Lights. Camera. Murder? Wildwood Cove’s star turn is soured by a sneaky killer in this delicious cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Crêpes of Wrath. Bonus content: includes original recipes inspired by the Flip Side Pancake House menu! With a Hollywood film crew in town to shoot a remake of the horror classic The Perishing, the residents of Wildwood Cove are all abuzz. Even … the residents of Wildwood Cove are all abuzz. Even Marley McKinney, owner of The Flip Side Pancake House, can overlook the fact that the lead actress, Alyssa Jayde, happens to be an old flame of her boyfriend. After all, the crew loves Marley’s crêpes—so much so that Christine, the head makeup artist, invites her onset for a behind-the-scenes tour. But when Marley arrives, the special-effects trailer is on fire . . . with Christine inside.
The cops quickly rule Christine’s death a murder, and Alyssa a suspect. Marley’s boyfriend insists that the actress is innocent, but when Marley sticks her nose into the complicated lives of The Perishing’s cast and crew, she discovers more questions than answers. It seems that everyone has a hidden agenda—and a plausible motive. And as the horror spills over from the silver screen, Marley gets a funny feeling that she may be the killer’s next victim.
Sarah Fox’s addictive Pancake House Mysteries can be enjoyed together or à la carte:
THE CRÊPES OF WRATH | FOR WHOM THE BREAD ROLLS | OF SPICE AND MEN
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OF SPICE AND MEN, a charming addition to Sarah Fox’s Pancake House mysteries, had me reaching for the maple syrup and firing up the griddle! Marley McKinney is at it again, turning up the heat to smoke out a wily killer–a killer who might just be hiding in plain sight. The Hollywood twist was a delight, adding suspects aplenty who seem to be sneaking around every corner. I was flipping the pages of my Kindle faster than Ivan flipped pancakes in The Flip Side’s kitchen! Well-rounded characters and a solid plot made this one of my favorite cozies of the year. I was happy to see that this series will continue, because I am ready for the next Pancake House mystery!
The action is out of the restaurant in this outing, and the story has an interesting plot dealing with a movie being filmed locally. There’s a little relationship angst with Brett (not something I appreciate), but it ends quickly.
So, not my favorite in the series, but a good read.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Lots of excitement. Lots of suspense. Lots of suspects. I couldn’t put this book down. Great characters & setting. Great mystery and reading about the food at the Pancake House made me really hungry.
Another terrific book in this series. In this latest book, a movie is being filmed in Wildwood Cove. When Marley and Sienna stumble upon a fire at the set, it turns out that a make up artist is murdered. The main suspect is the lead actress, Alyssa Jayde, who also happens to be Brett’s ex-girlfriend. Marley of course sets out to investigate. I love this series with it’s charming small town and characters who are like good friends. I can’t wait to read more of this series and see more of Marley and Brett together!
fun read
Excellent series. Ready for the 3rd installment.
This was a great read, again I love the characters and I’m looking forward to Ms. Fox’s next installment in this fun series.
I can’t wait to see where she takes Marley, the independent owner of the The Flip Side and her boyfriend, things are steaming up between them!
Of Spice and Men by Sarah Fox is the third installment in A Pancake House Mystery series. A film crew from Hollywood is in town to do a remake of the horror film The Perishing. Marley McKinney is looking forward to the extra business the movie people will bring to The Flip Side Pancake House. Marley and Sienna get invited by Christine Gallant, a special effects make-up artist, for a behind the scenes tour. They arrive to find the trailer door unlocked and a fire inside. Marley (with a little help) rescues Christine from the burning trailer, but it is too late. Sheriff Ray Georgeson arrives and Christine’s death is ruled a homicide. Alyssa Jayde, an actress, is the prime suspect. Brett, Marley’s boyfriend and Alyssa’s ex-boyfriend, defends Alyssa. Marley starts asking questions and ends up with a lengthy suspect list. Who killed Christine? Can Marley clear Alyssa’s name and find the killer? Marley’s curiosity just might be her undoing!
Of Spice and Men is an easy to read story. I recommend reading the first two books in the series prior to Of Spice and Men. I found the book heavy on romance and jealousy (and light on mystery). I felt too much of the book was devoted to Brett and Marley’s romance. Marley was jealous of Brett’s ex-girlfriend and she handled the situation poorly (immaturely). We are subjected to countless chapters on this situation along with storms that are plaguing the area and Marley talking to (and about) Flapjack (her cat). The author seemed to use the same verbiage when she was discussing Flapjack (copy and paste). I am giving Of Spice and Men 3 out of 5 stars. The murder of Christine was easily solved. It is not difficult to identify the culprit. The killer’s motive, though, was interesting. Of Spice and Men is a light cozy mystery. Many readers will enjoy visiting the charming town and the characters who inhabit it.
