by Dawn Greenfield Ireland
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Published: 2011
Publisher: Artistic Origins
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 460 pages
Rating: 4
Hot Chocolate series:
Hot Chocolate
Bitter Chocolate
Spice Chocolate - released in 2016
Meet the middle-aged Alcott sisters: Madge, Lila Mae and Dorothea, heiresses to the Alcott Chocolate fortune and mavens of Houston’s elite River Oaks.
Madge ambushes Lila Mae with Dorothea’s manipulative plea: she can’t care for Bernie, their 92-year old father, any longer. Lila Mae explodes in a hissy fit—she had warned Dorothea years ago that they should put Bernie in an assisted living center.
Robert, Lila Mae’s astrologer, warns of impending problems and he’s rarely wrong.
The sisters call a meeting with Walter Branson, their solicitor. They discuss Bernie’s nurse Bambi Chaline, a blonde bombshell who looks more like a hooker than a nurse.
Arrangements are made for Bernie to be transferred over to Lake Sides Assisted Living Center in the Uptown Galleria area and a severance package is drawn up for Bambi.
Jimmy Ray Chaline, Bambi’s bowling alley husband, is enraged that Bambi was let go. He hires ambulance chaser Mark Slade to file a lawsuit for wrongful termination.
The suit is thrown out of court further fueling Jimmy Ray’s rage. Bambi had been more than satisfied with her bonus, letters of recommendation and praise from the Alcott clan.
When Jimmy Ray fails to return home from the bowling alley that night, a series of events unfold that shocks the entire Alcott family and their extended members.
My two-bits:
I found this first book in the Hot Chocolate cozy mystery series to be quite cozy indeed.
The cast of three sisters and their family, friends and acquaintances with their individual quirks are introduced in amusing ways.
The mystery is solved in a gentle way - meaning that it felt like a side note and getting to know these characters and community was the main story.
fyi: recipes for some delightful yummy treats included.
* added this to my Bookish Bingo challenge
* review copy courtesy of book tour for Bitter Chocolate, book 2 in the series - check out the other stops here for more details on this book and goodies sponsored by Premier Virtual Author Book Tours and signup for giveaway
