Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Town in a Lobster Stew

Title: Town in a Lobster Stew
Author: B.B. Haywood
Published: February 1st 2011 by Berkley
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: A Candy Holliday Mystery #2

The first book in this series was only so-so for me, so I decided to give the second a try. Unfortunately, this is where the series will stop for me. Overly descriptive, overly drawn out and desperately boring to the point of being able to skip entire paragraphs without losing any of the storyline.

Cape Willington, along the Maine coast, is hosting their annual Lobster Stew Cook-off that is apparently a big deal since not only does it come with bragging rights and an entry into “caper” society, but also worth conspiracy and hiding a body over.

When not helping her father at Blueberry Acres or working in the local bakery or making pies at home, Candy Holliday is a community reporter for the hometown newspaper. It was not until a local octogenarian asks for Candy’s help when she notices that Mr. Sedley’s recipe has gone missing and her neighbor cannot be found. On the surface, the two are not linked, but Candy’s instincts go into overdrive when she is asked to judge the local competition and someone has submitted a stew made from the missing recipe.

There is enough shenanigans going on in this town and enough backroom dealings to keep any reporter on their toes and the reader is brought into the entirety of their goings on. Unfortunately, this writing team is determined to overly describe every incident and if you were not paying attention the first time, they will describe it again and if you are still unsure of how a specific character fits in, just hold on for a chapter since they or their occupation will be mentioned again.

By the end of the book, the only interesting character was Captain Mike and unfortunately he has literally sailed off, and with rough choppy waters, no one is sure if he will be seen or heard from again.

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