Friday, December 20, 2013

Book Review: Rosemary and Crime

Rosemary and CrimeAuthor: Gail Oust
Publication Date: December 17, 2013
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Series: Piper Prescott # 1

Murder comes well-seasoned in this charming mystery featuring a smart and spunky new amateur sleuth, small-town Georgia spice shop owner Piper Prescott

Piper Prescott, a transplanted Yankee living in the South, has got her sass back.  She might be down, but don’t count her out.  “Change of life?” she asks.  Bring it on.  Recently divorced, Piper decides to pursue a dream she’s secretly harbored: owning her own business, Spice it Up!, a spice shop in her adopted hometown, Brandywine Creek, Georgia.  But Piper’s grand opening goes awry when the local chef who’s agreed to do a cooking demo is found stabbed.  Not only did Piper find the body, she handled the murder weapon and doesn’t have a witness to her alibi, making the case look like a slam dunk to brand new police Chief Wyatt McBride.  Desperate to uncover the truth—and prove her innocence—Piper enlists the help of her outspoken BFF Reba Mae Johnson to help track down the real culprit.  The pair compile a lengthy list of suspects and work to eliminate them using their own creative brand of sleuthing techniques including stakeouts, breaking and entering, and one very unorthodox chocolate pie. When Piper narrowly avoids being a victim of a hit-and-run, she knows she’s getting closer to the truth, but can she catch the killer and clear her name before she becomes the next victim?

A captivating start to a new series featuring an unstoppably fabulous new crime-solving heroine, a colorful cast of small town characters, and more than a pinch of Georgia charm, Rosemary and Crime is sure to delight fans of Donna Andrews and Jessica Beck.


How naïve of me not to think murder! Murder was something for books, newspapers, television. Not something that happened in peaceful, safe Brandywine Creek, Georgia.

A handful of this, a cupful of that. Spicy sweet cinnamon, tangy cloves, licoricelike star anise, Szechwan peppercorns: I poured all of the ingredients into a coffee mill, which I reserved exclusively for grinding spices.

Nothing like a good funeral to bring out the Who’s Who of Brandywine Creek society, I mused the following Wednesday.


This exciting new mystery series from author, Gail Oust, is light, quick, charming, and totally satisfying! The brand new heroine in the cozy mystery world is Piper Prescott, who after just coming through a divorce decides to use the money she received from her recent divorce settlement to open up a lifelong dream of her hers called Spice It Up! Piper has worked long and hard to prepare for opening night, and even goes out of her way to get one of the most famous local chefs, known for his womanizing and hot temperament, to agree to prepare a demonstration for opening night. Everything is going according to plan, until Piper finds her help stabbed to death lying on her kitchen floor.

My favorite part of this book, and probably will remain so throughout the entire series, was Piper and her best friend, Reba Mae. These two were two peas in a far out pod! Reba Mae was very outspoken and often told people exactly what she thought without thinking twice about it. Their friendship was endearing; Reba Mae was constantly standing up for Piper and was at her side through it all. They complement each other very well. They could easily be described as the Rizzoli & Isles of the cozy mystery world!

This new series is very charming and hits home! The small town and high attention to detail make for an interesting setting and provides readers with a place and characters that they are sure to love. I can only imagine where the series will go from here. I keep checking back on Goodreads to see if any information has been posted about the next book in the series! This cozy mystery does not fit the normal, predictable mold, but offers readers with a deeper, richer context and more developed characters they are sure to love!

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Minotaur Books in exchange for my honest review***




1 comment:

  1. This series sounds awesome! I've been reading a lot of really heavy, psychological mysteries lately - this will be a nice change :)

    - Kritika @ Snowflakes & Spider Silk

    ReplyDelete