The murder of chef Riley Miller triggers Sarah’s investigating to help her friend Jacob, who stands accused of the young woman’s death. Another issue is the fact that Riley’s recipes for Jane’s Place present stiff competition for Sarah’s sister, Emily’s new Southwind Restaurant.

Adding to the confusion of two new restaurants opening across the street from each other in Wheaton, is a second murder. The building inspector, Louis Botts, dies in a murder staged to appear accidental. Botts’ death connects to Riley’s due to their relationship plus the fact that Botts put off Southwind’s final inspection, giving Jane’s Place an operating advantage. Three Treats Too Many offers a captivating story with an unexpected ending.

Debra Goldstein plots a complex mystery that keeps pages turning. The author breathes life into her characters and realistic relationships while red herrings abound. There is also the added charm of the interplay with RahRah, Sarah’s Siamese, and Fluffy, her dog. The Sarah Blair Mysteries, both stimulating and engaging, are treats for cozy mystery fans with a soft spot for animals.

THREE TREATS TOO MANY is the third book in the Sarah Blair Mystery series by Debra H. Goldstein. While I read the first in this series, somehow I missed the second book. However, the author does a fine job of giving just enough backstory to keep the reader from feeling lost without slowing down the plot. It was also just enough to make me want to go back and catch up and enjoy the character growth of the protagonist, Sarah Blair, from the first book, and catch up on the teasers of what happened. I also found that the author has found her stride in the unfolding of the mystery. The plot was well-paced and kept my attention as clues were dispersed. The inclusion of a community “motorcycle gang”, who are charity-driven and bound together by their enjoyment of hitting the open road, was an unexpected and delightful surprise. The author’s attention to detail gives the theme an air of authenticity and adds an unusual line of characters for cozy mysteries.

The murder mystery surrounding the vegan sous chef of Sarah’s nemesis, Jane, was well-thought out. When Sarah’s good friend is accused of murder, she gets involved despite numerous people telling her not to. Clues were sprinkled about for a sharp reader to follow with some twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. While the ending was a bit quick, it was still suspenseful and I turned the pages faster and faster until I found out what happened. Ms. Goldstein does a great job of wrapping up the loose threads of the plot and subplots, and has me looking forward to the next book in the series!

There are plenty of mouthwatering treats and dishes served throughout the story. I was intrigued with the food that the vegan sous chef serves and was delighted to find that there is a vegan recipe included at the back of the book, along with other recipes.

Sarah's late ex-husband's mistress, Jane , continues to be a thorn in her side. Jane opened a restaurant across the street from the soon to open Southwind restaurant in which Sarah is a part owner. To make it even worse a good friend is accused of murdering a key employee in Jane's restaurant. So of course Sarah, who is known for being curious, starts looking into the murder.

I really enjoyed the well thought out plot. It had a lot going on that kept my attention throughout the whole book. This is the third in the series but could be read as a stand alone. Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I have read by Debra H. Goldstein. I was attracted by the cover, as well as by the description. I read the book in three days, it was so much fun. Also, I liked that the storyline had an intelligent complexity, yet it was perfect for a relaxing read after a busy day at work. Sarah is a lovely character, I took an instant liking to her. She is not without flaws, which is perfect for me. I liked that there were many layers to the story (no spoilers here!), and that people and events were not as they seemed at first. I hope this series will have a long life, as it has already become special to me. I will definitely purchase the two previous books, waiting for the new one. And there is a nice bonus with the delicious recipes at the end - the muffins are great!

