In the parking lot of the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe and Book Corner, I stood by the side of a sky blue van with oversized white letters advertising the "Gulf Coast Cab and Van" etched on the center door panel. ~ Opening of Read to Death
Read to Death (A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery #3) by Terrie Farley Moran
Read to Death (A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery #3) by Terrie Farley Moran
Berkley, 2016
Crime Fiction (Cozy); 304 pgs
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads Summary:
The national bestselling author of Caught Read-Handed revisits Fort Myers Beach, Florida, where the proprietors of a local bookstore café occasionally take a stab at solving murder...
At their seaside Read ‘Em and Eat bookstore café, Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield offer fresh scones, great books, and excellent detective work…
With their book club season wrapping up with The Florida Life of Thomas Edison, Sassy and Bridgy decide to take their group on a day trip to the beautiful Edison and Ford Winter Estates. Hiring driver Oscar Frieland, who’s known for his colorful stories and love of the café’s Robert Frost fruit tartlets, the bibliophiles set off for a day of sunshine and history.
After a lovely excursion, the club returns to the café for lunch and a book discussion, but the group falls silent after Oscar is found dead in his van. The sheriff’s deputies have some questions of their own for the group, and if the ladies don’t find some answers soon, the next book they read might be from a prison library.
What book lover would not want to eat at a place called Read ‘Em and Eat Bookstore Café? One of my favorite parts of this book was hearing the menu items--all named after books and authors. The tables themselves were named after authors. Read to Death was my February TBR List poll winner, and it was nice to finally meet Sassy and Bridgy.
I haven't yet read the previous books in the series, but Read to Death is a self-contained novel for the most part. I wouldn't have minded having a little more background on both the novel's narrator Sassy and her best friend and business partner, Bridgy, however. I kind of want Sassy's job though from what I do know about her! Of course, how she finds time to read for all the book clubs she helps facilitate I have to wonder given her penchant for solving crimes in the area and working at the café. To the author's credit, there is a scene where Sassy does settle in with a book--something you rarely see in novels about readers.
I enjoyed getting to know a little bit about Ft. Myers, Florida and hanging out with Sassy, Bridgy, Miguel, and Ophie. No cozy is complete with at least one eccentric character and Ophie fits the bill perfectly. I quite enjoyed her appearances, and it is clear she loves her niece Bridgy. In Read to Death, the reader also gets to meet Sassy and Bridgy's mothers too--who are a fun pair; Sassy's mother Sage (at least that's her current name), in particular, who can see people's auras.
From near the start of the novel, it is clear that Sassy has a habit of stepping on the toes of the local law enforcement officials, unable to help herself from nosing around their investigations. Sassy sees nothing wrong it. All she wants to do in this case is uncover the truth of what happened to their bus driver, Oscar, when her best friend seems to be the prime suspect in his murder. One can't really blame her, I suppose. I found it interesting how she seemed to always be one step ahead of the police.
I enjoyed reading Read to Death, although I wasn't quite as enamored with it as I hoped I would be. I found it to be a little slow going at times, the mystery taking a back seat to Sassy and Bridgy's efforts to keep their mothers occupied during their visit. I also wish Sassy was a bit more forthcoming and cooperative with the police. It makes me wonder if I was missing a piece from a previous book.
To learn more about Terrie Farley Moran and her work, please visit the author's website.
© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Sounds a little slow, but I'd be tempted to pick it up because of the concept! I wonder if someone has started a similar cafe in real life...
ReplyDeleteEustacia - I might not have loved this one, but I still thought it was good. I'd be open to reading more in the series--but maybe start with the first book.
DeleteA cozy mystery featuring books sounds like so much fun!
ReplyDeleteKathy - Those are the best kind of cozies. At least in my opinion. Haha
DeleteSounds like a fun read. I like it that it has a bookish element. :)
ReplyDeleteMelody - It was a fun read!
DeleteFunny how many cozies feature books or food!
ReplyDeleteJenclair - The authors and publishers know just who their readers are. :-)
DeleteWendy, I SO agree about the name "Read ‘Em and Eat Bookstore Café" :D I wish you could've enjoyed it more!
ReplyDeleteDonna Marie - It's a great name, isn't it? I did like this one, even if I didn't love it.
DeleteI read the 2nd book in the series and loved it but I think a huge reason why I loved it so much was the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe. If I was making a top ten list for fiction places I want to exist it'd be on it!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I would like to give one of the earlier books a try. I am glad you liked the 2nd in the series! The Read 'Em and Eat Cafe would be a great place to visit. I wish it was real.
DeleteThat cafe sounds better than the book. Too bad it's not a real place. :D
ReplyDeleteLark - Haha! I wish it was a real place. :-)
DeleteSorry this one had some slow moments but overall it sounds like a nice story. I would definitely want to visit that cafe!
ReplyDeleteCarole - I did like the characters and wouldn't mind visiting with them again. :-)
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