Far from a domestic goddess, Sarah Blair would rather catch bad guys than slave over a hot stove. But when a dangerous murder boils over in Wheaton, Alabama, catching the killer means leaving her comfort zone . . . Things are finally looking up for Sarah Blair following her unsavory divorce. Settled into a cozy carriage house with her sassy Siamese cat, RahRah, she has somehow managed to hang on … managed to hang on to her modest law firm receptionist job and—if befriending flea-bitten strays at the local animal shelter counts—lead a thriving social life. For once, Sarah almost has it together more than her enterprising twin, Emily, a professional chef whose efforts to open a gourmet restaurant have hit a real dead end . . .
When the president of the town bank and city council is murdered after icing Emily’s business plans, all eyes are on the one person who left the scene with blood on her hands—the Blair girls’ sharp-tongued mother, Maybelle. Determined to get her mom off the hook ASAP, Sarah must collect the ingredients of a deadly crime to bring the true culprit to justice. But as neighbors turn against her family, can she pare down the suspects before another victim lands on the chopping block?
Includes quick and easy recipes!
“This smart cozy—full of heart and humor and surprises—has everything a mystery lover could ask for.”
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of Trust Me
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Fans of One Taste Too Many will love the second book in the series, Two Bites Too Many. It would probably be best to read that book first because events in the first book are referred to frequently. You should be able to enjoy this one by itself but why would you want to. Strong characters, intriguing plot, great supporting characters combine to make Debra H. Goldstein’s newest addition to the Sarah Brown mystery series a delightful read that will leave you waiting for the next one to release.
I love an amateur sleuth who acts intelligently and Sarah fits the bill. I enjoyed watching Sarah work through the puzzle with only one of those of the standard tropes that often irritates me to no end, and this one played out reasonably. Two Bites Too Many presents a well plotted mystery with great characters. It impressed me how well Debra Goldstein manipulated her characters so that I reacted to them just the way she wanted. While there were several characters that I did not trust, I couldn’t be sure of the villain until the end. As for the rest of the characters, I loved them all, and especially enjoyed the relationship between the sisters.
I request and was excited to receive an ARC of Two Bites Too Many via NetGalley. Friends already know who much I enjoyed One Bite Too Many so they will not be surprised to hear how much I loved Two Bites Too Many.
I look forward to seeing where Sarah’s life takes her.
#NetGalley #TwoBitesTooMany
Sarah Blair divorced has moved back to
Wheaton, Alabama where she works as a
secretary for a lawyer. She has learned the
job well. Sarah and her Siamese cat, RahRah
live in an inherited carriage house. Sarah
is the chairperson for the Wheaton YipYeow
Days which includes an animal parade and
various activities to raise money for an animal
rescue group. When denied a bank loan for
the group, Sarah and her mother, Maybelle
go to the bank to see the President Mr.
Knowlton. It seems Sarah’s twin sister, Emily
has also been denied a loan which would
help her open a restaurant. Maybelle gets
very upset with Mr Knowlton as she has
been a loyal customer of his bank for many
years.
Mr Knowlton is found dead in his office later
that day and Maybelle becomes the main
suspect.
Thus Sarah needs to begin her own
investigation to prove her mother’s innocence.
The characters are well defined, crafty, all
with interesting backstories to add to the
puzzling murder.
RahRah serves as the grand marshal of the
animal parade and Fluffy, the little white town
mutt gets a home.
I found this to be an enjoyable, entertaining
and intriguing read.
Recipes included at the end are for!
Sarah’s Sweet Potato Puffs the Convenient Way
Classic Wine Spritzer
Howellian Catnip
This is book # 2 in the Sarah Blair Mystery series,
the author provides enough backstory that the
past and present are presented effortlessly.
Once again someone is framing one of Sarah’s family members and she isn’t going to let it fly! She is once again on the hunt to figure out who is messing with her family and trying to tear them apart while her sister tries to get her restaurant off the ground again. There are several handsome men who have appeared on the scene lately, but is Sarah once again starting to be attracted to a killer? Well plotted, great characters with a strong female lead who is starting to become even stronger and entertaining interpersonal relationships between the characters makes this book extremely enjoyable. While you wouldn’t have to read the first book to enjoy this one, it definitely would enhance your reading pleasure to read the series in order so you have a stronger sense of the characters’ personalities as well as development of the relationships. I’m looking forward to more from this series and the first two books are available via audiobook!
