2 stars
I currently work in a library and this series is quite popular among our patrons. Though I haven’t read many cozy mysteries, I wanted to see what it was all about.
There were a lot of cringey moments with bad writing, overly detailed scenes, terrible police work, unethical vigilantism, talking down to the reader as if everything has to be intricately explained, and an irritating amount of wish fulfillment on the part of the author with her main character (not conventionally attractive but everyone falls in love with her, she succeeds at everything including random slot machines, she’s smart and great and perfect but is also a “totally normal” person).
However, by the end, I kind of liked how bad it was. The book was terrible, don’t get me wrong, but it was kind of fun just how ridiculous it was. Yes, there were plenty of scenes that infuriated me (how is everyone an idiot but Hannah? how does she make any money if she just gives cookies away all the time? who actually has time to run a bakery and solve murders?), but it had the appeal of a cheesy movie. You know it’s bad, but there’s a certain entertainment in how bad it is.
For the most part, it was all in good fun and I enjoyed poking holes in this odd premise. The low point of the book was the one section in which sex crimes come up. The reader isn’t present for the actual crimes, just for the photographic evidence found later. I’m not sure why this was included at all because it didn’t add anything but assumptions and dead ends. It could easily be traumatic for readers and wasn’t related to the actual crimes in the book. Also, the resolution of it was terrible and on par with the characters taking matters into their own hands without considering the actual people the crimes affect. This part was completely unnecessary and it really brought down the book for me. Domestic abuse is also brought up and is handled rather clunkily.
By the end, I found the book was okay. It was kind of like watching reality TV; you know it’s going to be ridiculous and you’re just along for the ride to see how absurd everything gets.
Probably a better fit for people who enjoy cozy mysteries, specifically those who like murder mysteries, baking, and small-town gossip. It was kind of fun that the various cookie recipes were included throughout the book.