Murder is a sticky business
Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower Kensington Books Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 29 Aug 2017
Review
Assaulted Caramel is a fascinating cozy. Amanda Flower not only provides readers with a solidly plotted murder mystery, she also opens the world of the Amish up to an audience whose familiarity with the culture is likely minimal. Amish country makes for an intriguing setting and the tensions between the plain folk and the Englisch add an additional layer of complexity.
Bailey King isn't Amish, but her grandparents are, so when her grandmother phones to say her grandfather is ill Bailey knows it's serious. Serious enough for her to leave New York even though a promotion is in the balance. She arrives is Ohio in time to see her grandfather collapse after a confrontation with an Englisch developer. When the same man is found murdered in their candy store’s kitchen, suspicion falls on Bailey and her family. Aiden, one of the deputies, seems to be the only one who isn’t determined to make Bailey or her family take the fall.
Bailey is a reluctant investigator, but it’s clear that most of the police are prejudiced against the plain folk. Between her grandfather’s illness and her need to return to New York, Bailey is under a lot of pressure. The mystery is pretty straightforward, but the charming characters and the intriguing culture add a lot to this debut. Assaulted Caramel is definitely a cozy worth reading.
4 / 5
I received a copy of Assaulted Caramel from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
Sometimes you need a sweet tooth to take a bite out of crime . . . Bailey King is living the sweet life as assistant chocolatier at world-famous JP Chocolates in New York City. But just when Bailey’s up for a life-changing promotion, her grandmother calls with news that her grandfather’s heart condition has worsened. Bailey rushes to Harvest, Ohio, where her grandparents still run Swissmen Sweets, the Amish candy shop where she was first introduced to delicious fudge, truffles, and other assorted delights. She finds her grandfather is doing better than she feared. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for a local Englisch developer, whom Bailey finds dead in the candy shop kitchen—with Jebediah King’s chocolate knife buried in his chest. Now the police are sweet on her grandfather as the prime suspect. Despite the sincere efforts of a yummy deputy with chocolate-brown eyes, Bailey takes it on herself to clear Jebediah. But as a cunning killer tries to fudge the truth, Bailey may be headed straight into a whole batch of trouble . . .
