Scone Cold Killer (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery, Book 1) by Lena Gregory
Lyrical Underground
January 23, 2018
Paperback: 192 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1516104659
E-Book ASIN: B06Y52XG4B
About the Book:
For Florida diner owner Gia Morelli, there’s no such thing as too much breakfast—unless it kills you . . .
When Gia Morelli’s marriage falls apart, she knows it’s time to get out of New York. Her husband was a scam artist who swindled half the millionaires in town, and she doesn’t want to be there when they decide to take revenge. On the spur of the moment, she follows her best friend to a small town in Central Florida, where she braves snakes, bears, and giant spiders to open a cheery little diner called the All-Day Breakfast Café. Owning a restaurant has been her lifelong dream, but it turns into a nightmare the morning she opens her dumpster and finds her ex-husband crammed inside. As the suspect du jour, Gia will have to scramble fast to prove her innocence before a killer orders another cup of murder . . .
Scone Cold Killer is the first book in Lena Gregory's new All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery series.
After her husband is outed as a swindler and a cheat, Gia Morelli flees New York to beautiful, sunny Florida. Her best friend secured housing for her and Gia also purchased a small diner. Her world comes crashing down again when her ex's body is found stuffed in the dumpster out behind the diner on opening morning. With many enemies and people who want him dead, and of course suspect Gia is one of them, her dream may very well crash and burn before she even gets to make it a reality.
Fortunately, Gia has support in form of her best friend, Savannah, and several of the townsfolk have rallied around her. Gia also has the support of Hunt, the detective in charge of the case, who just happens to be Savannah's cousin. Of course, Gia does have motive, what with the betrayal, cheating, and alternate life that Bradley was leading behind her back, and is considered a suspect for that reason. She knows she didn't do it and so do her friends, and now she has to figure out who did do it to keep her reputation from being permanently ruined and to keep her safe. Apparently whoever was after her husband has also made her a target.
I really enjoyed Scone Cold Killer. The book is paced really well - not too fast and not too slow. I was pulled in from the very beginning and engaged in the plot. The character development was done well. We get to know the characters pretty well and learn backstory without being bogged down with useless filler. The story was fun, exciting, suspenseful, and parts of it were sad as you realized the full extent of what Gia's husband did and put her through. The world was constructed well and I was able to visualize the story.
Gia is a broken woman. She was betrayed horribly by someone that was supposed to love her and have her back. She does not come to Florida without emotional baggage. Gia also has stalkers in Florida, just like in New York. Gia has a strength about her that the reader can feel. The author does not, at any time, write her as weak or unstable. She's just had a very rough past that she thought she would escape by moving away from her former life and completely starting over. Samantha and Hunt are stability characters for Gia. Savannah is a wonderful best friend and Hunt proves to be another person who has Gia's back when the circus that is her past comes to town.
Gia does do some pretty questionable things in Scone Cold Killer that made me shake my head. A stranger walks in looking for not only a job but a place to stay, too. This character pretty much bullies his way into the kitchen and the apartment above the diner. No resume, no real interview, no background check, reference check - nothing. After everything she's been through in New York and now in Florida, I found it really hard to believe that she could accept a stranger as quickly as she did. Also, she breaks into her ex's hotel room and takes potential evidence. She's already at the top of the suspect list.....
Despite the couple of issues I had, Scone Cold Killer was an enjoyable cozy mystery. The characters are all likable and the setting in Florida is nice. the light chemistry between Gia and Hunt is nice. I prefer a little bit of soft romance in my cozy mysteries. I like the author's writing style and love her Bay Island Mystery series, too. I look forward to book 2 in the All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery series.
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Thank you so much for sharing the release of Scone Cold Killer! And thank you for such a lovely review. I'm happy you enjoyed the story!
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure. I loved the book!
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