Jenna Hart wants to share books and food with her friends and neighbors, but once again, she finds herself in the thick of things, not where she wanted to be. This a great addition to a wonderful series. I love the book recommendations, and the food that is mentioned makes my mouth water. The book flows, and the twists and turns kept me engaged from beginning to end. Daryl Wood Gerber writes fantastic books, and I highly recommend you read this series!

Sifting Through Clues is the eighth book in Daryl Wood Gerber’s A Cookbook Nook Mystery series. The affable characters are well developed, and there is sufficient background information to allow this book to be read as a standalone. The writing style flows smoothly, and the book is a clean and easy read. The mystery is interesting, with lots of red herrings, and twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.

Jenna Hart, owner of the Cookbook Nook and Nook Café, and is engaged to Rhett Jackson, the owner of Bait and Switch Sport Supply Store, and looking for a venue so they can set the date. Jenna and the other merchants in Crystal Cove are busy with tourists and locals attending the library’s Book Club Bonanza week and thinking about how they’ll decorate for the next event, Spring Fling. Jenna is looking forward to spending the evening with her book group, the Mystery Mavens. They’ll be going to the homes of four of their members, eating a dinner course and discussing the book they just read. Unfortunately, when they arrive at their last stop, they discover that the owner, Ivy Beale, has been murdered; a rose quartz shard stabbed into her chest. Ironically, Ivy Beale was the owner of Dreamcatcher, a healing stones and crystal store, and was posed with various stones and other items and seemed ritualistic. The evidence seems to be pointing to her friend, Pepper Pritchett, the owner of Beaders of Paradise, who asks Jenna to help find the killer. In the past, Jenna has had great success solving crimes, so despite the chief of police, Cinnamon Pritchett, asking her to steer clear of the investigation, Jenna worries that Cinnamon will have difficulty with the case since her mother is a suspect. As Jenna investigates, she discovers lots of secrets and several viable suspects. Several residents, including Jenna, are being extorted with an email scam.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

The self-promotion is waaaaay out of hand. I cannot continue supporting this author after reading this book. The set up to the murder centres around the discussion of a book club book. Written by this author under her pen name Avery Aames. It’s so off-putting, I couldn’t finish the rest of the book. I know authors have to hustle to sell books but this crosses a line for me.

—-

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.