COOKIE DOUGH OR DIE by Virginia Lowell is the first in the
Cookie Cutter Shop mystery series. Olivia Greyson (call
me "Livie") moved to Chatterley Heights after her divorce
and opened her cookie shop, The Gingerbread House, with
nudging support from friend and mentor, Clarisse
Chamberlain. So, no one is more shocked than Livie when
Clarisse is found dead by her housekeeper. With no signs
of foul play, the sheriff is telling the townspeople murder
isn't likely and to go about daily life. Only Livie isn't
satisfied and starts sleuthing on her own, but
someone doesn't want anyone sniffing around and they have
a recipe worth killing for.
In COOKIE DOUGH OR DIE, readers will find the
sleuthing of the main character hard to resist, as well as
several of the scenes within the book. Ellie, Livie's
mother, was one of the most well written characters in the
entire book and one of the few consistent ones. Readers
may feel especially drawn to the "action" scenes within The
Gingerbread House. I, personally, hope to see more of the
home grown paparazzo showdowns with Spunky.
From armchair cozies to thrillers to whodunits, I love
mysteries that throw curve-balls and lay false leads.
That's the point of the mystery. I love how COOKIE DOUGH
OR DIE breaks some traditional mystery rules. What
readers may not like are the dead ends dropped into the
story but not resolved by the conclusion. Additionally,
some characteristics appear in the
middle of the book without the necessary background.
I loved the creativity of Maddie and the casualness of
Livie, but they weren't consistent throughout the book.
Livie's dress and manner don't match her tone, and
Maddie's creativity seemed forced on the readers with her
mad cookie decorating skills. Ellie's settled "hippie"
lifestyle actually seemed to be the most genuine of all the
characters, and she came off as younger than both of them.
Overall, there are aspects of COOKIE DOUGH OR DIE that
readers will really enjoy. If you are looking for something
to read, this is a good cozy mystery.
Olivia Greyson is the proud owner of
The Gingerbread House—a quaint
shop that specializes in all things
cookie—and her best friend, Maddie,
is her sidekick, baking up scrumptious
treats for their cookie-themed parties.
But now they must take a break from
baking and find a killer, or else their
reputation—and quite possibly their
lives—will be battered for good.
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