Friday, February 16, 2024

Pickled to Death: A Down South Café Mystery by Gayle Leeson


Reviewed by Jeanne

Amy’s Aunt Bess is a woman on a mission.  Mabel Hobbs has been bragging about her prize winning pickles, even proclaiming that no one else could hold a candle to her in that department.  Those can be fightin’ words.   Aunt Bess is determined to prove that Mabel isn’t the only Pickle Queen around so she comes to the Winter Garden fair armed with a pickle entry of her own. 

While Mabel’s title of Pickle Queen may be dubious, it’s undeniable that she was crowned—fatally so, in fact.  Unfortunately, Aunt Bess was right beside her when it happened so she becomes the obvious suspect. She’s got a secret weapon, though:  her crime solving niece Amy is on the job and she is determined to uncover the real murderer. Unless, of course, the murderer is the streaker who conveniently ran through the crowd—he could do with a bit more covering.

Local readers will find a lot that sounds very familiar in Winter Garden, which I have to confess, is part of its charm to me.  The descriptions of the county fair bring back a lot of fond memories, and of course the Ray Stevens jokes have that darn song stuck in my head.  (“Don’t look, Ethel!”)

I always enjoy a visit with Amy and her friends and family. I will have to say that it was shorter than I expected and that the ending seemed rather abrupt. 

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