In a darling tourist town like Fredericksburg, Texas, a vintage sweet shop offering delicious old-fashioned favorites is a perfect fit—until someone decides to debut a recipe that’s lusciously lethal… spend most of their time on the road. Tally’s counting on the publicity and free treats to attract new customers. And the event is a sweet success—at least until Fran Abraham, the town’s foul-tempered theater director, drops dead after a bitter confrontation with Tally’s mother.
Murder was definitely not on Tally’s menu, but it’s clear that Fran’s death wasn’t natural. The list of possible culprits includes not just Tally’s mom, but her protective dad too. Relying on Yolanda Bella, her best friend and the proprietor of Bella’s Baskets next door, for help, Tally will need to unwrap the sticky pasts and unsavory presents of everyone from her own parents to her new hires before Fran’s death sours everybody on her fledgling shop….
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Deadly Sweet Tooth is a sweet and satisfying continuation of the Vintage Sweets Mystery Series by author Kaye George. The little tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas, is so appealing and described in such vivid detail that I would like to visit. Not only Tally’s Old Tyme Sweets but Yolanda’s Bella’s Baskets and Kevin’s wineshop. I can picture going store to store, popping in to check on what is happening where, and just having a good time.
Well, a good time until another murder happens, of course, and Tally finds herself in the middle of yet another investigation. And just possibly in jeopardy herself, especially if her curiosity and need to set things right put her right in the danger zone again.
This time around, there are more of the mouth-watering vintage sweets Tally makes by hand, good (and not-so-good) times with her bestie Yolanda and with Kevin, one step forward and two steps back in the romance department and some much-anticipated time with her parents who are always on the road entertaining. Tally’s younger brother is also n town. It’s good to see him, but you know how little brothers are.
The mystery is well-plotted with a lot of twists, turns and surprises. Especially the history Tally’s parents Bob and Nancy have with murder victim Fran and Fran’s husband Lenny. Trust me, you’ll never see what’s coming!
Deadly Sweet Tooth is a good addition to a good series and I recommend it. I’m looking forward to the third book.
Deadly Sweet Tooth by Kaye George is the 2nd book in the series and a new to me Author. I enjoyed the book and the story line I just wished it had more story in the end. I do recommend it though. I also enjoyed the recipe at the end for Whoopi Pies.
My favorite character was Nigel, the huge
black and white Main Coon cat. He
belongs to Tally Holt.
Tally lives in Fredericksburg, Texas. She
runs Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets. It is a
vintage candy shop.
Tally makes her own Mallomars, Clark Bars,
Whoopie Pies, Bailey Baileys Truffle Fudge,
Mary Janes and Twinkies.
Tally is in the process of interviewing three
ladies to work for her. Tally decides to have
them help prepare and work the reception
for her parents to judge their skills.
Her parents are performers who have been
traveling the world. They will be coming to
Fredericksburg for a visit.
Tally has recruited her best friend, Yolanda
Bella of Bella’s Basket and Kevin Miller,
proprietor of Bear Mountain Vineyards to
provide food and drink for the reception.
Everything seems to be running smoothly
until Tally’s mother falls ill. Then Fran, the
director of the local theater becomes ill.
Both are rushed to the hospital.
Tally’s mother is diagnosed with dengue
fever from a mosquito bite when they were
traveling.
Fran dies….the circumstances are suspicious.
This story combines family issues with a
murder plot that kept my attention from the
beginning to the final word.
Murder, old secrets, fire, Yolanda’s sister,
Yolanda’s love life, family issues abound
throughout the story.
I enjoyed meeting all the characters. They
were well described, colorful, some quirky
and some not so nice. A variety of small town
people coming together.
I was put off when the main character, Tally
had crying spells and would drum her fingers.
At least Nigel helped smooth her down.
This is book # 2 in the Vintage Sweet Mysteries
series. It can be read as a stand alone. The
author provided enough of the past with the
present so the reader could follow along
effortlessly.
I volunteered to read Deadly Sweet Tooth.
Thanks to the Cozy Mystery Review Crew for
the opportunity. My opinion is voluntary and
my own.
DEADLY SWEET TOOTH by Kaye George
The Second Vintage Sweets Mystery
Tally Holt has a lot on her plate. In preparation for the huge reception to welcome her parents’ visit she’s looking to hire servers who will also work in her vintage candy shop. She’s also having to deal with the arrival of her footloose younger brother, wondering if he’ll be more of a hindrance than a help. On the day of the party almost the entire town of Fredericksburg, Texas joins in the festivities, munching on Tally’s homemade Clark Bars, Twinkies, and other sweets. And everyone appears to be having a good time, except for Fran, an old nemesis of her mother. But the party comes to a halt when first her mother takes ill, then Fran. Nancy is diagnosed with dengue fever, but Fran’s diagnosis is murder!
I lived in Austin for 10 years and often made trips into the Texas Hill Country, including Fredericksburg. I would have loved to visit Tally’s Old Tyme Sweets. I love the idea of a vintage candy shop where the sweets are made on premises. I would devour homemade twinkies!!!
The mystery itself in the second Vintage Sweets Mystery was made quite obvious. It was so obvious I wondered if the author was planning a surprise twist, but no. I was very disappointed in the ending. There was a penultimate confrontation, but no resolution. Things were getting exciting and I was ready to see what happened next…but there was nothing. The next chapter started at a party with no mention about how the confrontation was resolved and the killer caught! I thought pages were missing from my book…but that wasn’t the case.
I did love Nigel and seeing the friendship of Tally and Yolanda. I also appreciated the fact that Tally did consider the fact that either of her parents could actually be guilty and the titillating facts surrounding their possible motives.