TWO BITES TOO MANY by Debra H. Goldstein is the second book in the Sarah Blair Mystery series. It’s the adventures of Sarah and her Siamese cat, RahRah in Wheaton, Alabama, as they try to figure out who the bad guys are and those you can trust while helping to prove her mother innocent of murder.
Although Sarah’s mother may be plain spoken and she was prepared to give Lance Knowlton, president to both the local bank and the city council, a piece of her mind for the bank’s denial on Emily business loan, she would have wished him no harm. When all evident or lack of any in their favor seems to only point to Maybelle, it’s up to Sarah to prove her innocence. With both of Lance’s jobs unfilled after his death greatly affecting their lives, gives Sarah more determined to find the real murderer.
During all the murder, mystery and police investigating, Sarah is in charge of a huge event – the YipYeow Day(s), which will benefit the animals she cares so much about at the animal shelter and hopefully find forever homes for its occupants. It’s a matter that is near and dear to her heart and she’s not going to let anything or anyone keep this event from being a huge success.
When Sarah’s sister, Emily and husband, Marcus, loan was denied, it has them hustling to find a way to make their dream to continue to move forward. Unfortunately, against warnings from both Marcus and Sarah, Emily takes on a job working as head chef for Thomas Howell, owner of the Birmingham Howellian luxury hotel. She can’t seem to see the pitfalls of such an arrangement, but only what the money promised for six months work would do to fulfill their desire to open a fine dining establishment in the big house they’ve been renovating since the fire.
Meanwhile, Sarah is learning more about the people around her. She is beginning to think her employer and friend, Harlan Endicott, is starting to have more than friendship in mind. He definitely has her best interest at heart and if first to offer legal advice and a helping hand. She finds out that Mr. Rogers, her neighbor, has two nephews meaning that Cliff, might not be the sort of man she assumed he was. And as always Jane, her deceased ex’s wife, is still a burr in her side.
Will Emily’s new job be the undoing in both the new restaurant and her relationship with Marcus? Can Eloise, bank employee, shed some light on activities in the bank? Will Sarah’s feeling on those she can trust and those to be wary of change? Can Sarah prove her mother’s innocence or will danger to her own life prevent it?
The mix of characters in this book are much like those in everyone’s live. There are some you adore and are pulling for happy endings. There are others that you know immediately you don’t care for and some you want to just stand in front of and say “get a life”. The mix makes the story interesting and fun and will keep you turning pages to see who comes out on top while trying to figure out the whodunit. Love the way the author leads you down a few dead end paths making the final reveal not as apparent as with some cozies. I, for one, can’t wait for book three in this series to see where it goes and if there is romance lurking for Sarah and with who.
Definitely recommend TWO BITES TOO MANY to anyone that loves a well-constructed cozy. I’m sure you will enjoy it just as much as I did!
What interested me in this series were the cute animals on the book covers. I love cats so I enjoyed reading about RahRah (interesting name!), the Siamese cat who inherited a carriage house. Also interesting was reading about Yip Yeow Day, a fund-raising event with an animal parade.
The parts that I didn’t find too interesting were concerning the bank, city council, and the restaurant so it took me a little while to get into the book.
This is a good cozy for cat lovers and is set in Alabama.
I enjoyed every minute of this book with engaging characters and a well-written mystery that had me glued to the book from beginning to end because I had to know whodunit!! I really liked Sarah Blair and her dynamic with the other characters as she works to clear her mother, Maybelle, who is the prime suspect in the death of the bank president. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys well-crafted mysteries with twists and turns to keep you totally immersed in all that’s happening. I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review.
