KEY LIME PIE MURDER
by JOANNE FLUKE
Kensington Books
Mystery, Cozy
ISBN - 13: 978-7582-1018-0

Hannah Swensen, owner of the Cookie Jar bakery has agreed to be one of the three baked goods judges for the county fair. Hannah's baby sister, Michelle, is one of the contestants in the beauty pageant. Andrea, her other sister, has entered the Mommy and Me competition, and who knows what their Mom is up to, but her behavior is odd even for her. Her Mom asks her to keep Michelle for a while to give her time to do something. No one knows why; accept she keeps talking in romantic regency.

Willa Sunquist is doing double duty as baked goods judge and beauty contestant wrangler, that is until she is found murdered on the fairgrounds. Hannah finds the body just moments after Willa's demise. Mike, a detective and suitor, rushes to take care of her and the crime scene but gives into having Howard drive Hannah home. Howard is the town dentist and Hannah's other suitor. Mike and Howard vie for Hannah as she investigates not only Willa's death but her life as well. Howard takes photographs for the newspaper and one of his candid shots of Hannah wins first place. Mike doesn't want to wait for the end of the fair to bid on it so he buys it straight out for $500.

Hannah learns that she didn't know her friend, Willa, at all. Investigating on her own, she discovers wedding photos minus the groom's face and more.

Who killed Willa? Will he or she be caught before they kill again? And why isn't Hannah's cat eating? Her cat is a side story, but one that is throughout the book. What has her cat so preoccupied it won't eat? Howard woes Hannah through the cat by bringing kitty bags to try to get him to eat.

KEY LIME PIE MURDER is a delightfully charming cozy little book. It was a fast, easy read that made me crave sweets especially muffins and pie.

Between chapters are wonderful recipes of baked goods that one can make at home, so not only can you read about mouthwatering pastries but you can eat them to.

On the scale of 1 to 5 kisses with 5 being best, I give KEY LIME PIE MURDER 4.9 kisses, almost perfect.

©Reviewed by Cynthia Lea Clark, Psy.D.
July 2007



THE JURY MASTER
By ROBERT DUGONI
Warner Books
Mystery, Legal Thriller
ISBN: 10-0-446-61707-5

David Sloane is a wizard in the San Francisco courtroom. He works magic with a jury. He even wins the no win cases. The book opens with a loser case that once again David wins. After the verdict he takes a little time off while across the country Joe Barrick's body lay in a national park. A young police officer finds the body to be told by witnesses that Joe has just killed himself. Then the young cop disappears. Tom Molia investigates the Barrick case until the President of the United States in Washington steps in and demands that he stop all investigation on the suicide. This does not sit well with Mole, (Molia's nickname) nor with the coroner and they conduct a discreet autopsy before handing over the body.

Before Barrick's death, he placed a couple of calls to Sloane's office. When Sloane returns from his brief respite, he finds a ransacked apartment and a broken mailbox. What were they searching for and why had a man clear across the country just prior to his so-called "suicide" called Sloane?

After Sloane's good friend is murdered in his apartment, he goes underground to investigate Barrick and the envelope he finally receives. What follows is a conspiracy that has spanned over 30 years complete with some wild twists and turns.

Sloane has been having a recurring dream, a graphic, violent and sad dream. What does the dream have to do with all of this? Who is the woman he can't save? His friend that lay dead on his bathroom floor? His secretary Tina? Someone else? Why does this dream bring on pain and memory loss?

And what does the President of the United States have to do with all of this?

THE JURY MASTER is a legal thriller and political thriller expertly woven together. It is a wild ride coast to coast, past to present. Who is David Sloane and why was he so important to Joe Barrick? Twists and turns provide the answers. Superb!

On a scale of 1 to 5 kisses, I give THE JURY MASTER a resounding 5 kisses!

©Reviewed by Cynthia Lea Clark, Psy.D.
July 2007