I’m going to open this review by stating the obvious:
Reading too many cozy mysteries with food connections could lead to weight
gain, so consider yourself warned. Next, I’ll say this: Sarah Fox’s Crepes
of Wrath had us at “mocha mascarpone crepes.” And I’ll add: This series
debut is one yummy book, plus it has a cat—and recipes!
The story
Picture a place called Wildwood Cove, on Washington State’s Olympic
Peninsula. Picture a pancake house called the Flip Side (that serves up things
like mocha mascarpone crepes and churro waffles). Hard at work in the Flip Side
is one Marley McKinney, whose “normal life” is in Seattle, but with her cousin
Jimmy in the hospital with double pneumonia, she’s stepping in to keep his pancake
business running. She’s also taking care of his house and his cat, an orange
tabby named Flapjack.
That all sounds rather idyllic, but Crepes of Wrath is a murder mystery, so…
Poor Cousin Jimmy. He’s found dead—murdered—and everything
changes for Marley. Suddenly she has heavy decisions to make—like what should
she do for the rest of her life? This is further complicated by the presence of
her old flame Brett, who is as single and handsome as ever. Oh, and of course
Marley gets involved in trying to find Jimmy’s killer. His property—the land
his home is on—is valuable, but is it valuable enough to kill for? Or did one
of Wildwood Cove’s shady characters do him in for some reason? Was Jimmy
involved in an art-theft ring that turned deadly?
So many questions. And Marley herself may be in danger from
someone she can’t identify and for reasons she doesn’t understand. It seems she
is reminded at every turn that she is an outsider, and not everyone is
welcoming. It’s a good thing she has Flapjack to step in and give some purrs
when Marley needs them.
The verdict
Where to start? When I called Crepes of Wrath “yummy,” I was referring to more than the food. The
setting is rich, as is the cast of characters, and the plot kept us guessing
until almost the end. The final confrontation
between Marley and the killer kept us turning pages at a furious pace. Our only
complaint is that Flapjack the cat doesn’t play a major role in the plot. But,
I guess you can’t really have a cat hanging around in a pancake house. Fur in
the batter, and all that. Marley’s oblique reference to Agatha Christie’s Hercule
Poirot made us so happy we pretty much forgot that the cat wasn’t a major
player.
Highly recommended!
A
note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up.
One paw is for a good read; two paws is for a great read. She never gives three
or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!
The
link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the book through this
link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!