Synopsis:
Far from a domestic goddess, Sarah Blair would rather catch bad guys than slave over a hot stove. But when a dangerous murder boils over in Wheaton, Alabama, catching the killer means leaving her comfort zone …
Things are finally looking up for Sarah Blair following her unsavory divorce. Settled into a cozy carriage house with her sassy Siamese cat, RahRah, she has somehow managed to hang on to her modest law firm receptionist job and–if befriending flea-bitten strays at the local animal shelter counts–lead a thriving social life. For once, Sarah almost has it together more than her enterprising twin, Emily, a professional chef whose efforts to open a gourmet restaurant have hit a real dead end …
When the president of the town bank and city council is murdered after icing Emily’s business plans, all eyes are on the one person who left the scene with blood on her hands–the Blair girls’ sharp-tongued mother, Maybelle. Determined to get her mom off the hook ASAP, Sarah must collect the ingredients of a deadly crime to bring the true culprit to justice. But as neighbors turn against her family, can she pare down the suspects before another victim lands on the chopping block?
Includes quick and easy recipes!
“This smart cozy–full of heart and humor and surprises–has everything a mystery lover could ask for.”
–Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of Trust Me (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well wounded and well developed. Sarah, Emily, her sister, and their mom, Maybelle, are close and really love each other, even if their mom drives them nuts most days. They will help each other anyway they can. Sarah is determined to find the real culprit so her mom does not go to jail for a crime she did not commit. The secondary characters added a lot to the story, but it seemed like there were a lot of characters to keep track of. That is only my opinion and other readers may not agree with me.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the story I felt like I was listening in on conversations and watching all of the action taking place. The mystery was well plotted and there were a lot of red herrings thrown in to mess with all of the armchair detectives.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I will definitely read the next one when it is released.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Sarah Blair doesn’t have to work but she enjoys her job at the law firm and is happy living in the carriage house with her cat RahRah. Her sister Emily along with Marcus have big plans for not just one restaurant but two! The one lost to a fire and one in the “big house” that Sarah inherited. When the bank turns down their loan request her the girl’s mother Maybelle drags Sarah to the bank to hash it out with the president of the bank. Apparently Sarah’s healthy bank account will remind the man who is dealing with. Promising he’ll look over the paperwork, Sarah heads to a meeting but Maybelle has other plans. She waits a short time and then returns to the president’s office where instead of getting the answer she wanted she finds the man dead. She then finds herself the police’s prime suspect.
Sarah is surprised by how quickly people believe her mother is a murderer. Emily has her hands full working at a local hotel until she can get her restaurants open. Sarah is busy with a fundraiser too but knows she needs to help lawyer Harlan do everything she can to keep Maybelle out of jail.
___________
There is a lot happening in Wheaton, Alabama and Sarah Blair seems to be caught up in all of it. She can do many things now that she has received her inheritance but for right now she is content working for Harlan, helping her sister and staying involved with things around town, like the fundraiser. She and Emily are best friends, the yin to the other’s yang. Maybelle knows just how to push their buttons, but we see a different side of her this time. Emily is very driven and Sarah is still finding her way. The core characters are evolving at a realistic pace. We learn more about Sarah’s neighbor George this time and because of that, we meet some new characters. Employees of the bank are also introduced. The author does an excellent job giving us characters to root for and those that could be villains/suspects. RahRah again stole my heart.
I did enjoy the way Ms. Goldstein sets the scene. The bank, the hotel, the carriage house and everything in between were all described so well. I could easily envision each place.
The mystery was murky for me but I latched onto the killer pretty early on. I just didn’t know the details of their motive until it was all laid out for me. There were several red herrings though that could have diverted my thinking but I held strong. Mini mysteries that eventually tied together to the murder were very interesting and pressed me to realize I was on the right track. The ending was pretty exciting.
Debra H. Goldstein has again given readers a fun and entertaining mystery filled with characters I wish I could know in person. Comfortable cozies, both books in this series so far have been Perfect Escapes. Once I started reading they were virtually impossible to put down. Two Bites Too Many has whet my appetite for book #3. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
The murder of a banker upsets the city council balance of power, slows progress on financing and permitting new businesses, and causes serious problems for intrepid Sarah Blair. To make matters worse, her mother is the prime suspect and her twin sister can’t move forward with her business plans. Not one to sit idly by, Sarah dons her sleuthing cap and starts asking questions.
