Review: If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance by Paige Shelton

If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance
(A Cooking School Mystery)
2nd Book in Series
Cozy Mystery
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
The Berkley Publishing Group (October 2, 2012)
Published by The Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425251614
Cover Illustration by Robert T. Barrett
Cover Design by Laura K. Corless

Broken Rope, Missouri is home to Gram’s Country Cooking School and a few very special ghostly guests. Isabelle “Betts” Winston and her grandmother “Miz” seem to have the unique ability to see and communicate with the deceased residents of the town but keep that under your hat. It’s supposed to be a secret.

In this installment Gram and Betts receive an unusual request. Some foodie tourist’s local reservations have been messed up and to help out they agree to put them up overnight at the cooking school and keep them busy with a few cooking lessons.  At the same time ghost Sally Swarthmore, one of Broken Rope’s legendary murderers, shows up wielding her ax and begging Betts to help her find her diary. She thinks it may prove she was not the one responsible for those ghastly murders.

It isn’t long before one of the tourists ends up dead and two others are missing. Cooking takes a back burner as Betts tries to solve not just one mystery but two and rope a cold blooded killer.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Fun! Fun! Fun! Two Mysteries In ONE!!

A mystery from the past, a mystery in the present, a blonde, top heavy ghost swinging an ax, an eclectic group of tourists, a couple of residents who can talk to dead people in a town dedicated to reliving the wild past for tourists on a daily basis. What a great place to visit!!

I immediately got a picture in my head of Sally. Dolly Parton brandishing an ax! I am not sure if that is how Opie portrays her or her exact ghostly image but that is the picture in my head. I fell for her in an instant. I knew right away there was so much more to her story and this author didn’t disappoint. She was definitely my favorite character in this book.

But the main and supporting characters are growing and evolving too. We are learning more and more and they are quickly becoming friends we will want to visit again and again. Betts works both mysteries with a little help from her friends. Sometimes those ghosts really do come in handy.

If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance definitely had me chair dancing so bring on the potatoes. Twice Baked sounds good to me! This story and the bonus recipes are a delectable delight!

To Find Out More About Paige Shelton Visit Her Webpage

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”