, their combined families are gathering for the holidays in Fort Collins, Colorado, for a party that would make Santa and Mrs. Claus proud.

She just has to bake the famous Cunningham Candy Cane Cake, make sure the looming snowstorm doesn't derail everyone's travel plans, and oh, yes, solve one teensy-tiny mystery before the big day.

At ninety-four and nearly blind, Mary, Sadie's friend and neighbor, knows this will be her last Christmas. When Sadie learns that someone has stolen antique Christmas ornaments from Mary's tree, she vows to find the thief, no matter what. The ornaments had been appraised at more than $40,000, but they were worth even more to Mary, who had intended to bequeath them to her great-granddaughter, Joy, as a final gift.

With Pete in Arizona wrapping up a case of his own, it's up to Sadie to question the residents of Nicholas House, where Mary lives, and deduce who had the means and the motive to steal heirloom ornaments during what should be the most wonderful time of the year.

When stories of other thefts surface, Sadie feels like she's creating a "naughty" list that could rival Santa's. Identifying the thief, recovering the ornaments, and restoring them to Mary's tree in time will take a Christmas miracle—and maybe a few extra-special cookies.

 * Amazon * Goodreads * Deseret Book * 

It's been awhile since I read a Sadie Hoffmiller culinary mystery!  It was so good to be back in the crazy that is Sadie's life.  She has mellowed a bit since her first books but she is still the same Sadie and I've kind of missed her.

Mysteries are Sadie's thing and when her friend's prized ornaments go missing, Sadie is on the case in an instant.  Her investigations have her talking to lots of people and that's where I find the most satisfaction.  She makes connections with people and learns about them.  Even though I'm always wondering who did it, I am enjoying the growing relationships and how perceptions change as Sadie gets to know people.  There is always guaranteed to be a scene or two that will make you smile because Sadie can't help but get herself into an embarrassing scrape or two.

This is a sweet mystery, cozy, and full of fun recipes, perfect for the holiday season.  There are a couple I'm going to try for sure.  

I have two copies of this book so I'm giving one away!!  The giveaway is for US residents only as it is a physical book and I'll need to ship it.

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- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author:

Josi S. Kilpack is an accomplished and prolific author of nearly two dozen novels including the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. She has won multiple Whitney Awards for Myster/Suspense, Romance, and Novel of the Year as well as the Utah Best of State Fiction Winner. She lives with her family in Utah.

Follow the author on Instagram @authorjosiskilpack  

Wedding Cake: A Culinary Mystery by Josi S. Kilpack- Review, Excerpt and $25 Giveaway

After years of mysteries, murder, and mayhem, the big day has arrived, and Sadie wants nothing more than for her wedding to Pete to be completely uneventful. When she receives a threatening, anonymous text message just days before the ceremony, she's determined not to let it interfere with the celebration she has carefully planned for months. But as the threat escalates from a distant fear to a frightening reality, Sadie realizes just how much she's underestimated the situation. Desperate to put an end to the games, lies, and manipulation that has shadowed her life, Sadie, her fiance, Pete, and her children pull out all the stops. What they don't know, however, is just how far Sadie's nemesis is willing to go to make good on the thread she made to Sadie three years ago. Will the wedding go off without a hitch, or will "'til death do us part" come far too soon? There's no turning back for anyone in the riveting conclusion to this twelve-volume culinary mystery series.

Amazon * Deseret Book * Barnes & Noble

The Culinary Mystery Series

Is it really true?  We've reached the end of the Sadie Hoffmiller culinary mystery series?  How bitter sweet this feels.  It's been a long road to reach the end, the final book, the wedding cake.  So, it's good to have that final bit of resolution but it will be sad to leave Sadie, Pete and family behind.  They are very familiar to me now.

I'll admit that I was anxious to read this book.  Knowing it was the last book left me anticipating the whole time I was reading.  I knew I would have to wait to the very end to find that HEA ending I was looking for.  Nothing is every easy for the characters in these books.  Never, ever easy.  

This book was fast paced and jam packed with activity.  There was literally not even one dull moment.  I loved how the whole clan was together in this book, all part of what was going on.  It was a good way to end things.  Things don't turn out exactly the way Sadie hopes they will or even the way I thought they would, but I guess that's all part of the fun.

This has been a great series.  Not only are the stories great, but there are some fun and yummy recipes in each book.  These books are clean- no swearing, no sexual situations.  It's just good reading!  Enjoy the following excerpt!

Everyone was silent for a moment, then Malloy pulled himself up a bit straighter in his chair. “This is an investigation that is all about keeping your mother safe. To return home when we have expressly asked that she stay out of the way and allow us to do our job compromises her safety and—”

            “Look,” Shawn said with a forced kind of calmness, zeroing his attention on Malloy. “We both appreciate what you’re doing but I think you’re forgetting that my mom isn’t some Sunday school teacher who doesn’t understand what’s what. In the last four years my mother has put over a dozen people in jail, found missing persons, discovered frauds, uncovered conspiracies, solved several murders, saved lives, and managed to break a few noses in the process. To not consider any of those things is . . . dumb, and with this threat being directly targeting her, I think she has the right to be heard in regard to how she would like to handle things. That she’s talking to you about this at all is merely because, at her core, my mother is a well-mannered woman. She doesn’t need your help—heck, she’s not even asking for your help—she’s simply asking that you support her instincts which have proven to be right time and time again.”