This is the 3rd installment in the Sarah Blair mystery series. Sarah attends the opening of a new restaurant Jane’s Place across from the soon to open of her sister’s restaurant Southwind. Jane is a rival of sorts to Sarah as she was the girlfriend of her ex-husband Bill. Jane’s chef Riley is making vegan dishes to great success and Sarah is not too happy that Jane is doing so well but she is anxious to get her sister Emily and her boyfriend Marcus’s restaurant up and going but they are awaiting final inspection. Marcus and Louis start to have words about the delay of the inspection and Sarah goes to stop it and Riley the sous chef of Jane’s place comes over and wants to go with Louis who she is clearly enamored with. Sarah wants to hightail it out of there as she is not a fan of Jane but when she is stuck talking to her boss Harlan and Chief of Police they all hear a scream and Jacob her friend is found over the dead body of Riley in the parking lot. Jacob becomes the prime suspect and Harlan is soon hired by Jacob’s sister Anne (who is running for Mayor) and at the same time asks Sarah to investigate. Sarah is trying to let the police do the investigation but she soon she becomes involved and when the inspector is killed it becomes to be even harder to figure out if they are related or how to keep Jacob out of jail. Neither Riley or Louis were well liked and seem to use everybody so there were lots of potential suspects. I did not figure out who did the murders and I like the ending and all the new characters. This is a good series and I like how Sarah’s investigating was not way over the top and her relationship with her family is great. Looking forward to the next installment.

Having read the first two books in the Sarah Blair Mysteries, I was excited to read Three Treats too Many by Debra H. Goldstein, and it’s another good cozy mystery fitting of the genre!

We are introduced to a lot more characters in this book, especially those of the local motorcycle group that Sarah had no idea existed and three veterinarians who are also Vets that have their practice right next door to Jane’s (Sarah’s arch nemesis) new restaurant. Jane is not a likeable character, but she gets a bit of comeuppance later on in the book when Sarah finds there’s something rotten in regards to Jane’s vegan dishes. We also get to interact more with Jacob and his sister, Anne, who shows a bit of her softer side.

One of the things that draws me to cozy mysteries is the characters; how well they are developed and if I want to come back book after book to see what is new with their lives, and Goldstein does an excellent job in regards to this. Even Sarah’s pets, RahRah and Fluffy have unique personalities and they add a warm and fuzzy layer to the books.

Riley isn’t as sweet as she seemed, which slowly gets discovered, that combined with all the red herrings and lots of suspects makes for a great whodunnit. The end does come pretty fast and there seems to be a lot of this type of killer lately in cozies, but it doesn’t take away from a great book.

The Sarah Blair Mysteries is a series I highly recommend, and although you don’t have to, you may want to start with book one, One Taste too Many, so you can enjoy how the characters grow and get even more of RahRah and Fluffy.

A thoroughly wholesome murder mystery. I particularly enjoyed the backdrop of food as any discussion of recipes is a plus in my book. This is a solid read that would be best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a light dessert.

I enjoyed reading Three Treats Too Many. It’s a fast paced cozy mystery that kept me reading late into the night.
Sarah is caught up in another murder investigation while launching the grand opening of the restaurant she partly owns.

Three Treats Too Many is a fast and fun page turner. The action moves fast as the main character/reluctant sleuth, Sarah seems to be surrounded by deaths that look to be related. Reluctance isn’t enough to keep her out of the investigation or out of trouble. The book keeps you wondering until the end I didn’t see that ending coming. That’s the best compliment a mystery story can earn.

One of my favorite series. When a murder happens. Sarah sets out to find the killer before they kill again. With the helps 0f friends Sarah gets good clues. To hear more read the book

I received this free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a sincere review.

This was good. Once again, I pick up the third entry in a series I hadn't read but no previous knowledge of the other books is needed, so that's great. Goldstein style could benefit from expanding descriptions a bit more and maybe avoid some redundancies but this is a fast and dynamic read.

As a cozy mystery, it's very cozy with enough fuzzy companions on scene to make your heart melt and you mouth water from all the delicious food mentioned. I also like that the secondary characters are that, characters. They have their own development and show more than enough initiative to make solving the mystery something plausible.

The only bad thing is that, in exchange for that, our protagonist Sarah Blair comes off as a bit plain and seems to be pushed around by the rest of the cast to solve a mystery with a conclusion that could be reached by any other character and her being there felt like a coincidence. The ending was pretty fast too, I would have liked a bit more exploration, discussion and investigation on her part.

The subplots do take a lot of the narration but it's pretty interesting. I did prefer Sarah's attitude when dealing with those.

I plan on reading the previous books at some point, because the cast was very charming, and the mood of the series seems very comfortable.

