Tired of waiting tables at Lou's Joint, Amy Flowers doesn't just quit, she offers to buy the place from her bully of a boss so she can finally open the cafe of her dreams. Amy can't wait to serve the kind of down-home Southern treats and dishes that her grandmother always loved to the kooky cast of regulars at the restaurant. She knows her comfort food will be the talk of the sweet small town of Winter Garden, Virgina.
At first Lou Lou refused to sell, but when she seems ready to make a deal , Amy goes to see her. Showing up at the eatery ready to negotiate, Amy is shocked to find her former employer murdered. As the prime suspect, Amy will have to clear her name by serving up the real killer - and with Lou-Lou's stack of enemies thats a tall order..

A gentle bit of easy reading after the challenge of my last book though I was amazed at a customer turning up at the main character's house expecting to be fed when the cafe was closed for renovation. Also, I was amazed at the main character ringing people up out of the blue and asking questions about things that weren't her business. I'm truly surprised folk spoke to her and that someone didn't try to kill her sooner. I guess that makes this book a not so cosy mystery.

Put in the Cosy Crime Mystery book box.

Returned to me in the Cosy Crime Bookbox.

Not an author I have read before (in any of her guises!) so this will be read before passing on again. It is the first in a series so a good place to start and see if I like the author.

Agree with Tanamo here. A gentle bit of easy reading, and I too was more than amazed that a customer would turn up at the main character's home even though it is made clear that everyone seems to know where everyone lives and works and their family history! Very claustrophobic to my mind. I also agree that I just cannot see people being happy to answer a strangers questions over the phone about family etc and old history without a qualm. No way. Once again, the detectives are being pictured as bumbling along slowly in the background doing goodness only knows what, the only saving grace being that the main character (Amy) does keep the lead detective (Ryan) in the picture with what she is doing and the results. I am sure this is no more accurate of detectives in the US than anywhere else but is a plot ploy.

However, the realities of life aside, this is a very gentle introduction to the characters and lifestyle of the main participants and a solid background to base the interactions on. I would read others (when I need something easy to relax with) in the series - if I ever saw them.

I have no immediate plans for this book so will make it available for now.

A little bit of fun too (for Easter). Enjoy.

OK this looks familiar I thought, but was a little vague on why. However, a simple search shows I registered a copy of this a while back, & as its MIA I'll read this copy & be able to make up some notes for both books. Very neat, thanks!

Grateful Flutterbies9, for your five book Easter Box. As I told you I'd put it aside as a treat to open after I'd tackled some tasks & hurrah some tasks have now been tackled. AGAIN Thanks for unknowingly providing that useful incentive! EASTER Edibles now being chomped with glee of course. 😊

Travelled together:
A LITTLE YULETIDE MURDER (Murder She Wrote) — Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain
FALSE ANGEL — Edith Layton
THE CALAMITY CAFE — Gayle Leeson
MY FAKE RAKE — Eva Leigh
THE PERFECT BRIDE — Eileen Putman

Yahoo, enjoyable entertainment. Pleasing mystery, at an easy pace not much break-neck anything or heart-wrenching, distress. Phew, nice to get a rest as currently everythings feeling fraught.

A distinct fascination for me, of these light mysteries created for an American audience, are the specific, detail differences, for example, page 1 "sausage biscuits". I've never heard of such a thing! In my world biscuits have a hard snap, are generally sweet, not savoury and are NOT soft or in any way bread-like. While sausages are ground meats, with herbs and spices sometimes veg but always squeezed into a tublar casing giving a clyndrical form. Internet images showed me what I would call a scone, soft and more bread-like, cut in half horizontally with a ground beef patty, or meat 'burger' inserted between the halves.

Later on came a reference to "bear hunting with a switch" I think the phrase meant to imply a situation was impossible, inadvisable or dangerous?

Then page 172 "I served a nickel for drugs myself, but I'm clean now."
"You don't think Chris Anne is?"
"No, I don't. It'd take a miracle for that girl to get sober."
First, a nickel? Signifies a number unit of years I can only assume, pause... research gave the number five. Then that use of 'sober' instead of drug-free, that was very strange to me, for I would only use the word sober in relation to alcohol use. Intriguing!

With reference to others mention of a dinner customer approaching the cook in their home residence, when the dinner was closed, with the expectation of getting fed I have to say I thought with the introduction of that specific customer came an implication he had 'special needs' of some sort. And so I had assumed in a small town community such gentle individuals would be afforded, by those in the caring community, understanding of these issues however they manifested.

One last quote as I adored this one so much, page 279 "You know as well as I do that she was so tight [with money] her toes curled every time she blinked." Ha! Brilliant... just brilliant! What a colourful saying, cannot help but smile!

One of five BookCrossing books set travelling at my hairdressers today, left on the coffee table. What a great colour and cut, thanks Sabrina!!! Left walking on air, off to tackle other organisational tasks, feeling both the outside and inside of my head was up to the projects I intended tackling! Best Feeling Ever!

***Huge excitement, on departing the salon, I saw another customer, and keen reader clearly, had picked up this book and was reading it. Another, Best Feeling Ever! So two boosts within the same day. A fabulous start to the week!
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● RELEASE NOTES:
DEAR FINDER:
I'm a special book. I'm not forgotten, lost or disgarded. I was left here on purpose to find new readers. On www.bookcrossing.com. you can follow my journey.

Take me with you, read me, and please leave a note about my whereabouts on the website - anonymously, if you prefer.

Then, please release me again so I can travel on, cheers rainbow3.