Nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers Beach is home to Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. But when they’re not dishing about books or serving up scones, Sassy and Bridgy are keeping tabs on hard-boiled murder.
Read ’Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lunch treats, along with quite a colorful clientele. If it’s not Rowena Gustavson loudly debating the merits of the current book club selection, it’s Miss Augusta Maddox lecturing tourists on rumors of sunken treasure among the islands. It’s no wonder Sassy’s favorite is Delia Batson, a regular at the Emily Dickinson table. Augusta’s cousin and best friend Delia is painfully shy—which makes the news of her murder all the more shocking.
No one is more distraught than Augusta, and Sassy wants to help any way she can. But Augusta doesn’t have time for sympathy. She wants Delia’s killer found—and she’s not taking no for an answer. Now Sassy is on the case, and she’d better act fast before there’s any more trouble in paradise.
Includes a buttermilk pie recipe!
Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget “Bridgy” Mayfield are best friends who have combined each of their favorite things into a thriving business. The “Read ‘Em and Eat” has a bookstore, which is Sassy’s dream, as well as a café, which is run with much love by Bridgy. The two friends have many regular customers from their beloved town of Fort Myers Beach who come for the wonderful food whipped up by Chef Miguel, as well as the chance to purchase and discuss their favorite books during book club meetings hosted by Sassy. Then tragedy strikes and Sassy and Bridgy are shocked that one of their regulars has been murdered. Delia Batson was quiet and shy and more than anyone else, Delia’s cousin Miss Augusta Maddox can’t believe anyone would want to harm Delia. Miss Augusta is heartbroken and insists Sassy find out who is responsible for this horrible act. Sassy agrees but soon finds herself the target of a killer.
I love the premise of this new series which has a combination café and bookstore with literary-themed tables and menu items at the center. I wish I knew of a real restaurant like this because I would love to eat there! The book itself is good, but doesn’t quite live up to cleverness of the “Read ‘Em and Eat” concept. At the beginning, I was overwhelmed with characters at the beginning of the book and would have preferred to be eased into meeting all of the book club members and various patrons of the bookstore/café. Before I could get all of the characters sorted out, one of them had already been murdered!
Things got better when I got to know the main characters, Sassy and Bridgy, who are likeable and fit well as best friends. They sometimes bicker, but are loyal to each other when it counts. Their inside jokes and laughs when they are together are believable and fun. However, when it comes to the romance factor of the book, I don’t see chemistry between Sassy and either of the potential leading men, reporter Cady Stanton or police detective Lieutenant Frank Anthony. Bridgy teases Sassy that Cady is her boyfriend, but from the way the two act with each other, it’s impossible to tell if they are dating or just friends. A love triangle may be inevitable in future books, but there was no romance between Sassy and Cady and Sassy was quick to ignore any spark she experienced when interacting with Frank.
As with many cozy heroines, Sassy takes foolish chances which make no sense. At one point, she goes to confront someone who has been acting suspiciously and threatening and in another instance, goes to meet an anonymous person on her own. As one of the other characters in the book says, “… only a fool would keep on snooping.” Of course we don’t expect the main character in a mystery to give up on an investigation, but it’s nice when he/she is smart about it!
The book definitely has several humorous moments and a few side-plots that are hits and greatly enhance the book, such as the story of the victim’s mystery man. Unfortunately, others fall flat such as the treasure hunting and Bridgy and Sassy’s conflict over possible plans for their business. Also, even though there are several references to neighboring islands, sand, and beach chairs, I didn’t really get a sense I was in Florida. The story could have been taking place anywhere on the east coast. There are some good moments in the book and the last few chapters are very suspenseful. Perhaps future installments will have more focus and excitement throughout the entire book.
Fans of Erika Chase or of Lorna Barrett’s Booktown series may enjoy this new series.
Reviewed by Christine
