Part of a cozy mystery series featuring a caterer, her police officer husband, and her quirky assortment of clients and friends. In this installment (apparently the penultimate book in the series), she’s looking into a murder, a couple arsons, theft, fraud, and a curious puppy mill situation. The story is a little convoluted, and some of the side characters are a bit two-dimensional, but overall I enjoyed the book. Also, all the food sounds amazing! This is the April selection for one of my mystery book clubs, but once I saw that others were waiting for it at the library (probably other club members) I went ahead and finished it out of order. Fulfills Litsy Booked2019 prompt: a book with food or drink on the cover, as well as Read Harder prompt: cozy mystery. Read 5-16 March.
16. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
A bachelorette weekend goes horribly wrong in a remote Northumberland vacation house. Mystery writer Leonora Shaw gets an unexpected last-minute invitation from the friend of a friend she hasn’t seen in ten years, and against her better judgment she decides to attend the party in the woods. Does someone at the gathering have malevolent intentions? Why is her friend reaching out to her? How did she end up in hospital with no memory of getting there? This is a well-plotted and suspenseful debut novel that I enjoyed more than The Woman in Cabin Ten. It was the March selection for the same book club, and we all liked the book with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Read 14-17 March.
