STORYLINE: The story opens with a mature couple babysitting three young boys in a quiet neighbourhood in Boston around Halloween. The boys enjoy watching the neighbour across the street and think she’s a witch. The adults try to distract them and in observing Mrs. Wapple, are drawn into a mystery that has supernatural elements. The situation deteriorates when said neighbour is attacked inside her house and the main character is implicated in the assault.
PLAYERS:
Sadie Hoffmiller: A mature and kindhearted woman who has recently found her calling as a private investigator. Intrigue seems to seek out Sadie and she finds it hard to stay on the sidelines taking no action when Mrs. Wapple starts acting strangely.
Pete Cunningham: A police officer who is grandfather to the boys and is sweet on Sadie. He scoffs at thoughts of the supernatural and is reluctant to get involved in the strange developments across the street from his son’s house. Pete has his own secrets which prevent him supporting Sadie in her investigative efforts.
I LIKED: reading a book that has older characters in the leading roles. Most of the books I read have younger protagonists. Sadie and Pete’s maturity ensure they aren’t rash in their decisions and actions, even though Sadie is a mover and a shaker.
There is some nice chemistry between Sadie and Pete and the fact that they have responsibility for Pete’s grandsons makes for some entertaining ‘family’ moments.
Pumpkin Roll is a definite change of pace for me as I usually read faster paced stories. There are several suspects, so I didn’t guess the identity of the culprit until late in the day, which is good, but came as a wicked surprize. An aside here – we should listen when our instincts tell us to be careful of certain people.
The pace picks up significantly in the last third of the book and feels like it takes on breakneck speed toward the end.
Having not read the series before, I really like the recipes that are included. I think that’s an awesome touch. I’ve discovered that the author has a series of culinary mysteries. Some of the names are making my mouth water when I think about them. Check out Josi Kilpack’s website. She’s hosting an iPad contest.
I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT: the length of the book. Could be stylistic preference, but sometimes there are more details and explanation than I need.
I have one minor niggle with the wrapping up of the story, but not enough to detract from the satisfaction of finding out whodunit. The book is open ended, which I’m sure leads to more adventures for Sadie.
OVERALL COMMENTS: Pumpkin Roll is tagged a culinary mystery, but avid readers in this genre would dub it a culinary theme cozy mystery. The novel provided a pleasant change from my usual fare.
RATING: For those who like cozy mysteries, Pumpkin Roll makes good reading. I got through the book in a short time and find the writing good, but in comparison to the frenetic pace of the stuff that I read normally, Pumpkin Roll falls
just shy of awesome.
SOURCE: Pump Up Your Book/Shadow Mountain Publishing
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