JoAnna Carl

Lee Woodyard’s Aunt Nettie is looking forward to a week’s worth of fun activities with her old singing group as they gather for their 45th high school reunion. When Lee discovers all of Nettie’s old high school memorabilia—including the trophy from the final singing competition they won—hidden in the garage, she thinks it will be a wonderful surprise for all the old biddies as they spend the week reminiscing. However, when lead singer & simpleton Kathy has a hysterical reaction to the reappearance of the trophy, Lee realizes there is more lurking in the distant past of the Pier-O-ettes than meets the eye. It all seems to hark back to the mysterious shooting death of Dan Rice, the owner of the Castle Ballroom who died the very same night the Pier-O-ettes won the trophy. When his widow crazy old Mrs. Rice is murdered after calling Lee’s husband to say she has new evidence in the death of her husband, Lee is convinced the two deaths are connected. Lee’s suspicions are confirmed when a masked figure tries to kill her, too. Will Lee be able to unmask the culprit before he succeeds in bringing her investigation to a permanent conclusion?

The premise was good, but the story was predictable and the killer was easy to spot very early on.

And the author’s choice of character names was just atrocious. Naming characters is an underappreciated art; Joanna Carl, unfortunately, isn’t any good at it. Dolly Jolly, Jerry Cherry, Garnett Garrett…??? Is she letting her two-year-old grandson name all of her secondary characters? That was nothing short of painful.

I would probably be willing to read another installment in this series if it weren’t for the presence of Lee’s husband, Joe. The reader is informed that Lee left her first husband because he treated her like a piece of property. Well, she might as well have stayed married to him because her new husband is just the same. Joe was already detestable when he physically blocked Lee from getting out of the booth and speaking up for herself when she was accosted by Mrs. Rice at the pizzeria, but when he told her she was stupid (& that become such a major component of the story) I was fed up and permanently done.… (mais)

A friend (MH) sent this to me in a box of books. (I think she got it from another friend (AC)).

I've read other books in this series. Lee's slips of the tongue were not as humorous in this one as I remember them being in other installments of the series. I didn't guess exactly who the burglar or murderer was but I did have it narrowed down somewhat correctly. (Trying not to have a spoiler in saying that.)

I liked the information on the antique chocolate molds and how they were used/cleaned (vs. the modern molds). Most of the "extras" (chocolate facts) in this book were literary themed.… (mais)

A fan of both chocolate and cats, I pulled this book from the Mystery section at my library and was pleasantly surprised to read the acknowledgments thanking members of the Saugatuck community. Saugatuck is a small Michigan lake town that sits on the shore of Lake Michigan, about thirty miles from my home. I spend a lot of time in Saugatuck.

Lee McKinney, the star of this series, has also frequented this uniquely charming town, which the author has renamed Warner Pier, and now she’s moved here permanently after leaving both her husband and her home state of Texas. While working in her aunt’s chocolate shop, Lee delivers chocolates to a wealthy attorney/philanthropist’s lakefront home, where a murder happens and a story is born.

The protaganist and her Aunt Nettie are likeable and drawn with humor, as are other members of the community, and the story is engaging and paced well. However, I’m never a fan of accents showing up phonetically in dialogue; it’s distracting and even a bit condescending – toward both the reader and the characters. The author uses this technique, especially when Latino mayor Mike Herrera gets worked up and his accent is more pronounced (“weesh” for wish, etc). I see the technique in many cozies, and I can’t figure out why editors think this is a good choice.

I’ll probably keep reading this overall pleasant series, just to see what else the author has to say about Saugatuck – er, Warner Pier. A standard cozy mystery debut and a fast read, The Chocolate Cat Caper is worth three stars.… (mais)

Lee’s ex-stepson shows up unexpectedly at TenHuis Chocolade. They have remained on good terms, and she is happy to see him, and agrees to go on a dinner date with him and her family. Only, Jeff doesn’t show up for the dinner. Still missing the next day, Lee is concerned, especially when his girlfriend arrives in town, and she is also unable to connect with him. Then a wrecked car, a dead body, and some mysterious people add to the mayhem. Yes, the town is in the midst of a noir film festival, with focus on the Maltese Falcon, but life is starting to mimic that film too closely for comfort. It’s an exciting tale, with all the regular likable characters of the series and with a few disreputable ones thrown in. The tale also contains a variety of chocolate tidbits and fudge recipes to sweeten the pages.… (mais)