Review of Stabbed in the Tart (The HSP Mysteries) by Carol E. Ayer

 

If you like baking and cozy mysteries, here's another one for you to enjoy. Read an excerpt and my thoughts on Stabbed in the Tart by Carol E. Ayer and then follow the tour for even more. Be sure to download your own copy and then enter the great giveaway!

Home bakery owner and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Kayla Jeffries has been hired for the Gourmet and Stay Valentine's Weekend at the historic Countryside Inn in Los Robles, CA. When one of her fellow cooks is murdered during dinner service, she becomes a person of interest-and a possible suspect.

Read an excerpt:

My first orders came in. I whipped egg whites and scooped the foam onto eight cherry-filled tarts I’d finished earlier. Five minutes later, I retrieved the batch from the oven, pleased to see the meringues on top were nicely browned. I’d practiced my recipes many times over the last few days to the point that I had them memorized, but you never knew what could happen with an unfamiliar oven.

I removed the tarts from their pans, plated each dessert onto a red dish, and added a dollop of whipped cream to the side. Brenda gave me an appreciative glance as the waitstaff took them away.

Conrad came into the kitchen, beamed a smile at us, and said, “Well done, everyone. The guests are thoroughly enjoying their meals. I’ve never seen the dining room in such high spirits or the hotel so well-showcased. This weekend is going to be great for business.”

An hour later, I was feeling pretty good and Conrad once more was raving to us about how well everything was going. Then the wind howled, the windows shook, and all the lights went out. I almost dropped the cupcakes I’d just removed from the oven. I managed to slip the pan onto the counter.

“No one panic,” Conrad said into the darkness. “The generator will kick on soon. It’s a good one. It powers most of the hotel.”

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the lights came back on. Unfortunately, one light perfectly illuminated Edward facedown on the floor near the center island, the kitchen shears lodged in the back of his neck.

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**My thoughts**

This book is apparently the second one in a series. I didn't realize that before starting it, but didn't feel like I had missed too much by not reading the first one. This one works well as a standalone and does not give away too much information in case you want to go back and read the first one.

I'm always drawn to books that combine cooking and/or baking and mysteries. And while it doesn't feature as prominently in the storyline as in others, especially in the way of recipes, it's still an important part of the plot.

I loved the idea of having an HSP as the main character. HSP stands for Highly Sensitive Person, which describes apparently 15-20% of the population. We get a lot of insight from Kayla herself and then I found myself doing a little extra reading on the side. My teaching background makes me think of people with sensory processing difficulties as well as anxiety. And I could relate to many of her issues because of my own sensory sensitivities. I think a lot could be done with this trait in future installments.

This mystery is one that is also not so easily solved. Kayla goes down a few paths before she finally stumbles upon the right one, and I definitely did not see some of those twists coming. I felt like the middle of the book was kind of slow, but I kept pressing on because I wanted to see which theory would win out in the end.

I found Kayla's relationship with her father to be a little odd. They had basically been estranged for years, but now all of a sudden he is here and helping her every step along the way? From what was described, I was just surprised that they were moving on so quickly.

And I'm not completely sold on her relationship with Jason. There are so many issues there. Then again, their relationship would definitely be more complicated with her being an HSP. It will be interesting to see how each of these relationships continue to flesh out in future installments. 

I also felt like the interviews with the detectives felt a little off. I know this is a cozy mystery and so not as intense as what you would find in more police procedural novels. The lines of questioning and abrupt dismissals felt odd. 

But I also admired Kayla's tenacity in trying to prove her innocence. After all, her life and reputation are on the line. And kudos for her for having the guts to go ahead and interview all of these people, in spite of her HSP and introversion. That's not easy to do as it is.

So I am a bit mixed on this book, but it did provide some entertainment on a very cold weekend. Thank you to the author and Goddess Fish Promotions for the requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Carol Ayer, a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), lives halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento with her cat, Rainn. When she’s not writing, she’s reading mysteries and thrillers or watching movies and cooking shows. As a native Californian, she visits the ocean as often as possible.

Twitter https://twitter.com/carol_e_ayer

Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/carolayerwriter
Website https://carolayer.com/
Blog http://www.ayerlines.com/

Carol E. Ayer will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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