Apples and Alibis by Gayle Leeson

Item: Apples and Alibis
Rating: 4
Author: karenbaron

Posted August 29, 2019 by karenbaron in #AutumnReadsWithTheBaroness, #BookishRecipe, Mystery, Review, Series / 1 Comment

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

Apples and Alibis

by Gayle Leeson

Series: Down South Cafe Mystery #4
Series Rating:

Published by Grace Abraham Publishing on August 13, 2019
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Pages: 187
Format: Kindle
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

That's the last time Amy agrees to do a favor for a stranger...

Down South Cafe owner, Amy Flowers is in over her head. Operating a cafe while hosting the first Farmers' Market in Winter Garden has her swimming in apples. And when an elderly woman calls the cafe, pleading for a delivery for her upcoming party, Amy relents, feeling compelled to help the desperate customer.

But when she arrives, the woman is slumped over her kitchen table, and Amy is catapulted into the middle of a small town crime. Guilt-ridden for not arriving earlier to save the woman, she sets out to unravel the mystery surrounding the woman. Now, between running the cafe and dealing with the chaos of the farmers' market, Amy is squeezing in a murder investigation, a run-in with her boyfriend's mom, and her own mother's quirky life decisions. Life can't get any worse...or can it? This cafe owner needs a break--in the case.

No good deed goes unpunished. And involving Amy wasn’t a smart thing to do.

Apples and Alibis by Gayle Leeson is an ingenious installment in the Down South Café Mystery series. Amy and her friends are good at helping the Sheriff figure out what is happening at the Pridemore Farm.

Amy Flowers

Our main character, sleuth, and owner of the Down South Café is Amy. She runs the diner with her cousin, Jackie. Amy has a kind heart and has a hard time saying no to people, even strangers. She is one of those busy people, working six days a week and spending Sundays with her mom, Aunt Bess, and Jackie.

Amy’s boyfriend is also a sheriff deputy, and Amy is friends with the sheriff. She has definitely stuck her nose in police business before. But, they all seem to adore her. The one thing that I don’t like about Amy is sometimes she puts the mystery first, and she can’t seem to let it go. But if she didn’t, we wouldn’t be here with her in Winter Garden, Virginia.

My Favorite Character

My favorite character is Aunt Bess. She needs assistance, but what a kick in the pants she is. Aunt Bess has Pinterest boards for People I’ve Outlived, Things I’d Love to Eat but Won’t Fix, Lord Have Mercy, and Crime Scenes. I think her Lord Have Mercy board is my Favorite. Although her Crime Scenes board is pictures that she took at local happenings.

Aunt Bess keeps her family on their toes, that is for sure. In this installment, she took Jenna’s SUV without asking and took off for a house fire. The fire department loves her and follows her boards too. Aunt Bess is so personable and unforgettable.

Mystery

The mystery was so well-plotted, I thought I knew who did it, but I had dismissed that character for being too nice. There were plenty of red herrings and so many clues that led to many different motives. And the way the murder was carried out was so well thought out.

This series is definitely one to follow. Ms. Leeson writes these small towns that make you feel like you are there hanging out with the characters. Homer is another fabulous character I would love to visit. I loved his daily heroes.

4 Stars for Apples and Alibis by Gayle Leeson

My rating for Apples and Alibis by Gayle Leeson is four stars. This book is well written, has brilliant characters, a beautiful setting, and a lovely mystery. Oh, and there are a few recipes included at the end of the book too. I recommend it to all of you that like cozy mysteries.

The recipes are Low Carb White Fish Pomodoro, and Diet Cola Brownies.

Other Books in the Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed my review of Apples and Alibis by Gayle Leeson.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

About Gayle Leeson

Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. Gayle has also written as Amanda Lee and Gayle Trent. As Amanda Lee, she wrote the Embroidery Mystery series, and as Gayle Trent, she writes the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. Going forward, Gayle intends to keep her writing until the Gayle Leeson name. She has a series of women’s fiction novellas set in a shopping mall that has been converted to include micro-apartments (the Kinsey Falls series) and has just begun this new cozy series, the Ghostly Fashionista Mystery series. Another Down South Cafe novel is slated for release in August with book two in the Ghostly Fashionista series scheduled for October.

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