Kaye George

Deadly Sweet Tooth is a sweet and satisfying continuation of the Vintage Sweets Mystery Series by author Kaye George. The little tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas, is so appealing and described in such vivid detail that I would like to visit. Not only Tally’s Old Tyme Sweets but Yolanda’s Bella’s Baskets and Kevin’s wineshop. I can picture going store to store, popping in to check on what is happening where, and just having a good time.

Well, a good time until another murder happens, of course, and Tally finds herself in the middle of yet another investigation. And just possibly in jeopardy herself, especially if her curiosity and need to set things right put her right in the danger zone again.

This time around, there are more of the mouth-watering vintage sweets Tally makes by hand, good (and not-so-good) times with her bestie Yolanda and with Kevin, one step forward and two steps back in the romance department and some much-anticipated time with her parents who are always on the road entertaining. Tally’s younger brother is also n town. It’s good to see him, but you know how little brothers are.

The mystery is well-plotted with a lot of twists, turns and surprises. Especially the history Tally’s parents Bob and Nancy have with murder victim Fran and Fran’s husband Lenny. Trust me, you’ll never see what’s coming!

Deadly Sweet Tooth is a good addition to a good series and I recommend it. I’m looking forward to the third book.… (mais)

I'm always a little sad when a book doesn't work for me, especially when it's one I think I should have liked. Deadly Sweet Tooth by Kaye George is one of those. This is a cozy mystery set in a small town in Texas that focuses on sweetshop owner Tally Holt. Tally is hosting a party for her parents who have just returned from a tour for their performing career when Fran Abraham, the town’s foul-tempered theater director, drops dead after a bitter confrontation with Tally’s mother. Tally's going to need her best friend Yolanda's help in unraveling this mystery.

The town and the shop are charming. Unfortunately I never really connected with the characters. Tally isn't a great sleuth. She hasn't even done the basics of looking into the helpers she's hired for the event, just trusting that everything in their applications is accurate. The main detective she sort of flirts with lacks personality and most of the supporting cast isn't given enough page time to have much depth. The ending is very abrupt, going from the discovery of the murderer to the after party celebration without very few details to fill in how Tally escapes their plot and how the murderer is apprehended.

I should note that this is the second book in a series and I haven't read the first one. Possibly more of the character backgrounds were provided there. That said, this book could have still used a few more chapters to help complete the story.

I received a copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway.… (mais)

Deadly Sweet Tooth by Kaye George has Tally Holt preparing a reception for her parents, Bob & Nancy Holt who have been performing around the world. Tally is holding the party at her shop, Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets in Fredericksburg, Texas. She has hired three ladies to help at the event and hopes they will become permanent employees for her shop. The event begins well, but then Fran Abraham confronts Nancy Holt causing a scene. The meanspirited woman collapses soon thereafter and is rushed to the local hospital. Early the next morning, Tally gets a phone call from Detective Jackson Rogers announcing Fran has died and foul play is suspected. Unfortunately, the list of suspects includes Tally’s parents. Tally works to unwrap the clues and assemble the pieces so she can present the guilty party to the police. Deadly Sweet Tooth is the 2nd book in The Vintage Sweets Mysteries. It can be read as a standalone. I had mixed feelings about this cozy mystery. It is a light story featuring Tally’s sweet shop and Yolanda’s shop, Bella’s Baskets. The two are best friends with their shops next door to each other. The point-of-view switches between both ladies which can be confusing. They are so similar that it is hard to discern between them. I wish the author had written it the story in the third person instead (or just picked one of the protagonists). I found the characters lacking depth. They need more fleshing out to give them life. Tally and her shop are puzzling. She calls it Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, but it seems to feature more baked items than candy (homemade twinkies, Mary Jane’s, whoopie pies, etc.). She seems to lack experience with employees which becomes obvious with who she hires. Tally does not even contact references. I question this because we are told she sold a flourishing bakery to return to her hometown and open the sweet shop. The mystery was straightforward. I was able to identify the killer immediately (there might as well have been a giant neon arrow pointing at the person). Tally reacts to something near the end in an unexpected way (I wish I could say more but it would be a spoiler). My mother says that I am thinking about the situation too logically. Readers will have no problem solving this whodunit. The ending was abrupt. We go from an individual in peril to a party in swing at the local winery. There was no reveal scene that would wrap up the mystery. Tally did little investigating which was disappointing because I enjoy following the amateur sleuths as they investigate the crime. Deadly Sweet Tooth is lighthearted cozy mystery with lackadaisical laborers, toxic treats, a dead director, peripatetic parents, a determined detective, and a disquieted daughter.… (mais)

Tally Holt owns Tally's Olde Tyme Sweets in Fredericksburg, Texas, and is hosting a party for her parents' return from their latest performing gig overseas. She's invited everyone in town, since this is where she grew up and they all know her parents, and everything seems to be going swimmingly. That is, until one of the guests becomes ill and winds up dead. Now, With Detective Jackson Rogers heading the case, Tally's parents are in the hot seat, but with her mother ill from something she picked up overseas, questioning is going to take time. So Tally's out to discover who wanted the woman dead and why...

This is the second book in the series, and after reading the first I thought it would be a good start to a new series. But I did find that there were inconsistencies between the two, and while they wouldn't have bothered other people, I am a great believer in details, and I notice them. In the last book, Yolanda states how her sister Violetta and her girlfriend have met Eden's parents, but in this book they have not. Then in the last book, Allen helped Tally find a murderer, but in this book he seems disgusted by it and the fact that she wants to clear her father, who is one of the suspects. Huh? How did his personality change so quickly?

Also, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if the killer hadn't practically pranced off the page at us. There was no suspense there; it was easy enough to figure out who the murderer was. I'm beginning to think Tally's a bit of a dimwit, since in neither book could she put two and two together until it was too late.

The plot was written decently, but when the clues started jumping at Tally she just couldn't figure it out. She comes off in this book as rather naive in a lot of areas; and I also found her parents' disclosure of their past 'escapade' a bit distasteful, as much as I would have if I learned it about my own parents, but she listens and then it's as if she thinks, 'okay, I'll just put it out of my mind now.' There's no thoughts about it ever again. Really? I think most -- if not all -- children would be pondering that one for quite awhile. It changes your view of who your parents are, and there's no getting away from it.

As to the rest of the story, there were several subplots that were added in that gave it a bit more oomph, and kept me reading to see where the relationship between Yolanda and Kevin was going to go, and if Cole was going to stick around this time (he's still my favorite character, aside from Nigel, whom I absolutely adore). As a matter of fact, Nigel is probably the best part of the book. When the ending comes, I did find that it seemed an entire chapter was missing; I really do like the 'climactic' parts in books and this one fell a bit short.

Although since I did enjoy the first book quite a bit, I will continue to read this series and see if Tally finally gets the employees she wants, along with a love life, and where Yolanda is going with her own life.… (mais)