Chocolate With a Side of Murder, My twenty-ninth read/listen from author Meredith Potts and the first in the Daily Buzz Mystery Series, Longer than many of the author's books I've read. Well-written & enjoyable. another cute, clean cozy mystery. I look forward to reading more in this series & from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018). ( )

Sabrina Daley, manager and barista at the family-owned coffee shop, Daley Buzz, in Treasure Cove, California. The town is full of unexplained mysteries that began 10 years ago, but the latest mystery is the death of Sabrina’s business neighbor, a partner in the local chocolate shop. Who didn’t love the chocolatier?

How could I resist a cozy with a title that begins with chocolates? This is a review to share I enjoyed the cozy but...

I enjoyed...
• The interesting opening of an older sister Jessica who mysteriously vanished during her routine morning jog.
• Sabrina’s triple interest in becoming a sleuth: (a) educational background in criminology selected after the mystery of her sister’s disappearance, (b) boyfriend and local detective David Carlson, and (c) the death of one of the business partners of the chocolate shop in the alley behind their shops.
• The dynamics of grappling in different ways with the unexplained loss of a daughter, stepdaughter, sister, and granddaughter.
• Sabrina’s corgi, Snickerdoodle.

But...
• I’m still puzzled as to the inclusion of the waffling of Kelly O’Reilly’s love life, an employee of Daley Buzz. Perhaps the purpose will be revealed in a future story in the series.
• The primary hesitation in continuing to read the series is trope fatigue of amateur sleuth-detective. In all fairness, as this amateur sleuth has a background in criminology, the pairing is understandable. However, I didn’t warm to Sabrina as a person, particularly not to her interrogations, constantly threatening her suspects with notifying the police. Having dated David for over a year, I’m sure everyone in town knows that the detective and barista are a couple. ( )

If I hadn't bought the 32-eBook box set, I probably wouldn't be interested in reading any other books in this series.

I liked the protagonist Sabrina's backstory. 10 years ago, her sister disappeared without a trace; her case is still cold. It motivated Sabrina to study criminology in university. I was hopeful that Sabrina might use her education to help solve the crime or that her experience as a family member of a potential victim of crime could give her empathetic insight as a sleuth. To me, this was the most interesting part of the novel and the only reason why I didn't give it one star.

I'll be frank: Sabrina is possibly the rudest, most insensitive protagonist I've ever met in a cozy.

Despite her own (understandable) reluctance to speak about her sister and her cold case, she somehow thinks it's OK to interrogate, and arguably harass, the family and friends of the murder victim, who she believes can give her more answers about the man's death. It's as if their feelings and their wellbeing didn't matter, only Sabrina's pursuit to find the truth. And somehow, the police allow her to be involved in their official investigation.

She's the kind of protagonist who dangles a $10 bill in front of a homeless man, only to move it out of his reach when he doesn't give her the answers she's looking for. She also speaks rather dismissively of addiction at several points in the novel, to the point where I'd recommend that readers who are sensitive to this topic be cautious about reading this book because of it.

Sabrina's sleuthing style is to interrogate/harass the suspects until they give her information, information that she then uses in her next interrogation. It's not possible for readers to solve the case on their own.

The only reason why I'm open to reading more in the series is because it feels like a shame to not read what I've already purchased.

For more of my reviews, please visit:
( )

I would have absolutely given this book 5 stars had I read it myself, but it was an audio book, and the narrator was horrible. I am not sure I could have gone on to the next book if they had kept the same one. The story is great and it isn't an obvious who done it and there are underlying continuing mysteries in the series as well, so I think I will stick with the series. ( )

I love listening to cozy mystery audio books while working in my garden and yard. It's nice to have an interesting story to listen to while I work. This week, I had a huge amount of leaves to rake and this short, easy listen was a perfect companion!

Sabrina Daley manages the family coffee shop, Daley Buzz. Treasure Cove is usually a quiet, seaside town but lately there are some strange goings-on: strange lights flickering in the windows of a long abandoned house, men in matching suits attending a "by invitation meeting,'' and a local developer approaching every business owner downtown to buy up their shops. When the local chocolate shop owner is found murdered in an alley, things take a decidedly dark turn. Because her sister disappeared without a trace years before, Sabrina really hates the fact that local law enforcement (including her detective boyfriend David) are coming up empty on clues in the case. She doesn't want another case to go unsolved, so she decides to do a little sleuthing on her own.....

There were a few minor plot and writing issues with this story (police procedure inaccuracies, abandoned plot points, repetition of the same words and phrases), but none of the problems prevented me from enjoying this first book in the Daley Buzz series. The story is a fun and engaging light mystery. There were plenty of suspects and a few twists along the way to keep me interested in the story. Totally willing to over look a few rough spots. Sabrina is an interesting main character, although I would term her investigation methods as bullying with style. :)

I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Lainie Pahos, the audio was just over 5 hours long. Easy listening length. At first, I had a rough time getting used to Pahos' voice and reading style. After a couple chapters, I was in the groove and got into the story. There were a few editing mistakes in the audio and an audible hiss in the background -- the recording quality needs some improving. But, overall, it was a good listening experience.

Fun start to a cozy series! I'm definitely going to keep reading and listening to this series! There are 10 books so far in the Daley Buzz series and several more books by Meredith Potts that are also set in Treasure Cove.

On to book 2 -- Caramels and a Side of Murder!

**I received this audio book for free from the author. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.** ( )