Book Review: Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer

Connie Archer is back with another Soup Lover's Mystery with Ladle to the Grave. In Snowflake, Vermont, it's May and the residents are looking to welcome Spring in. However, Spring begins with a big bang, when a few locals participate in a Pagan festival, and one lady ends up dead! When the police determine the cause as poisoning from some herbs in a wine she drank, they start to point their finger at Lucky Jamieson's grandfather, Jack. Now Lucky will have her hands full between managing her soup shop, finding a killer and making a dress for her best friend's upcoming wedding!

Ladle to the Grave was my first trip to Snowflake, VT, but it certainly won't be my last. Living in a country that has six months of winter I'm a big soup person. There is nothing better than curling up with a book and a big bowl of warm, hearty soup in the middle of winter!! That warm, cozy feeling is how I felt reading Ladle to the Grave.

I really liked that Connie Archer started this book off with a murder. There was no slow opening chapters. No, she throws you right into the murder, leaving you to decide who could have wanted to kill this poor lady. Was it someone against the Pagan festival? Or was it something else? From there is a action packed story, as another death drops down on Lucky, and she races against time to figure out the killer before Jack ends up in jail!

Ladle to the Grave was a fun read. As this was my first introduction to the series, I liked that I could read it without feeling lost. Connie Archer sets up the characters nicely for those new to the series, without repeating facts from previous mysteries. I liked the ecclectic mix of characters in Snowflake, and certainly loved the virtual smells of the soups Sage makes in Lucky's soup shop, By the Spoonful.

All in all Ladle to the Grave was a very enjoyable mystery. With a tasty mystery, mouth-watering recipes to try, and even a wine to brew, it hit all the right spots, and I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Check out Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer.