Tuesday, June 16, 2009

A Slice of Murder-Chris Cavender

A Slice of Murder
Chris Cavender
Kensington, Aug 2009, $22.00
ISBN: 9780758229489

It is hard to believe that murder or any major crime could occur in the sleepy hamlet of Timber Ridge, Virginia. However, it is the bad luck of Eleanor Spencer, owner of A Slice of Delight, to find the corpse of Richard Olsen with a knife protruding from his chest when she delivers a pizza to him.

Although they were once an entry, Police Chief Kevin Hurley treats Eleanor as a suspect; her sister and partner Maddie is so outraged, she insists Eleanor retain a lawyer. When business falls off, feisty Eleanor blames Kevin and the killer as her customers refuse to patronize her pizza shop because of the cop’s suspicion. She vows to find out who killed Richard. With Maddy accompanying her for the most part, Eleanor digs into Richard’s life as if she is kneading doe. They are stunned with how many people loathed the deceased as he blackmailed several with his shredding documents business and other people he found dirt on. The killer is aware of the sisterly sleuthing and patiently waits for the right moment to eliminate the meddling duo.

Readers will enjoy the lighthearted calorie filling A Slice of Delight amateur sleuth mystery. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Eleanor delvers the pizza and never slows down as she and her amusing sarcastic sometimes married sibling search for clues. Eleanor still grieves her husband’s death though some time has passed; the pizza parlor is her link to him; which exalts her to save it anyway she can. Chris Cavender has written a tasty cozy starring a likeable lead, her zany eccentric sibling, and a horde of former customers of whom one has chosen A SLICE OF MURDER.

Harriet Klausner

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