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.

Book Review: Suspendered Sentence by Laura Bradford

Suspendered Sentence is the fourth book in the Amish Mysteries by Laura Bradford. Claire Weatherly, owner of Heavenly Treasures, lives amongst the Amish and English in the town of Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She loves the quiet life in Heavenly, but it certainly isn't dull and boring. During the raising of a new barn, human bones are discovered and they are believed to belong to a Amish teenager, who ran away many years ago. With police officer, Jakob, and Claire on the trail, they try to piece together this cold case, and figure out who the killer is.

I live in a town, where there are no Amish about, but that doesn't stop my curiosity about them and the lifestyle they lead. In some ways they have a simple, beautiful life, where they help each other when help is needed. Of course when it comes to crimes they are reticent about having police involvement, and this makes Jakob's job more difficult.

The lastest installment in the Amish Mysteries is certainly a page-turning, unputdownable read. Laura Bradford beautifully describes the ups and downs of Amish life, in a almost lyrical style, and as her words drew me in, I found myself stepping alongside Claire, her Aunt, Diane, and police officer, Jakob, trying to solve the murder with them.

The events that lead to this murder surround the rumspringa. For those that aren't family the rumspringa is a rite of passage available to Amish youth around the age of 16 when they are allowed to see the world outside the closed Amish community. It ends when the youths return to the community to be baptized into the Amish church or decide to remain outside it. It's a interesting time in the life of the young Amish and I like how this rite of passage was weaved through the mystery, letting readers learn more about this.

As with the other books in this series, Laura Bradford doesn't disappoint with Suspendered Sentence. As befitting someone living in a Amish town, she is moving the relationship between Claire and Jakob at a perfect pace, and I enjoyed several toe-curling moments between them, and I look forward to seeing where the path leads for both of these characters.

I had a wonderful time visiting the fine folks of Heavenly, and I absolutely cannot wait to tag along for another adventure, when the next book is released.

If you are looking for a first class mystery, pick up the Amish Mysteries today. They are written so that you can pick up any book in the series, and just read, or to really do this series justice, pick up Hearse and Buggy, and enjoy four of the best mysteries on the market today.

Check out Suspendered Sentence by Laura Bradford on Amazon.