DEADLY SWEET TOOTH serves up delicious sweets and not so savory characters in this Texas Hill Country mystery.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
I like these characters and I could live at this candy shop.
Tally has set aside a Saturday to celebrate her singing and dancing parents as they visit her hometown. Her parents knew many of the townsfolk and unknown to Tally had local enemies. When one of their friends dies at the celebration, Tally has high concerns for two reason. The victim was killed by poison and the food was provided by Tally. Tally’s father is the prime suspect.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more. I like the characters and hope for the success in their new careers.
This is book two in the series and I found it to be a lot of fun. It is set in a tourist town in Texas. A candy shop that turned lethal. Tally Holt runs into a hard time when her father is framed for the murder. Really good cozy mystery storyline. looking forward to reading more from the series
I love a good cozy, that being said….
This is the second book in the series and I did not read the first, but had no trouble following along.
It can definitely be read as a stand alone.
The characters were well described, some likable and others not so much, as you would want in a cozy.
This story kept my attention and kept me hungry for dessert.
Definitely sounds like a town I would love to visit.
I love the short chapters and the bonus of a dessert recipe! Yay!
On to the parts I didn’t care for as much….
Short, choppy sentences for one thing.
Then it was obvious who did it very early in the book, I kept waiting for a surprise twist or to see
it go a different direction, but it never did and the ending was missing the how the rescue went
down, we can assume because of the text messages, but she’s fleeing for her life and then it’s the next day.
There’s a lot of potential here and a great deal of imagination, so if you’re looking for a short mystery with yummy
desserts, this one is served on a silver platter. A little inside joke there! Lol.
I volunteered to read this book, these are my own opinions.
Deadly Sweet Tooth by Kaye George is the second in the series.
It is an easy to read cozy with great main characters. I wish I had a quirky neighbor like the protagonist, Tally, has! There are plenty of twists and turns that have you guessing to the end. There is even a hint of romance.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
Tally owns Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets in Fredericksburg, Texas and business is going well. So well that she is trying to hire some staff. That, in itself, is becoming a challenge and she has her fingers crossed that the new hires will last. Add to that, her parent’ are coming back to town. As they spend most of their time on the road, acting all over the world. Tally wants to throw a party for them, show off her candy shop and maybe attract new customers. Fine until the local theater director, Fran Abraham, has a major confrontation with Tally’s mother, Nancy Holt. When Fran turns up dead and murder is suspected, the list of suspects is long. Fran was not a nice woman and she had history with both of Tally’s parents. That puts them at the top of the list. Tally and her friend Yolanda know the killer is not Tally’s parents and so they set out to track down the killer.
Alternating between Tally and Yolanda, the investigating duo figure out who dunnit but I did wish the ending chapter was not so abrupt. Other than that, I had no complaints. It had the clues, a good puzzle, likable recurring characters and a charming small town setting – all of the requirements for a well done cozy. It also works fine as a stand alone. I’ll happily read future books in the series.
Deadly Sweet Tooth by Kaye George has Tally Holt preparing a reception for her parents, Bob & Nancy Holt who have been performing around the world. Tally is holding the party at her shop, Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets in Fredericksburg, Texas. She has hired three ladies to help at the event and hopes they will become permanent employees for her shop. The event begins well, but then Fran Abraham confronts Nancy Holt causing a scene. The meanspirited woman collapses soon thereafter and is rushed to the local hospital. Early the next morning, Tally gets a phone call from Detective Jackson Rogers announcing Fran has died and foul play is suspected. Unfortunately, the list of suspects includes Tally’s parents. Tally works to unwrap the clues and assemble the pieces so she can present the guilty party to the police. Deadly Sweet Tooth is the 2nd book in The Vintage Sweets Mysteries. It can be read as a standalone. I had mixed feelings about this cozy mystery. It is a light story featuring Tally’s sweet shop and Yolanda’s shop, Bella’s Baskets. The two are best friends with their shops next door to each other. The point-of-view switches between both ladies which can be confusing. They are so similar that it is hard to discern between them. I wish the author had written it the story in the third person instead (or just picked one of the protagonists). I found the characters lacking depth. They need more fleshing out to give them life. Tally and her shop are puzzling. She calls it Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, but it seems to feature more baked items than candy (homemade twinkies, Mary Jane’s, whoopie pies, etc.). She seems to lack experience with employees which becomes obvious with who she hires. Tally does not even contact references. I question this because we are told she sold a flourishing bakery to return to her hometown and open the sweet shop. The mystery was straightforward. I was able to identify the killer immediately (there might as well have been a giant neon arrow pointing at the person). Tally reacts to something near the end in an unexpected way (I wish I could say more but it would be a spoiler). My mother says that I am thinking about the situation too logically. Readers will have no problem solving this whodunit. The ending was abrupt. We go from an individual in peril to a party in swing at the local winery. There was no reveal scene that would wrap up the mystery. Tally did little investigating which was disappointing because I enjoy following the amateur sleuths as they investigate the crime. Deadly Sweet Tooth is lighthearted cozy mystery with lackadaisical laborers, toxic treats, a dead director, peripatetic parents, a determined detective, and a disquieted daughter.
The protagonist of this book, Tally, owns a sweet shop in Texas. She is finally making a profit and is trying to hire more workers when she decides to take a day off and have a party for her parents. Her mother gets sick and her mother’s enemy, Fran, dies at the party. Tally’s parents are suspects and she works to prove them innocent.
I did not read the first book in this series, so that may have been why Tally seemed a little overbearing to me. The arguments over disagreements with her friend, Yolanda, seemed a little much and I figured out the end of the book ahead of time. Overall, though, I liked the storyline and the setting of this book. I would recommend it to cozy mystery readers. It was a fast, easy read for me and I will find the first book in this series and read it.