A Study in Chocolate

Felicity Koerber just can't get away from murder, can she? In the fifth installment in Amber Royer's Bean to Bar Mystery series, Felicity finds herself drawn into a mystery worthy of (and inspired by?) Sherlock Holmes himself. The book's title is a nod to Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet, and as usual, a book is involved in the mystery.

Now people don't just come to Felicity's chocolate shop for the delightful confections she sells. She's got murder groupies. Her reputation as a murder magnet is heightened when she's drawn into a mystery surrounding the death of the historic Wobble House's new owner, someone Logan had once arrested. The killer is playing a Holmesian game with Felicity, taunting her with clues and a dare to solve the crime like Moriarty did with Sherlock. And if she can't solve the crime fast enough? Then someone very close to her will die.

I love the literary angle in this book. The Sherlock tie-in is a treat for any mystery lover, and the threat of another death – one that matters to Felicity – adds a lot of tension to her efforts to figure out whodunnit. It was no easy solve for me, either. Royer deftly gives us one suspect after another, only to turn around and show us why that person couldn't possibly be the killer. She kept me guessing!

Felicity is still trying to decide between Arlo and Logan. I honestly don't know which of them I'm rooting for anymore. And even though the deadline she set herself to decide is drawing nigh, I'm not sure Felicity is ready to choose yet, either!

As an added bonus, just this weekend we finally got together with family for a very belated Christmas celebration. One of my gifts was Royer's cookbook, There are Herbs in My Chocolate (affiliate link – you order and you get a cool cookbook, and I make a little money!). This one has been on my list for ages, so I am thrilled to finally have a copy! Maybe I'll try the recipes out and share some here when I read and review her next book.

Delightful characters, chocolates that sound scrumptious, a twisty mystery with literary flair – it's another five-star Royer read for me. Give me more!