Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Sucker Punch and Goody Goody Gunshots by Sammi Carter













Book: Sucker Punch and Goody Goody Gunshots

Series: A Candy Shop Mystery

Published: Sucker Punch (2009) and (Goodreads) plot:

Divinity Candy Shop owner Abby Shaw is enjoying her sweet life, until her friend is suspected of killing an actor. Now, Abby is determined to clear her name--before her new found happiness is totally fudged.

Goody Goody Gunshots (2008) and (Goodreads) plot:
No visit to Paradise, Colorado, is complete without a stop at Divinity candy shop for a little taste of heaven. For owner Abby Shaw, it's a sweet deal, too. When her aunt Grace passed away, Abby inherited Divinity--and with it the opportunity to leave her career as a corporate lawyer and dump her cheating husband. Now she spends her time serving up delectable treats--and performing the occasional deductive feat...

When Abby Shaw witnesses a stranger being gunned down on the highway, she's convinced she's seen a murder. Problem is, there's no body. But days later, when a body does turn up, wishy-washy witnesses make things sticky. Even elbow-deep in hot syrup, Abby is determined to find out the truth. And it's not as if she can take her sweet time figuring it out--she's busy running Divinity, training a new employee, and helping coach her nephews' basketball team. Not to mention that nosing around for too long could get her killed...


Extras: Candy recipes

My four-sentence or less take on the series: Abby came back to the Colorado small mountain town where she grew up to run her beloved great-aunt's candy shop. While back in town, she stumbles in to mysteries and trouble, as every cozy protagonist seems to do.

Rating: (For the series) B

What worked: Abby is very likable. I like her relationship with her family (troubled and realistic), her friends (hurt that she moved away but coming back to the fold), her employees (she likes some of them more than others, like in real life), her boyfriend (commitment issues!), and her adorable dog. She makes more good choices than bad (calls for backup, doesn't accuse everyone she thinks is guilty right off the bat)/

What didn't: The series started slow for me. I thought the first book in the series, Candy Apple Dead, was a little boring, and I only kept with the series because I had the rest of them. I'm glad I did.

Keep reading? Absolutely, but I don't know if they are still being published.

No comments:

Post a Comment