So far this year I’ve been getting a book a day finished. Today I finished Dead and Ganache, #4 in the Chocolate Whisperer series by Colette London. It’s hard to read that book and not crave chocolate something! 😉 There are even recipes in the back of the book. Here’s what I wrote about it:
Dead and Ganache by Colette London
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was the first in this series that I’ve read since I volunteered to read and review an advance copy of it. I like how the author gets the reader up to speed with Hayden’s narrative in the beginning–I had to double check to see if I was in the first book, that’s how good of a job she did. I had never read about the two guys in her life, one bodyguard, one financial adviser but I sure felt like I knew them once I’d read only a little bit about them and said by them. Hayden’s own background of how she became a wealthy traveling chocolate whisperer was explained briefly but with enough detail that a person can read this book without having read the previous books.
The descriptions of provincial France were detailed and pretty amazing because I could just picture the little street and even the chateau where Hayden and Travis were staying. I’ve never been to France at all. I’ve only ever seen pictures or videos online but the descriptions in the book are vivid.
There was definitely a lot of potential killers to choose from and I didn’t guess who it was until I had read enough clues which I think the author tossed out there for us to find. The take down was pretty awesome. I wasn’t sure about the police detective, Melanie, at first but was glad that she ended up being one of the types that treats the sleuth with respect and actually asks for their help.
It was kind of a complex case in a way, and there was a little side mystery that I had no clue about so that was a fun surprise. Despite Hayden’s coming to be with her chocolatier mentor and having to be there while he was murdered, she was able to help out with the crime as well as make a few new friends and learn a thing or two about her previously mysterious voice-only financial adviser. I’m interested in reading the other three in this series now to see just how all this started. Hopefully I can get caught up with the series before the 5th book comes out!
As stated at the beginning, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book which I received via NetGalley and the publisher.
My goal of getting my NetGalley list all finished before I request anything else is getting closer!
Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery 