Lemon Tart- A Culinary Mystery

I read the first book in a culinary mystery series called Lemon Tart. It was very well written and I enjoyed it. I cannot think of who the author is at the moment...wait...it's Josi S. Kilpack. The main character is kind of a Ms. Marple kind of person: she's a widow who likes to look out her window and watch everyone and everything and has it all timed down to the exact minute. I admit that for me, this was a fairly easy book to figure out. There were a few twists and turns, but none that I didn't already see coming. This is one reason why I don't read a lot of mysteries-they are just to easy to figure out. I like Agatha Christie's because I can never figure them out.

Well, in this particular story the murder victim is a young single mom that the main character befriends. She teaches her how to make a lemon tart because her last name is Lemmon. The main character tries to solve the case (against the wishes of the authorities) and happens to unravel a family secret in the process.

It's very well written and it has a good plot and story line. Plus there is an added bonus-the author puts in the recipes of all the food mentioned in the book. I told the ladies at book club that whoever hosts the month we read this has to make all the recipes in the book. They range from not only the infamous lemon tart but anything from homemade alfredo sauce to carrot cookies. I read the first chapter of the next book in line: English Trifle and it was very intriguing. I have to say that one thing Mrs. Kilpack does is get straight to the point. The murder has happened within the first chapter. At first I didn't like that because there was no set-up and as I looked at the thickness of the book I cringed at all the "wild goose-chasing" that had to happen in order for this mystery to be solved and we were only through the first chapter! I noticed that the next book starts out the same-murder happens in the first chapter. Well, I guess I'll have to read it and see what happens. Besides, I absolutely LOVE English Trifle!

If you want to read a mystery that is not scary and won't make you jump at every creak the house makes (and get a few good recipes while you're at it) give Josi S. Kilpack's culinary mysteries a try!