Synopsis:
When Charity Penn receives a letter saying she won a trip to Camellia Beach, South Carolina complete with free cooking lessons at the town’s seaside chocolate shop, The Chocolate Box, she’s immediately skeptical. She never entered any contest. Her former prep school friend offers to look into the phony prize–only to end up drowned in a vat of chocolate. Struck with guilt, Penn heads to the southern beach town to investigate why he was killed. But as wary as she is of the locals, she finds herself lured into their eccentric vibe, letting her defenses melt away and even learning the art of crafting delicious chocolates. That is, until delight turns bittersweet as she steps straight into the midst of a deadly plot to destroy the seaside town. Now, only Penn’s quick thinking and a mysterious cask of rare chocolate can save the town she’s learning to love. Rich and decadent, Asking for Truffle, the first in a new cozy series by Dorothy St. James, is sure to be a delectable read for fans of JoAnna Carl and Joanne Fluke. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters were well rounded and well developed. I must say the Penn was a hard person to like. Between her not wanting anyone to touch her, her constant reminders about her loveless family and the fact that she thought everyone was after her money, it got a little old. I just felt like she did not have a lot of redeeming qualities. That is only my opinion and others may not feel the same way. Some of the other characters were enjoyable to me and I liked getting to know them better. I think Althea was my favorite character, she was quirky, mysterious and likable.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all the action taking place. I felt like I could smell the chocolate found in the candy store. I enjoyed the fact that there were chocolate recipes in the back of the book for the reader to try.
The mystery was carried on well throughout the entire book. With enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through, this was not an easy mystery to solve. Although I considered the culprit, along with a couple of other suspects, I did not know for sure until it was revealed at the end.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well plotted cozy mystery. I will definitely read the next book in the series when it is published.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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