Review (+ Tour Giveaway): Crepe Factor

Crepe Factor
By Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran
A Scrapbooking Mystery #14
Berkley, 2016


Summary

The Winter Market in the French Quarter is in full swing, but murder isn’t taking a holiday in the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of Parchment and Old Lace …

The holidays are a busy time for scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand—but not so hectic that she doesn’t have time to enjoy browsing the booths at the Winter Market with her best friend Ava. The last thing the ladies expect to see is a lurching man stabbed by a serving fork, dying in front of them.

The victim is loathed restaurant critic Martin Lash, who posted his scathing reviews on the Glutton for Punishment website. And the prime suspect is New Orleans restauranteur Quigg Brevard—who was seen giving the critic a tongue-lashing minutes before someone stuck a fork in him. An old flame of Carmela, Quigg asks for her help, which does not please her current beau, Detective Edgar Babcock, to say the least.

Before her relationship is the next victim, Carmela needs to find a murderer who had no reservations about punishing the culinary curmudgeon…

Scrapbooking tips and recipes included!


My thoughts

Crepe Factor is #14 in Laura Child’s popular scrapbooking series – and while I’m sure there’s much that I’ve missed along the way, it didn’t take me long to get comfortable with the characters. I would have liked more character depth, but that would probably come from reading other books in the series.

Crepe Factor is quirky, fun, and entertaining. It is well written by seasoned authors, and their dual contribution flows seamlessly. I might could have figured out the murderer’s identity if I had tried a little harder, but it was fun to just sit back and enjoy the ride, letting everything slowly unfold.

Carmela’s scrapbooking shop makes a great backdrop for this cozy mystery, and Carmela is an appealing leading lady – determined and loyal. I loved the romantic tension between Det. Babcock and Carmela.

What I liked best about this story is the feel of New Orleans –its sights, sounds and smells – all vividly conveyed by Laura. I loved the bayou scene toward the end with Moony and Squirrel.

Scrapbookers will enjoy the tips included at the end. There’s also a few recipes, and the lemon chicken one is going in my crock pot tomorrow!

I had read one of Laura Child’s Tea Shop Mysteries several years ago and really enjoyed it, so I was eager to try her scrapbooking series. Crepe Factor seemed a little edgier than Laura’s other series when it comes to language. While I did enjoy it overall, I prefer the Tea Shop series.

Recommended to cozy mystery fans.

I received this book from the publisher.

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Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries - set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

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Short-listed twice for The Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran is delighted to introduce mystery fans to the Read ’Em and Eat café and bookstore, which debuted with Well Read, Then Dead , followed by Caught Read-Handed and Read to Death released in July of this year.

The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is playing games and reading stories with any or all of her grandchildren.

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Purchase Links:

Amazon │ B&N │ Goggle Books │ IndieBound

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