Book Review & Giveaway: Criminal Confections by Colette London

Blurb: Hayden Mundy Moore is an expert on everything chocolate, helping clients develop new products and revamp recipes until they're irresistible. But sometimes, a dash of murder finds its way into the mix...

Hayden Mundy Moore has bushwhacked through African jungles and haggled in exotic markets to find the finest cacao beans and the most flavorful blends. It's thrilling work but rarely dangerous--until a colleague turns up dead at the exclusive chocolate-themed Lemaître resort spa in San Francisco.

Adrienne Dowling's heart attack is blamed on an accidental overdose of the secret ingredient used in Lemaître Chocolates' new line. Hayden can't believe that conscientious Adrienne would make that mistake. And between chocolate body scrubs, cocoa mud baths, and a non-stop frenzy of chocolate-based treats, Hayden starts to suspect that she, not Adrienne, was the intended target. Finding a killer among the rival chocolatiers and potential suspects won't just be satisfying--it might save her life...

Tortie Shorties

Book reviews that are short and sweet...just like Truffles!

I've been looking forward to the Chocolate Whisperer mystery series for months now. After all, chocolate is practically it's own food group in my house, so I can't imagine a more wonderful job than being a consultant to chocolatiers.

I loved the setting of a chocolate resort complete with chocolate buffets and spa treatments. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the death of Lemaître Chocolates' head chocolatier Adrienne...was it a case of death by truffle? As Hayden begins wondering if she had been the actual target, she ends up discovering that life around Lemaître Chocolates is practically a soap opera, with affairs, conspiracies, and cut-throat office politics.

That being said, while I liked the book, I can't say that I loved it. While trying to put my finger on what exactly didn't work for me, I came to the conclusion that it was mainly because I couldn't identify with the main character, Hayden. She's a globe-trotter who lives out of her suitcases and doesn't want to live any other way (although she does pine for a dog.) A cozy mystery without a small-town setting and a character with no strong family ties just isn't cozy enough for me. Hayden appears to be an heiress, but there are mysterious stipulations in her uncle's will that we are never made privy to. She also has unusual relationships with the men in her life, from bodyguard Danny (is it really platonic?) to her lustful feelings for financial adviser Travis who she calls just to hear his sexy voice but has never actually met.

I found the killer's reveal to be quite satisfying, and it appears that Hayden's next trip will be to Seattle. I will be reading it with the hopes that some of my questions will be answered. A final word of warning: be prepared for the mouth-watering descriptions of chocolate in this book! Absolutely heavenly.

About the author: Colette London is the pseudonym of a best-selling novelist whose published more than three dozen books worldwide.

Visit her on the web at www.colettelondon.com, friend her on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/colette.london.books, or follow her on Twitter @Colette__London

Purchase Links
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