Midnight Snacks are Murder

Midnight Snacks are Murder by Libby Klein is the second book in A Poppy McAllister Mystery series. Poppy McAllister has her hands full with completing the renovations on Aunt Ginny’s Victorian home to turn it into the Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast, whipping up goodies for her gluten-free baking business, and keeping an eye on Aunt Ginny and her cat, Figaro. But then her mother-in-law, Georgina decides to visit to check on her investment and proves more of a hinderance than a help (as usual). Georgina has her own ideas for the B&B and is constantly undermining Poppy’s instructions to the contractor, Smitty. Thank heavens for Giampaolo and his soothing presence. Then strange thefts start plaguing the neighborhood where the thief is taking knickknacks and eating snacks. It seems Aunt Ginny’s new medications have caused her to sleepwalk. After a visit to the doctor, Poppy takes Aunt Ginny around the neighborhood offering apologies and returning the stolen items. The next day, police arrive to arrest Aunt Ginny for the death of Brody Brandt whose crime scene looks similar to those of the Snack Bandit as Aunt Ginny has been dubbed by the press. Someone is framing Aunt Ginny and Poppy intends to reveal the truth to keep Aunt Ginny out of the slammer. Poppy needs to work quickly, though, because Aunt Ginny is on house arrest which gives her too much time to plot mischief. Midnight Snacks are Murder will have you laughing the whole way through with Aunt Ginny and Georgina’s antics. While this is the second book in the series, it can be read alone. I thought Midnight Snacks are Murder to be nicely written, to have a steady pace and smooth transitions. While Poppy is the main character, she is overshadowed by Aunt Ginny, Georgina and Figaro (the cat). I like finding out more about Georgina and the reason for her behavior. However, I do not see her changing her behavior overnight. I find Aunt Ginny to be too over-the-top. She comes across as crazy instead of eccentric. I did not understand why the local cops did not just stick her in a cell and throw away the key when she kept escaping house arrest. The city had a cop stationed outside the house (no city can afford to waste manpower in that manner). I was happy that Poppy actively investigated the murder. I am surprised, though, that people were so willing to talk to her (it is New Jersey) considering she is not with the police or a private investigator. I thought it was a breeze to finger the culprit, but others may be surprised when the solution is revealed (depends on your sleuthing level). I did not like the love triangle present in the story or the amount of time devoted to romance. I felt Gia was coming on too strong and seems too perfect (of course, there is his mother). The presents he bought Poppy were considerate and expensive. I was drooling over the description of cobalt blue Viking dual fuel range (I want it). I enjoyed the ending with Mrs. Galbraith (it gave me a good laugh). A couple of Poppy’s recipes are included at the end of the book. If you enjoy amusing cozy mysteries with comical hijinks, then you will not want to miss Midnight Snacks are Murder.

Libby Klein is a genius!! I'm not kidding. I've read one of the two books she has written and she's already on my must-read list. Reading her book was the highlight of my week!! Not only did she write a main character that was totally relatable and believable, she surrounded her with a wonderful combination of supportive characters. I found myself reading parts of it out loud to whomever was around me and they were as amused as I was. Not only that but it is so refreshing to have such a perfectly imperfect heroine as we find in Poppy. We get a new to the dating world grown up woman with a previous 20 years of marriage under her belt. At the end, there are gluten free and paleo friendly recipes that actually look good. The characters are described so well, I could easily cast them in my head (which is great because this totally needs to become a tv series). I cannot think of a single way this book could be improved upon. I read it in one sitting. I could not put it down no matter what. Thank you so much to Kensington Books, NetGalley, and Libby Klein for the opportunity to read this incredible story and share my honest opinions with others.

Tantalizing Cozy Mystery This is such a good book. I have a few others from this author that have now been moved to the top of my TBR stack. This is a nice and long (300+ pages) book that never slows down. I love a long story that lets the reader savor the story and really get to know the characters. There is constant humor and snarkiness as well as murder. There are many moving pieces, but the reader never gets lost. One of the background pieces is a Teen center that works with kids with substance abuse issues and other ways that they are at risk. Our heroine is a baker who is starting up a bed and breakfast with her aunt and mother-in-law and quirky cat. This story just had everything! What it does not have is the thing I hate about cozies (and another reason I love this author), the author never goes on and on about fashion, food (not even her baking), knitting, the cat, or any of the other bazillion interested that cozy writers seem to wallow in. This book is fun and treats the reader like they can think on their own. I highly recommend this book, this series, and this author.