****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Candy-Coated Conspiracy by Kaz Delaney, book three in her Hart of Texas Murder Mysteries, has Rosie Hart is once again up to her eyeballs in unexplained murders, this time in the town of Hooper’s Corner, a small town not far from her home in Arlie Falls. As with the first two books, this one is infused with tongue-in-cheek humor, lots of baking, and, of course, Rosie’s ability to discover by listening to gossip and talking to residents, things the sheriff’s deputies are unable to learn.Rosie Hart, baker extraordinaire and reluctant amateur sleuth, is busy. Rosie supplies some of her sweet treats to The Sweet Treat, a store owned and managed by the elderly Percival sisters, Francine and Edith, in nearby Hooper’s Corner. The sisters recently had a long lost nephew turn up unexpectedly. While they were delighted to see him, they weren’t delighted at what he was doing to their home. When he turns up dead outside the back of their home, the sisters were the immediate suspects. Rosie knew her friends were innocent, and she was determined to find the culprit before anyone else turns up dead. While investigating, much against the sheriff’s wishes once again, she discovered there were many secrets in the small town; secrets people of the town were determined to keep hidden. With Rosie’s boyfriend Jonah begging her to take care, the sheriff trying to keep her out of it, and the ladies at the nursing home providing lots of knowledge of things from long ago, Rosie was able to follow a trail of clues, honing in on the killer while trying to stay safe.I genuinely enjoyed reading this face paced, sweet and intriguing story and had trouble putting it down. A delightful bonus with this book, as with the other two in the series, is the collection of tasty recipes at the end of the story. Ms Delaney kept me on my toes guessing who the killer was, until I turned the last page. Her writing had me feeling as if I was there, watching the events unfold. I never suspected the person who was the murderer. Great job stumping me!! I highly recommend A Candy-Coated Conspiracy to other readers and look forward to see what Rosie is up to in the next book.I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
