Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder is a new series by Valerie Burns. I have previously read her Mystery Bookshop series and really enjoyed it. When I spotted this book in my library digital collection, I was excited to try another series by her. The characters were engaging and realistic just like in her other series. There are prominent canine characters in this series as well. In fact, I would say Baby has a starring role in this book. I enjoyed watching Madison slowly adjust to the midwest small town of New Bison. She definitely experienced a change from Southern Ca and her Jimmy Choos to a midwestern beach town.
Those from the Chicago area/SW Michigan will recognize New Bison as a fictitious town based off New Buffalo. The strife over development for tourism would certainly have been a relevant issue in that town as the development into a beach community of summer homes and vacation rentals for the city residents of nearby Chicago and Detroit. I recognized the names of some of the roads even and there is a casino located there as well. All in all, it makes for a fun read to be familiar with the setting as I have mentioned in previous posts. Additionally, it makes for a separate personal quest to see how many locations I can recognize.
I enjoyed the mystery and the twists that were incorporated into the plot. I did find the ending a bit abrupt and felt like there was a death that wasn't accurately solved. I am not sure if that is an accident or intentional for setting up future stories. I will be sure to read the next book in the Baker Street Mysteries, Murder is a Piece of Cake, to see what evolves.
Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this first book in this series. I enjoy Ms Burns books being set in MI. I find the locales to be something I can relate to as I live in Chicago. The personal growth of Madison was an nice aspect of the story and it’s hard not to smile at the antics of Baby the mastiff. My only reason I didn’t give this a 4 star was I felt like the mystery wasn’t 100 percent solved. I’m be if the deaths was not resolved in my opinion. I’m not sure if it’s intentional to have. A carry over into future plots or just a desire to quickly finish the story. Time will tell when I read the next book
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Challenge Prompts
The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:
- Goodreads and Reading by the Numbers #ReadingByNumbers2023 Book # 85
- Library Love #LibraryLoveChallenge Book # 69
- Stacking the Series #stackingseries2023 1
- Series Catchup #seriescatchup2023 -1
- What an Animal Book #31
- Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2023 Book #77
- Cruisin thru Cozies Free choice #38
- Cloak & Dagger #CloakDaggerChal Book #63
- Craving for Cozies Book #55
- Six Shooter Challenge Target #108 Shot #1
- Medical Examiner Challenge 4 Toe Tags
- Cozy Mysteries #21 Three cozies, same author
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