A delightful follow-up to Goldstein’s One Taste Too Many. Sarah Blair is a sleuth I’ll root for time and again.
I love the mystery, intrigue, character depth, and interaction in this book. Rah Rah the cat, and Fluffy the dog are awesome. This book kept me guessing all the way until the end. The plot twists had me glued to the pages, while sitting on the edge of my seat. The loyalty that Sarah and Emily have for each other, and for their mother Maybelle is heartwarming. This is a must read book and series, and I highly recommend it!
Sarah Blair and her mother Maybelle go to the bank president, Lance to ask him to reconsider Sarah’s twin sister, Emily’s loan application for her restaurant after it’s been denied. When they step out of his office to give him some time to review the application, Maybelle returns only to find him dead. With her mother as the prime suspect, Sarah is determined to catch the real culprit. I enjoyed this second installment in the Sarah Blair mysteries. I liked the setting and the cast of characters. The writing flows smoothly and the mystery is gripping with lots of red herrings to keep readers engaged throughout the book. This is an enjoyable, easy to read cozy and I look forward to the next book. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.
I really enjoyed the first book in the Sarah Blair Mystery series, One Taste Too Many, by Debra H. Goldstein because I did not figure out the killer early, and that is very rare for me when it comes to cozy mysteries. So when I saw Goldstein had book two in the series, Two Bites Too Many, coming out I knew I would be giving it a read.
Goldstein picks up right where the end of One Taste Too Many leaves off, but if you hadn’t read that one, you won’t be lost since Goldstein does a great job with back story. Goldstein continues to deliver wonderful characters that you want to get to know even more or you could see yourself being friends with them. And there appears to be a love interest in the works for Sarah, so we shall see how that develops.
Goldstein’s description of the town and the architect of the buildings is very well done. The depth that she gives to the atmosphere of the bank is fantastic. I felt as if I was actually standing inside waiting to deposit some money or get a loan.
While I did figure out the killer before the end in this book, it was still an excellent read. I’m already looking forward to book three in the Sarah Blair Mystery series and seeing what adventures Sarah and the rest of the cast of characters are involved in.
Emily & Marcus (owners of Southwind Pub), as well as many other businesses, are trying to rebuild after the crazy events of the Food Expo (see Book 1 ). During this process their loan has been denied which is odd given its 100% guarantee provided by Maybelle (Emily & Sarah’s mom).
Maybelle isn’t known for taking things lying down, so on behalf of Emily, she and Sarah head to the bank to have a word with the bank’s President, Lance. After their meeting, Maybelle comes back to have another with Lance only to find him dead. Now Maybelle is in the hot seat. Can Sarah figure out who the real killer is before her mother gets shipped down river?
Another fun cozy and enjoyable afternoon spent reading away. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of these.
Fun read!
Very entertaining mystery! I very much enjoyed this mystery! Highly recommend.
Characters were so well-developed!
This is a good read. Takes a few twist so it’s not an easy who done it.
Liked it
Sarah Blair is settling into the carriage house and her new life as caretaker for her cat Rah Rah. She still has her job as a receptionist for Harlan, a local lawyer. She volunteers at the local animal shelter and is the head of the committee that’s setting up the town of Wheaton’s first festival to raise money for the shelter. Her life is falling into place but her sister, Emily’s, life isn’t going as well. Emily’s loan application to open a restaurant is denied so their mom decides to go to the bank president and find out why taking Sarah along with her. When her mom finds the man murdered after a second visit to his office, Sarah and Harlan must find out who’s really responsible.
I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend both it and the series. I was hooked from beginning to end.
Sarah’s sister, Emily, and Emily’s boyfriend, Marcus, have been denied a loan to reopen their restaurant. After a confrontation with the bank manager, he is found dead and Sarah and Emily’s mother seems to be the prime suspect. Sarah sets out to investigate as Emily seems to be getting in over her head by taking on a position at The Howellian Hotel in Birmingham. Sarah thinks something isn’t right, but Emily won’t listen to her. Lots of intrigue and surprises in this book. I look forward to more of Sarah’s adventures with Rah Rah the cat!