A Twinkle of Trouble by Daryl Wood Gerber

Item: A Twinkle of Trouble
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted June 1, 2024 by karenbaron in #BookishRecipe, Mystery, Paranormal, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Twinkle of Trouble

by Daryl Wood Gerber

Series: Fairy Garden Mystery #5
Series Rating:

Published by Kensington Cozies on April 23, 2024
Setting: Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Genres: Cozy Culinary Paranormal Mystery
Pages: 331
Format: Audible Audiobook, Kindle, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Nook
Also in this series: A Sprinkling of Murder, A Glimmer of a Clue, A Hint of Mischief, A Flicker of a Doubt

Carmel-by-the-Sea garden shop owner Courtney Kelly sees things others can’t—like fairies, and hidden motives for murder . . .

Courtney is delighted when her tiny friend Fiona returns from the fairy realm, appearing at the base of a Cypress tree. When her Ragdoll cat, Pixie, emerges from her own portal—aka the cat door—the three set off for a busy day. Busier than usual, since Courtney has rented a small plot of land at the Flower Farm, where she hopes to grow her own supplies for her fairy-garden business. Plus, the annual Summer Blooms Festival is coming up, and Courtney has booked a booth . . .

But the murder of Courtney’s friend, Genevieve, casts a pall over the festival. Ever since Genevieve sold her floral business, she’d been building a career as an influencer. She was perennially opinionated—but in her new role she’d become surprisingly vicious, dissing local entrepreneurs with nasty posts and unwarranted bad reviews. That’s landed a couple of Courtney’s other friends on the suspect list—including Flower Farm owner Daphne Flores. And when a second victim is discovered, seeds of doubt about Daphne’s innocence sprout in Courtney’s mind. With only a germ of a clue, Courtney will have to overturn every rock to get the dirt on the real killer . . .

A Twinkle of Trouble by Daryl Wood Gerber has Courtney with double the fairy fun.

Can Courtney and Fiona solve the case?

It’s been a month and a half since Fiona disappeared into the fairy realm, and Courtney missed her fairy friend. Surprisingly, within that time frame, Courtney didn’t find any dead bodies until after Fiona returned.

Courtney and Fiona

Courtney has grown since the first book. She still cares deeply whenever they find a dead body and about the people she suspects. Courtney tries her hardest to be open-minded about her friends, but sometimes, it doesn’t work out very well during a murder investigation. She indeed finds this out in this book.

Fiona is getting more recognition from the Queen, and the Queen gives her a task to teach her younger sister some things. She is a good fairy who has truly grown from the first book, as she isn’t all that impish anymore and must have gotten on the Queen’s good side. I will miss Fiona when it is time for her to return to the fairy world for good.

The Mystery

Courtney isn’t the first person to find a dead body this time or the next one, either. Nope, two other people have the honor of being the ones to find the dead bodies. However, Courtney remains on the detective’s bad side by being there when they finally show up. The first victim, Genevieve, wasn’t that nice of a person when she was alive, and Courtney sadly has been finding that out as she’s been investigating.

But wow, that reveal surely had me on the edge of my seat, and I totally didn’t get who it was.

Five Stars

My rating for A Twinkle of Trouble by Daryl Wood Gerber is five stars. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good, cozy culinary paranormal mystery. Ms. Gerber always gets me with the actual culprit of the crime, as I usually fall for one of the red herrings. I also love the recipes she includes in her books.

Don’t forget about the recipes in the back of the book. They are Apple Strudel Muffins + Gluten-free Version, Banana Blueberry Scones + Gluten-free Version, Cacao Nib Brownies + Gluten-free Version, Chocolate Mousse Pie, Gingersnap Brownies, Lemon-Raspberry Delights + Gluten-free Version, Monte Cristo Sandwich, Prosciutto-and-Cheddar Drop Scones + Gluten-free Version, and Raisin-Rosemary Muffins + Gluten-free Version.

Fairy Garden Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Twinkle of Trouble by Daryl Wood Gerber.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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About Daryl Wood Gerber

Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling Fairy Garden Mysteries, Cookbook Nook Mysteries, and French Bistro Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes the Aspen Adams Novels of Suspense as well as stand-alone suspense. Daryl loves to cook, fairy garden, and read. She has a frisky Goldendoodle who keeps her in line. And she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane and hitch-hike around Ireland alone.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges: