Of Spice and Men by Sarah Fox
Book #3: A Pancake House Mystery
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 3/5 stars

One or two more outings and Wildwood Cove is just going to have to accept Marley McKinney as their town’s lead investigator as well as being the owner of The Flip Side Pancake House 😊

In Marley’s defense, she doesn’t go looking for crimes to investigate, they tend to just fall in her path and her current situation is no different. With a big film crew in town and production set to begin, the last thing the crew needs is a murder of one of their own. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happens, and Marley just happens to be on scene when the whole thing goes down. What’s more, in the days following the murder, small acts of sabotage threaten to shut down production, Marley’s boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend is arrested for the murder, and a local kid Marley has a history with has gone missing.

Being so intimately tied to the whole situation, Marley can’t help but get involved. In typical fashion, Marley begins asking questions, asking more questions, and trying to put all the puzzle pieces together. With so many unknowns, people and puzzle pieces, Marley must dig in deep, do some real research, and trust people she doesn’t particularly know. The murder victim was a nice lady, but she knew something, something quite significant that got her killed and if Marley can’t figure it all out, others may die too.

The Bottom Line: While I’ve generally enjoyed the Pancake House Mystery series, Of Spice and Men just didn’t have the same bite as the two previous books. For me, the plot in this one is somewhat weak and I found myself wandering a bit as I read. With that being said, one character in that weak plot, Brett’s ex-girlfriend, contributed to my favorite part of this book. My favorite part of this book was the evolution in Marley and Brett’s relationship. For the first time in the series, their relationship is well and truly tested and I was so glad to see how they worked through their issues and came out stronger on the other side. Not every book in a long-running series can be amazing, and while the plot of Of Spice and Men left me wanting, the character development was more than enough to keep me engaged in the book and willing to continue with the series.

I was drooling as I read this book; some of the recipes sounded so darn good. The book is set in the fall so the recipes were seasonally appropriate, adding to their appeal. Sadly, the recipes shared are not ones I can eat due to allergies. :(

Marley has settled into her life in Wildwood Cove; she's getting a handle on running her pancake restaurant, has a steady relationship, and has several murder investigations under her belt. Just when her life seems to be running smoothly, things get bumpy again. A movie comes to town to shoot a remake of a classic horror movie. This was a good move on Fox's part. It opened the pool of murder suspects and made another murder in her small town a likely occurrence. The problem with so many cozies is that they lack believability as to how many murders can occur in a small town. I'm often surprised that Cabot Cove has any residents left. So the movie filming on location was a neat way around that problem.

Marley helps put out a trailer fire on the movie site but the woman in the trailer is dead, murdered as it turns out. Marley feels a connection to the woman and can't help but ask questions. Then she finds out that the prime suspect is the lead actress in the movie who also happens to be her boyfriend's ex. An ex he never mentioned, who expects him to influence his uncle, the chief of police, so that she's no longer a suspect. While I understood Marley being upset at how she found out about the ex, Alyssa, I thought it was immature of her to run away and refuse to talk to Brett. They finally did talk it out but it took too long. She did that in the last book too and I am surprised that Brett puts up with it. There was too much personal drama for my taste especially as Marley is quick to run away when her feelings get hurt.

Despite, or because of, her feelings about Brett and Alyssa, Marley decides to continue asking questions and investigating. She hopes that by either clearing Alyssa or proving her guilty, she can get Alyssa out of their lives. So she pokes around, becomes friendly with some of the cast and crew, and becomes a familiar sight on the film location. Marley handles herself well for an amateur; she's mostly smart and cautious as she investigates, though she makes a couple of stupid moves. In addition to the murder, there are pranks and thefts on the set that are slowing down production and costing money. But there's no lack of suspects or motives for the murder or the thefts, and narrowing them down is a challenge. The final reveal of the murderer was a complete surprise and I do mean complete. There weren't any hints along the way as to the identity. I was completely blindsided. There were a lot of threads to the mysteries and they intertwined. Marley and her helpers were persistent and thorough and left me wondering just what the police were doing.

"Of Spice and Men" offered up a convoluted mystery, lots of suspects, interesting characters, personal drama, yummy food, a peek at movie making, and an enjoyable story. It didn't wow me, but it did keep me reading. I had to know who the killer was because I couldn't figure it out.

We have all the right ingredients: spunky and intelligent heroine, intrepid hero, loving cat, happy dog, food to die for (although no one does--at least not from the churro waffles), and a mystery. Add in a chef, um, sorry, author, who knows how to mix them together with a clever plot and you have another winning mystery novel!

OK, there is the scene with the haunted house and you want to be sitting in the back of the movie theater yelling to the blonde (isn't it always the blonde?), "Don't Go In!!!" I expect you to let me know when you get to that point--and then you can tell me how much fun you had reading this, too.

I have read the previous titles in this series and the food . . . book . . . keeps improving (it's a good thing there are no calories in reading!), but I read a LOT of books and usually need a refresher in plot for continuations. This tale works perfectly well as a standalone. However, the previous stories are why, when I saw this one listed in Netgalley, I requested it to read and voluntarily review. Now I need to go eat. (Did I mention there are recipes in the back?)

This is another great page Turner in the Pancake house mystery series. Of spice and men keeps you laughing and cheering for Marley. You have to love her her spark and her since of always finding the mystery. Even the places that you least expect a mystery in she finds it. This would make a great Christmas present not just this book but the whole series.

The 3rd instalment in Sarah Fox's Pancake House series, Of Spice and Men, takes readers back to Wildwood Cove, where a movie is being filmed and quickly becomes the scene of a murder. With all of the cast and crew milling about Wildwood Cove, our protagonist, Marley, has a huge list of suspects to work through while developing the fall menu at the pancake house, taking care of her cat, Flapjack, and spending time with her boyfriend, Brett.

This is an enjoyable read, and I loved the stormy west coast setting. I had anticipated more pancake house cliches and was a little disappointed in the lack of those. The mystery was not terribly complex but suspense was maintained until the last few chapters.

Overall, a satisfying read. I recommend it and look forward to more novels in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alibi for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Wildwood Cove, on the Olympic Peninsula sounds like such a beautiful and peaceful resort, full of old Victorian buildings, quaint shops like the Pancake House and a gorgeous long beach just made for taking leisurely strolls along. But murders keep happening there and luckily our amateur and nosey sleuth Marley McKinney is on hand once again to root out the killer.

The third in the series has a film crew visiting the Cove and Marley just happens to overhear threatening behaviour towards Christine, make up artist, who is later found murdered.

Of course she vows to find out who would do that and I just love how she goes about finding clues and talking to the cast and crew to discover any motives, jealousies and petty dislikes.

In this story, Marley also has a misunderstanding problem with her gorgeous boyfriend, while someone tries to scare her with a hideous film prop, but nothing deters her from her quest.

I really enjoyed this book, it's funny, entertaining, with lots of great characters, a great plot with twists and turns, and some yummy recipes at the end!

I can't wait for the next in the series.

Of Spice and Men by Sarah Fox is the third installment in A Pancake House Mystery series. A film crew from Hollywood is in town to do a remake of the horror film The Perishing. Marley McKinney is looking forward to the extra business the movie people will bring to The Flip Side Pancake House. Marley and Sienna get invited by Christine Gallant, a special effects make-up artist, for a behind the scenes tour. They arrive to find the trailer door unlocked and a fire inside. Marley (with a little help) rescues Christine from the burning trailer, but it is too late. Sheriff Ray Georgeson arrives and Christine’s death is ruled a homicide. Alyssa Jayde, an actress, is the prime suspect. Brett, Marley’s boyfriend and Alyssa’s ex-boyfriend, defends Alyssa. Marley starts asking questions and ends up with a lengthy suspect list. Who killed Christine? Can Marley clear Alyssa’s name and find the killer? Marley’s curiosity just might be her undoing!

Of Spice and Men is an easy to read story. I recommend reading the first two books in the series prior to Of Spice and Men. I found the book heavy on romance and jealousy (and light on mystery). I felt too much of the book was devoted to Brett and Marley’s romance. Marley was jealous of Brett’s ex-girlfriend and she handled the situation poorly (immaturely). We are subjected to countless chapters on this situation along with storms that are plaguing the area and Marley talking to (and about) Flapjack (her cat). The author seemed to use the same verbiage when she was discussing Flapjack (copy and paste). I am giving Of Spice and Men 3 out of 5 stars. The murder of Christine was easily solved. It is not difficult to identify the culprit. The killer’s motive, though, was interesting. Of Spice and Men is a light cozy mystery. Many readers will enjoy visiting the charming town and the characters who inhabit it.

Amateur sleuth Marlee must find out who killed the make up artist on the movie set before they strike again. In between serving pancakes, her boyfriend Brett and his ex, and all the secrets and lies Marlee manages to solve the case without getting herself killed. Read all about it...

Sarah Fox is a new author to me and I am so glad I decided to take a chance and read this book. It was amazing! I loved the characters and the mystery had me grabbed from the beginning. I thought I had figured out who the killer was, but I was wrong. It was a complete surprise to me when the killer was revealed.

I really love the setting of the pancake house and all of the foods that were described sounded absolutely delicious! I pretty much stayed hungry while reading this book!

Another good book by Sarah fox.
Easy to read ,i enjoy the story line with Marley and Brett
Never guessed who the bad guy could be as there was a lot of suspect in this book .
Thanks net gally for letting me read and review this good book .
Will definitely look out for the next book .

I must say, I have been reading this series from the start and every book has been great, and this one is no exception to that statement. I really enjoyed this book. The characters just keep getting better and better. Marley has always had an air of vulnerability surrounded by strength, and in this book we see that multiplied by her internal struggle when dealing with problems that come up with her and Brett, which causes so much angst for both of them. I am glad to see their relationship grow and mature and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them. For the mystery of this book, it is again well written and full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. And as always, the Flip Side Pancake House delighted with it's wonderfully scrumptious sounding dishes put out by Ivan. I couldn't wait to get to the end to get my hands on some of those recipes! Be sure to jump into this delightfully delicious cozy mystery, you won't be disappointed!

Such a fun series! Definitely more fast-paced than the previous books in the series. Full of great characters, entertainment, romance, and suspense... never a dull moment!

*I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Alibi for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Of Spice and Men is the 3rd book in the yummy Pancake House mystery series. I enjoy this sweet cozy mystery series, and knew I would enjoy this latest installment. I was not disappointed!

A Hollywood film crew is in Wildwood Cove filming a horror sequel. The crew start coming into The Flip Side Pancake House to eat. They love Owner Marley McKinney's pancakes so much that she is invited by the lead make-up artist to have a tour of the film set. When she arrives, the set soon dissolves into chaos. The special-effects trailer is on fire with make-up artist Christine inside. The death is ruled a homicide, and lead actress Alyssa Jayde is their number one suspect. Marley can't resist investigating, but it turns out that snooping into the lives and secrets of the horror film actors and crew might be more scary and dangerous than the film itself.

I like the background theme of this series..... mmmmmm pancakes! And I also like Marley as a main character. She meets challenges head-on and uses her intelligence and personality well in her amateur sleuthing. The character has developed and matured as the series moves along. I wasn't completely surprised by the ending....but I liked the twists in the plot. And the ending had lots of action and excitement. And, at the end of the book -- RECIPES! The pumpkin waffle recipe sounds absolutely wonderful!!! MMMMMMM :)

All in all, a nice new addition to this series. It's a light, enjoyable quick read. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

To learn more about the author and her books, check out her website: http://www.authorsarahfox.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Random House via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I really like Marley’s character. She’s the kind of person I would want to be friends with – and of course I would be camped out at her pancake house, the Flip Side. Her amateur sleuthing isn’t unrealistic or eye-roll inducing. It just feels like a natural part of her character to be curious and research/ask questions/poke around on her own. She doesn’t take true risks without letting someone know or taking someone with her. Usually. Because what kind of amateur sleuth would she be if she didn’t sometimes creep out on her own to investigate that weird noise.

The film set in the small coastal town of Wildwood Cove added more layers to the town, as well as to the plot. It was interesting to see how these temporarily-in-town characters played off the established citizens and especially the restaurant staff, etc. I really enjoy the character dynamics in this series overall, and adding the movie cast and crew didn’t disrupt it too much.

Bottom Line: Grab a stack of your favorite waffles or crepes (there are some recipes conveniently included in the back pages), a steaming mug of hot cocoa or coffee, and settle in for a great mystery read full of things that go bump in the night. A maybe haunted house, a beleaguered film set, and a murder to solve – just as the air turns crisp and the skies hang heavy and gray. Well-plotted with great characters and a quaint setting!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

A great read I loved the mystery and I love Marley and love her Pancake House. This book had great flow and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. A book to put on your Christmas wish list

This was a new to me author, but it won't be my last book by this author. I love cozy mysteries and this one was a really fun read.

When you live in a small town, it is only natural that  the making of a movie locally is a major source of excitement.  Wildwood Cove is abuzz and Marley’s pancake house, The Flip Side is busier than ever.  But that doesn’t mean that Marley isn’t ready to help when she sees a burning trailer.  Despite her attempt to save Christine, a special effects artist, the woman dies and murder is once more on the menu.  Complicating matters is that one of the suspects is Alyssa Jayde one of her boyfriend’s exes who seems intent on recapturing his heart or at least his attention.  The movie business is fraught with rivalries and disagreements, so much so that it’s difficult to weed out who had the most to gain from Christine’s death.  

Of Spice and Men is an excellent cozy mystery that has it all - a great lead, lots of suspects and a colorful plot.  It even has a touch of romance.  I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys cozies.  As an added bonus there are yummy sounding recipes.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Of Spice and Men from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

One of the things that makes cozy mysteries so cozy is that they are often set in small towns where there are lots of quirky and interesting characters and everyone knows everyone else’s business. One of the dilemmas of cozy mystery series set in small towns is that sooner or later the reader starts to wonder why anyone would continue to live in place where the odds of becoming either a murder victim or a murder suspect are so disproportionately high.

Could there be any remaining residents in Midsomer County who have not been involved in murder at some point? Or Cabot Cove?

In Of Spice and Men, the third book in the Pancake House mystery series, the author has solved the problem by bringing a film crew to the tiny town of Wildwood Cove. This is the kind of thing that really does happen, and lives in the town’s memories for decades after.

(If you are ever in tiny Micanopy, Florida they still have plenty of memorabilia from the local filming of the 1991 film Doc Hollywood on display)

The movie being filmed in Wildwood Cove is the remake of the cult horror classic The Perishing (apropos title, all things considered!), and the little coastal town has plenty of Victorian houses to use as stand-ins for the creep-o-rama. The film shoot is a lot of excitement for Wildwood Cove, but things get a bit too exciting when our amateur sleuth, Marley McKinney, finds the first victim in a burning trailer on set.

Marley tried to rescue the woman, but she was already dead when Marley found her. And even though Marley couldn’t have saved her, she still feels guilty that she didn’t. That’s enough to get Marley started on the case, even though, as usual, the sheriff would rather she resisted her impulse to conduct yet another amateur investigation.

When Marley discovers that the heroine of the movie is her boyfriend’s ex, that said ex is the prime suspect in the murder, that she expects Brett to “take care of things” with his uncle the sheriff, and that, most unnerving of all, Brett seems to be going along with her demands, Marley sees red. And green. Particularly as Brett keeps defending the woman, refusing to admit that she had both opportunity and motive.

After a lot of soul searching, Marley decides that solving the murder is the fastest way to get Allison Jayde out of her life – whether by landing her in jail for good or absolving her so that she doesn’t need Brett’s help. And who can blame her?

But the deeper that Marley digs, the more complicated the case gets. There are too many people who might have had a motive to kill the victim, and even more people who had a motive to pin it on the selfish and shallow Allison Jayde.

As Marley frequently complains, she has way more questions than she has answers. Right up to the moment she finds herself face-to-face with the murderer, and suddenly it all makes sense.

Unfortunately for Marley, it also makes sense for the murderer to make sure that she can’t reveal what she’s figured out to anyone else. Ever.

Escape Rating B: In the end, that I am still following this series boils down to the fact that I like Marley as the main character. Not just that she’s both plucky and nosy, but also the way that she has taken on the changes in her life and made a new life for herself in a new place with new (and interesting) people.

It takes as much courage in real life to immerse yourself in new surroundings with new people and especially take on the ownership of a business as it fictionally does to poke her nose into murder.

I like just how grounded Marley is, and how responsible she is. She genuinely does care about her town, her friends and her business – and occasionally that caring gets her into trouble.

It is interesting that all of the crimes she has poked her nose into, at least so far, have touched on her life directly in one way or another. Her first time out she was investigating the death of the cousin who left her the Flip Side Pancake House (The Crepes of Wrath). In her second “case” she investigated the death of a local misanthrope because Marley herself was the prime suspect (For Whom the Bread Rolls). Now in her third “case” she’s looking into the murder in order to get her boyfriend’s ex out of town as fast as possible.

No one’s circle of acquaintances in real life is quite this murder-prone, but it does make for quirky mysteries.

The case that Marley is stuck in this time has a lot of twists and turns. And this time out the victims, suspects and witnesses are all outsiders, so Marley has a difficult time finding out who wants to do what to whom. There’s plenty of drama (and melodrama) both onscreen and off, and Marley has her hands full sorting out what is real and what is make believe.

But she’s likeable and always fun to watch. Enough so that I’m looking forward to her next adventure.

*I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley which I voluntarily chose to review.



Well do to a lack of time I had to break my own rules and read this book before reading the first two in the series which I admit I never do if at all possible. Though I am missing some of the background (which will be caught up next week as this will keep bugging me) I was still able to keep up thanks to some short re-caps by the author which I really appreciated. I liked diving into the world of Wildwood Cove and the Pancake house. Sarah created a world that combined movie making, and rumors run amuck all placed in a small town setting where everyone knows that gossip rules the day. Add in a bunch of drama and some personal feelings and you get a world that sucks the reader in until they reach the very last following the clues along with Marley. The recipes are a nice touch as well. This is an excellent cozy mystery that I highly enjoyed so it gets 4/5 stars.