The Chocolate Cat Caper

The Chocolate Cat Caper by JoAnna Carl

After her divorce, Lee McKinney moves from Texas to Michigan to help with her aunt's chocolate business.  Unfortunately, her latest delivery ends up poisoning a high-profile defense lawyer, which puts not only the business but their lives in danger.

I wanted to like this book, if for nothing else than the chocolate theme.  Lee has this distracting speech problem where she substitutes the wrong words... it really didn't add anything except annoyance.  The plot was also thin, and I wish there was more about the cat... he was the most interesting character.  Meh... I doubt I'll read any more of this series.

Catering to Nobody

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson

Divorcee Goldy Bear (yes, Goldy Bear!) is catering a funeral for her son's teacher when her ex-father-in-law is poisoned.  Determined to reopen her business before the all-crucial holiday season, she snoops, badgers, and cooks her way through clues to solve the case.  Sprinkled throughout the story are a few recipes, which is what originally caught my attention.

I realize this is the first book in a series, so there's tons of back story and superfluous characters to sift through in order to see what settles into place.  That said, I liked the story, even if I hated some of the people.  Goldy's husband was abusive... so why isn't she more worried about her son getting beat up & ridiculed at school?  Why is she even polite to someone who threw her against an open dishwasher, where she was stabbed by a knife?  Ugh!  And why doesn't she care more about Patty Sue, the twenty year old girl that she lets stay at her house?  She so busy cooking and worrying about money that nothing else matters.  Thankfully, the mystery was interesting to solve, and my favorite part of the book is when Goldy is roped in to teaching Patty Sue how to drive.  I will try to ignore the occasional stupidity and try the next installment... but it 's not better, I give up.