Book Review: Recipe for Murder by Janet Elaine Smith

Recipe for Murder
by Janet Elaine Smith
Star Publish
Cosy Mystery
Available from Amazon and other booksellers

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of The Chosen and Drowning Rapunzel
Author provided review copy.

The second adventure for the intrepid crime fighting duo, retired cop Patrick O'Malley and Grace Johnson, now employed at a homeless shelter, begins when they get a letter from former resident of the shelter, Walter Schmidt. Along with the cryptic letter, there is a key for a safety deposit box, and the letter hints that it contains something that will make them rich and if anything happens to him, they will know what to do with it.

Worried by the letter, they call his mother in Nebraska only to discover that Walter has died. It's being called a suicide but his mother is convinced that he was murdered. He was found hanging from the rafters in the apple shed. Patrick and Grace head out to the small town of Albany, Nebraska to discover the truth.

What they find there is a place unfriendly to strangers, and secrets long buried coming to the surface. For such a small town, there are quite a few suspects in the investigation and it will be difficult to guess the culprit before the end, I was convinced twice I had it figured out, only to be thwarted again!

In Walter's safety deposit box is a recipe for applesauce and oatmeal cookies, it seems that he may have been murdered for the recipe, but who would have the most to gain?

Although a murder mystery, there is no blood and gore here. It's a book that leaves you thinking, very fast moving and with a wealth of characters that seem to jump out at you from the page, as if they were in the room with you.

A lovely touch at the end is Walter's recipe for the cookies (and you don't even have to kill anyone to get it!) There is also a sneak preview for the next book in the Patrick and Grace series. Obviously, Janet Elaine Smith has taken the adage "always leave them wanting more" to heart, because it certainly does that. A very enjoyable book.

***

About the reviewer:

Annette Gisby writes in multiple styles and genres from horror to sci-fi, from fantasy to romance. Her latest novel, The Chosen, will be released by Lyrical Press.
Author website: http://www.annettegisby.n3.net

***