Rating: 4.40

My first 5 star read of August!

I was a little bit wary going into this one as the plot didn't seem like there would be all that much to it but I still wanted to give it a go and I am so glad I did.

From the get go we meet Lurleen (Amelia - don't ask) and her boss Larry. Larry's the one sitting at his desk with his penis out and some lotion on the desk - oh and he's dead.

Unfortunately, all fingers point to Lurleen. Now, life in her small town becomes difficult for her and her son, Gene Four (a fourth generation Gene) - and now she can't even get her lemon blueberry scones because everyone thinks she's a murderer.

This book was incredibly addicting once I got started and it wasn't even because I wanted to see where the plot went. The relationship between Amelia and Gene Four is genuine and laugh out loud and I could read a 30 part series of them just doing day-to-day things. The writing helped massively with this as their relationship and dialogue doesn't come across as wooden or awkwardly written.

The plot twist is relatively easy to see coming but I noticed that as it came around, I hadn't even tried to guess ahead, I was in this moment for moment, something I very rarely get from books anymore.

I'm struggling to review this properly as I feel like words aren't enough for how much I loved this book and these characters. I already want to re-read it because I feel I would enjoy just as much a second time around!

This one’s a spicy little gem equal parts murder mystery and small-town chaos, with a dash of chili and a whole lot of sass. Amelia Stark is a single mum just trying to survive Madison, Indiana, but when her sleazy boss turns up dead.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

This was such a fun read! While I solved the mystery pretty early on, that did not detract one bit from the joy of reading a book which featured great characters, the right blend of humour and dark insights, and amazing dialogue. The inclusion of the recipes was an inspired touch and really made this something a bit different. The epilogue was as satisfying as any I have read and I enjoyed seeing how the author wrapped everything up.