            Sadie blinked back tears of pride and gratitude as the room reverberated in the silence left behind her son’s words. She had no idea he felt this way about the things she’d done these last years, especially since it was only six weeks ago that her skills were put to use poking around in his business, which he hadn’t liked very much. That he was proud of her and saw her as strong and capable was an enormous boost of confidence.

            When no one spoke in the moments following Shawn’s monologue, he turned to her. “Are you coming with me, then?”

 

Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

Website * Twitter * Blog

 

  Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 2/10/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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A Death in the Family by Marlene Bateman

In her debut mystery, Motive for Murder, gutsy private investigator Erica Coleman proved that when it comes to sleuthing, she takes the cake. Now, the fast-talking, food-loving heroine is back, and she’s sure her next assignment will be as easy as pie . . . Erica and her family happily anticipate Grandma Blanche’s eighty-first birthday celebration in the picturesque town of Florence, Oregon. But when the feisty matriarch, a savvy businesswoman, enlists Erica’s help in an investigation of her company, things quickly get sticky. Before the investigation can begin, Blanche’s unexpected death leaves Erica with more questions than answers—and it soon becomes clear that Grandma’s passing was anything but natural: she was murdered. When Aunt Martha, Blanche’s reclusive sister, becomes the next victim of someone with a taste for homicide, Erica uses her flair for cooking to butter up local law enforcement and gather clues. As she narrowly escapes becoming the third victim, Erica is more determined than ever to solve the case—before she bites off more than she can chew.

"A Death in the Family" is a cozy, culinary LDS murder mystery.  It is the second book in this series.  I didn't have the chance to read the first book, "Motive for Murder", and even though I could feel that at some points, especially in the beginning, I don't think it set me back all that much.  This is a book where the characters are LDS and it mentions going to church but there is nothing preachy or overly religious.

This book started off slow for me and took awhile to get into.  That may be due to the fact that I didn't read the previous book, I'm not sure.  About a third of the way through the book, my interest was peaked.  I think I was finally getting a handle on all the characters and who they were.  That always helps.

Erica is one OCD germ freak girl.  But hey, it helps her with her sleuthing so more power to her.  The woman even puts on latex gloves to pet baby kittens.  Where is the joy in that?  You don't get to feel that kitty softness.  Sad.

I think I suspected everyone in the book at some point.  There is no way I, as a reader, could have come up with the murderer based on the information I was given because a lot was left out of what Erica actually does to find out who the murder is.  It's just part of the "big reveal".  What I really liked was how the ending caught me off guard.  I was expecting the end and then I actually got this whole other intense situation that actually made the book for me.  Great ending.

Since this is somewhat of a culinary mystery, there are recipes in the book that go along with the story.  Those were some yummy sounding recipes and I'm hoping to try a couple of them myself.

You can purchase "A Death in the Family" at the following places:

Amazon *  Deseret Book  *  Seagull Book  *

You can find out more about the author, Marlene Bateman, HERE.

Fortune Cookie by Josie Kilpack + $25 Giveaway!

   

Sadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list. With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco changes everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn’t seen since their mother’s funeral nearly fifteen years ago. Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy’s world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder. The more Sadie digs into her sister’s past, the more she places her own future at risk.

This is the first of two books in the next week up for review that have a fortune cookie on the front.  It sort of puts me in the mood to eat Chinese food.  :)

First off, I love the setting of this book in San Francisco.  I love that city.  There is so much diversity and life pulsing all around you.  I love the hills and the houses and the water.  Hanging out along the pier is one of my favorite things to do.  And if you haven't ever caught a baseball game there- you should.  

In this book, Sadie's murder adventure turns more personal as it involves her sister.  Given it's a sister she hasn't seen in a very long time, and a sister that has caused a lot of grief and heartache, but it's still hits close to home.  This brings up old insecurities and memories that Sadie hasn't thought of or dealt with in a long time.  

One of the things I love about this series is that even after so many books, I feel as though I am still discovering layers to Sadie.  I'm getting to know her.  That's quite a feat in a series this big.  Even though I'm always learning more about Sadie, she is still Sadie.  Although over the many books, she has matured and learned things too.  These books are easy to read.  The thought process of the characters just makes sense.  The dialogue is natural and easy.  These are awesome books to curl up with.  They are clean and fun.

As much as I love this series, I am really looking forward to the next book which is also the last, I hear.  I'm hoping that Sadie and Pete finally, finally, get their happily ever after.  Obviously, it can't be that easy, but I'm hoping it will come.  I'm ready for that.

Amazon * Deseret Book * Barnes & Noble

Culinary Mystery Series

Author Josi S. Kilpack Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

Website * Twitter * Blog

Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/30/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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