Sarah Blair, having had a disastrous marriage and even been accused of murder, has finally (she hopes) found her place in life in small-town Wheaton, Alabama. Her cat, RahRah, was left to her by her late mother-in-law along with a very large home and the carriage house behind it. While Sarah and her two pets - Fluffy the dog making the second - are happy in the carriage house, she's now going to be part-owner in a restaurant with her twin Emily and Emily's chef beau, Marcus. They're turning the big house into Southwind restaurant - that is, if they can ever get the final inspection.

What irks them is the fact that Sarah's nemesis Jane - mistress of her late husband and current thorn in her side - has been able to open a restaurant across the street in another grand home with no problems. In fact, Jane's chef Riley is a master of vegan dishes and they're prominently featured on the menu, which keeps the place full during its soft openings. On one of these nights, Sarah is trying the dishes and also trying not to like them, but she fails. Her friend and part-time employee Jacob Hightower has nothing but praise for Riley. After seeing an altercation between Riley, Jacob, and the building inspector Louis Botts, Sarah wants to leave, but is delayed by the appearance of her attorney employer, Harlan, and police chief Gerard. Just when everything seems to be calming down, Sarah hears a scream and the three of them run into the parking lot, where they see Jane, and Jacob, who is bending over Riley's body. Once it becomes apparent Riley is dead, Jane screams again that Jacob murdered her.

But Sarah refuses to believe that gentle Jacob can be a killer, and when asked by his sister Anne to help find the true killer, she has a hard time saying no. Now Sarah, with help from Anne and other friends, is on the case to hunt down who might have done this. But the more she discovers about Riley, the more it's looking like a lot of people might have wanted the young woman dead...

This is the third book in the series and I must say that I enjoyed it much better than the first two. I realize that it takes time for new authors to polish their books, and Ms. Goldstein seems to have found her niche in this third one. The characters are much more lively, and I really enjoyed the fact that Jane didn't spend the entire time in this book trying to make Sarah's life miserable. (I honestly hate the 'evil nemesis' who wants to destroy the protagonist; and I am glad that the author didn't feel the need to go this route).

While we don't get to see much of Emily and Marcus, this book isn't centered around them, but more so around Jacob and even Anne, who actually becomes a bit softer in this one, apparent by her love for her younger brother. Although Sarah's relationship with Cliff is moving at a snail's pace, at least it's moving at all.

But back to the mystery: Sarah is naturally irritated by the fact that the vet clinic and Jane were both able to get their buildings inspected and are open, but Botts is dragging his feet on Southwind, using the excuse that there's only one of him and he has many jobs. Sarah realizes she's going to have to find a way to corner Botts if she wants their restaurant to open; but with Anne asking for her help Sarah is pulled in several directions herself.

What she discovers is that there was more to Riley than meets the eye; and when there's another death, it pulls the investigation deeper. Just when Sarah thinks she might never find the missing pieces, it almost becomes too late when she does. It's an interesting mystery that goes deeper than one can imagine, and has its roots in other places.

All in all, when the murderer is discovered the reason why Riley was killed is as old as time itself, but nevertheless it holds together in this story. I enjoyed it immensely, and will continue to read this series. Recommended.

Sarah Blair and her sister Emily are waiting to open their new restaurant, but first they’re attending the grand opening of their competitor’s restaurant across the street. While checking out the competition, the young chef who was making a name for herself is found dead out by the trash bin with one of Sarah’s friend leaning over the body.

It seems the police chief has decided Jacob is the most likely suspect and to prevent him from fitting the facts to the suspect, Sarah agrees to look for other suspects to shift the chiefs laser like focus off of her friend. Sarah hopes to serve up the murderer and not be the next body served up by the killer.

Every once in awhile you find a new author or series that makes you want to read the previous books, this is one of those series. Luckily I came across this book and decided to give it a read and I am glad that I did.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Kensington Books.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Sarah Blair finds herself surrounded by red tape as she tries to open up her restaurant with her sister To make matters worse she is in competition with her late ex-husband mistress which is across the street.

Soon things become dicey as the mistress sous chef is found dead outside the restaurant with Sarah’s friend who had an infatuation with her as he becomes prime suspect.

Will Sarah be able to solve the case to save her friend from jail? A beguiling read.