What book lover would not want to eat at a place called Read ‘Em and Eat Bookstore Café? One of my favorite parts of this book was hearing the menu items--all named after books and authors. The tables themselves were named after authors. Read to Death was my February TBR List poll winner, and it was nice to finally meet Sassy and Bridgy.

I haven't yet read the previous books in the series, but Read to Death is a self-contained novel for the most part. I wouldn't have minded having a little more background on both the novel's narrator Sassy and her best friend and business partner, Bridgy, however. I kind of want Sassy's job though from what I do know about her! Of course, how she finds time to read for all the book clubs she helps facilitate I have to wonder given her penchant for solving crimes in the area and working at the café. To the author's credit, there is a scene where Sassy does settle in with a book--something you rarely see in novels about readers.

I enjoyed getting to know a little bit about Ft. Myers, Florida and hanging out with Sassy, Bridgy, Miguel, and Ophie. No cozy is complete with at least one eccentric character and Ophie fits the bill perfectly. I quite enjoyed her appearances, and it is clear she loves her niece Bridgy. In Read to Death, the reader also gets to meet Sassy and Bridgy's mothers too--who are a fun pair; Sassy's mother Sage (at least that's her current name), in particular, who can see people's auras.

From near the start of the novel, it is clear that Sassy has a habit of stepping on the toes of the local law enforcement officials, unable to help herself from nosing around their investigations. Sassy sees nothing wrong it. All she wants to do in this case is uncover the truth of what happened to their bus driver, Oscar, when her best friend seems to be the prime suspect in his murder. One can't really blame her, I suppose. I found it interesting how she seemed to always be one step ahead of the police.

I enjoyed reading Read to Death, although I wasn't quite as enamored with it as I hoped I would be. I found it to be a little slow going at times, the mystery taking a back seat to Sassy and Bridgy's efforts to keep their mothers occupied during their visit. I also wish Sassy was a bit more forthcoming and cooperative with the police. It makes me wonder if I was missing a piece from a previous book.

Read To Death is the third book in the Read 'Em and Eat Mystery Series that features Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield. Kept me interested all the way through. Will look for future books in the series.