The Chocolate Cat Caper: Chocoholic Mystery Series, Book 1
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
"Every town has a crooked lawyer," I said. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
"Every town has a crooked lawyer," I said. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Baker
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Lee McKinney is looking for a new start after her divorce. Her Aunt Nettie needs someone to help with the business side of TenHuis Chocolade, a gourmet chocolate business in Michigan that Lee worked at as a teen. But Lee's only been back in town for a week when famous defense lawyer Clementine Ripley is poisoned while eating one of their chocolates. Clementine had made a lot of enemies over the years in her cases and seems to have just as many in the small resort town of Warner Pier. Now Lee must sort through the suspects and motives to find the real killer before she and her aunt get framed for a murder they didn't commit.
I've been looking forward to this book since I read the short story in AND THE DYING IS EASY that introduced these characters. And it didn't disappoint. The characters are well developed. Lee's way of mixing up words when she's upset or nervous is fun but not so overused that it becomes annoying and makes her more human. The story is tightly plotted and moves along at a brisk pace. The style invites the reader in and makes it very hard to put down. The only thing that seems odd is the chocolate trivia scattered throughout the book. It doesn't really add anything; it's just kind of there.
I am definitely addicted to the Chocoholic Mysteries and look forward to many more. Pick up this book and enjoy a wonderful new series.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Lee McKinney has left her husband and her past as a 'trophy wife' to help her Aunt Nettie with her chocolate business in the sleepy Michigan town of Warner Pier. Whilst catering at a local event the defence attorney, Clementine Ripley, is murdered, seemingly by a cyanide-laced chocolate truffle. Lee tries to clear her family's name as well as finding the real killer.
This is quite a sweet novel and is quite pleasant, but I did find it dragged a bit in the middle. None of the characters stand out in the same way they do in Joanne Fluke's novels (which are quite similar.)
It passed a few hours, but I don't think I'll continue with this series.
This is quite a sweet novel and is quite pleasant, but I did find it dragged a bit in the middle. None of the characters stand out in the same way they do in Joanne Fluke's novels (which are quite similar.)
It passed a few hours, but I don't think I'll continue with this series.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Pack
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Chocolate Cat Caper was the first in a by now long-running series of American detective novels featuring ex-Texas trophy wife Lee McKinney - and chocolate.
The book is a light and pleasant treat - much like a good nougat chocolate from a selection box. It's Murder She Wrote or Agatha Christie with added chocolate. Though crimes are committed it's not a dark book, there are deaths and moments of tension, it's more about the plot than the prose and there is a large range of characters most of whom had a motive (just fancy that). Yet it is all done with enough panache that fundamental implausibility doesn't get in the way of enjoying the book.
Two features of the series do intrude rather more though. First, the author, Joanna Carl, scatters "chocolate facts" through the text. They are not related to the plot but are there as a brief distraction. A bit like a TV show with adverts. Second, the main character - Lee McKinney - has a speech impediment which means she sometimes says completely the wrong word. This happens often enough to be amusing but infrequently enough to avoid annoyance.
The basic plot premise - gather together a group of suspects, commit a murder - and structure are standard fare, however done with a twist or two along the way. It's not giving away any secrets to reveal that the first suspect isn't the end of the story, but the way the in which the police investigation seemingly concludes two-thirds of the way through does leave genuine doubt as to how the plot is going to develop. The final denouement has to be enjoyed for the slapstick scene that is intended. Directed well and put to a jaunty tune, it could make for a fantastic TV adaptation in the style of the best (ie earliest) episodes of Moonlighting.
Overall, an enjoyable read that does better at entertaining than at sticking in the memory for years to come.
The book is a light and pleasant treat - much like a good nougat chocolate from a selection box. It's Murder She Wrote or Agatha Christie with added chocolate. Though crimes are committed it's not a dark book, there are deaths and moments of tension, it's more about the plot than the prose and there is a large range of characters most of whom had a motive (just fancy that). Yet it is all done with enough panache that fundamental implausibility doesn't get in the way of enjoying the book.
Two features of the series do intrude rather more though. First, the author, Joanna Carl, scatters "chocolate facts" through the text. They are not related to the plot but are there as a brief distraction. A bit like a TV show with adverts. Second, the main character - Lee McKinney - has a speech impediment which means she sometimes says completely the wrong word. This happens often enough to be amusing but infrequently enough to avoid annoyance.
The basic plot premise - gather together a group of suspects, commit a murder - and structure are standard fare, however done with a twist or two along the way. It's not giving away any secrets to reveal that the first suspect isn't the end of the story, but the way the in which the police investigation seemingly concludes two-thirds of the way through does leave genuine doubt as to how the plot is going to develop. The final denouement has to be enjoyed for the slapstick scene that is intended. Directed well and put to a jaunty tune, it could make for a fantastic TV adaptation in the style of the best (ie earliest) episodes of Moonlighting.
Overall, an enjoyable read that does better at entertaining than at sticking in the memory for years to come.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 44 reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