Of Spice and Men is the book in the Pancake House series. This is a wonderfully written cozy mystery. The book is a standalone with no cliffhanger, though it is open-ended for future books in the series. Though the storyline is average, I really enjoyed this book. It is a perfect read for a day tucked under a blanket in front of a fire, sitting on the beach, a porch swing, you get the picture. There is some violence.
The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I’m not going to repeat all that info here. The author did a good job of summarizing the storyline from the first two books for new readers as well as describing the setting of Wildwood Cove. Once again Marley finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. There are a lot of clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what twists and turns will be revealed next. I look forward to reading more of Sarah Fox’s books.
“Of Spice and Men” earns 5/5 Stacks of Pumpkin Crêpes…Murderously Fun!
Again, I was excited to have the opportunity to read the newest release in Sarah Fox’s Pancake House Mystery series, “Of Spice and Men,” and totally entertained with revisiting the well-developed and sometimes quirky characters (even the ‘fur’ friends), and being absorbed in another clever mystery. This time Sarah has a Hollywood-twist with a movie crew invading Wildwood Cove. Everyone is all abuzz by the prospect of having their town being center stage, and Marley McKinney, owner of The Flip Side, is overjoyed with the extra business from the cast and crew who find her crêpes delicious.
I greatly enjoy Sarah’s style of writing as the her ‘twists’ come early with Marley invited to the set, but finds the special-effects makeup artist Christine is a real-life victim of a trailer fire; the police are labeling it murder. Ok, it gets even better when Sarah adds ‘turns’ with Marley discovering her boyfriend’s ex was the replacement lead in the film, Alyssa Jayde, who rivals any full-of-herself diva, and then, hold on, here it comes! The ex needs someone to clear her name from the ‘prime suspect’ list. Yeah! What an exciting start! Marley finds curious visitors, tensions on set, jealousies, missing props, and threats overheard “burn your whole career down to a pile of ashes!” All this and well-written drama, a few giggles, continuing romance, a ‘What? No, watch out!’ ending, and delicious easy-to-follow recipes straight from The Flip Side kitchen: Pumpkin Waffles and a Basic Crêpes recipe for those tasty fillings for Pumpkin Crêpes and Apple Crêpes.
Of Spice and Men is third in A Pancake House Mystery series; it can be read as a standalone, but don’t miss the rest of the series! The characters, for all their stress and concerns, are delightful. The author has a knack for keeping the suspense growing with steady action and realistic dialog.
Marley, owner of The Flip Side for several months since inheriting it from a cousin, works hard and loves what she is doing. She also inherited her cousin’s cat Flapjack and the Victorian home that he and his late wife once owned. She has a close friend, Lisa, and is now seeing Brett, the guy she mooned over during summer visits when a teenager. Life can’t get much better than this!
Until the Hollywood people pull into town to film scenes of a remake of the classic movie, The Perishing in their quaint beachfront town. A huge Victorian home, Abbott House, is the central filming location. At first it seemed like a blessing to have added business during the off season, and it even sounded like fun to try to get a glimpse of actor Chase Lowman, many young women’s heartthrob.
When Christine invited Sienna and Marley to see the special effects trailer and they set a time, the first clue something is wrong is to hear the fight that Alyssa, female lead, has with Christine. They wait a few minutes to save the ladies the embarrassment of being overheard. Until smoke begins to billow from the door of Christine’s trailer, and Marley ran inside to help Christine escape. Thankfully she had help moving her, but their efforts were unnecessary. Before the fire had been started, someone had strangled the young woman. The following day, Marley went to see Brett, only to find him wrapped in the arms of Alyssa, the leading lady – and the woman he had lived with a few years earlier. Alyssa knew she was a person of interest in the murder, and clung to Brett, hoping he would do something to dissuade his uncle, the sheriff, from arresting her.
Marley is a young woman who has redefined her life; a brief stint helping manage the restaurant turned into a new lifestyle when her cousin died. She grows to love again the town where she spent summers as a teen, and genuinely cares for the people she has met. Even without reading the earlier books in the series, one can see how carefully crafted each character is. We learn much about them by their realistic dialog and actions. Even Alyssa, the actress who can boo-hoo and get sympathy like nobody’s business. Guess that’s why she earns the big bucks!
There are twists and turns throughout that continue to change the focus on suspects, which there are few of at first. Christine had few enemies, despite threats made. I was completely surprised at who the bad guy really was! I still shake my head at how innocuous the person seemed. The ending is perfect, and I am already looking forward to the next one. I highly recommend Of Spice and Men for cozy mystery lovers who enjoy oceanside settings, restaurants, lighthearted characters, a bit of romance and a lot of suspense.
From a grateful heart: I received this eBook from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.