Scone Cold Killer (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
by Lena Gregory
Scone Cold Killer (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Florida
Lyrical Underground (January 23, 2018)
Paperback: 192 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1516104659
E-Book ASIN: B06Y52XG4B
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 . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Divorced from her scam artist husband Gia moves to Florida to reboot her life by opening the All-Day Breakfast Café. She has been working on the project for weeks with her old college roommate and best friend Savannah and is excited about her grand opening. The opening wasn’t very smooth, first Gia didn’t have grits on her menu and her fry cook was way out of her depth when she has to cook more than one meal at the same time. Gia can get grits and she can fire the cook but finding the body of her ex-husband in the café’s dumpster is not something she can fix. In fact, most of the town thinks she committed the murder. When another body is found she starts thinking she may have been safer in New York. Before she can pack up her pots and pans Detective Hunter Quinn tells her he knows she is not guilty and will do everything to protect her. But Gia and Savannah decide to investigate on their own and the good detective may not be able to save them this time.
Ms. Gregory has created such wonderful characters for her All Day Breakfast Cafe Mysteries. Gia thought she left her troubles behind but they have followed right behind her. Her diner should be pretty successful after she handles a couple issues with her staff. She is not your typical cozy protagonist because she fears almost everything around her and Florida has many things to be scared of in addition to a murderer, you know, like snakes, spiders, and bears, oh my!
Savannah is a wonderful best friend. She tries to be supportive and find something positive about all the big and little bumps in the toad that rise up to meet Gia. I love the way she decided Gia needed a dog and Thor seems to be the perfect fit. Detective Hunter Quin “Hunt” and Gia have a little romantic spark, but after her past experience, Gia is a little gun shy about dating or having a man in her life.
My favorite supporting character though is Earl. Gia’s first customer who is shocked there are no grits on the menu. But he quickly becomes a regular customer and Gia is thrilled about that. Earl reminds me of an elderly gentleman that frequented my mother’s restaurant many years ago. It is that man’s image that pops into my head as I read about Earl.
This story ebbs and flows at a perfect pace. The author has a nice descriptive writing style that brings the characters and each scene to life. The mystery is complex with plenty of suspects. Filled with twists and some scary turns, this was not an easy mystery to solve and I didn’t figure out until the reveal.
I enjoyed the touches of humor and romance that are expected in a cozy mystery. There is so much for the author to build on as the series continues.
Kudos, Ms. Gregory, this series is off to a terrific start. Cozy lovers, you will love this story!
Lena Gregory lives in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and three children.
When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories.
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Also by Lena Gregory
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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.”
Thank you for the giveaway! Sounds like a great read!
Thank you!
Love your blog and books you recommend and share
Thank you for your wonderful review. I wanted to read “Scone Cold Killer” but now I know I NEED to read it. Appreciate the chance to win a copy.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Lena is a new author to me. I’ve just recently added Death at First Sight to my TBR pile. I look forward to this one as well!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
I’m a big Lena Gregory fan and this sounds really good! I can never resist a book with the word scone in the title.
Thank you very much! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing the release of Scone Cold Killer! And thank you for such a lovely review! I’m so happy you enjoyed the story 🙂
This sounds like a fun cozy and I love the cover.
wfnren at aol dot com
Thank you so much 🙂
I really enjoy cozies. Thanks for this opportunity.
I’ve your other series!!!
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Thankyou for the opportunity!
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