Southern Sass and a Crispy Corpse by Kate Young is the 2nd A Marygene Brown Mystery. It can be read as a standalone because the needed background information is provided. We return to Peach Cove Island, Georgia where deceased souls who have been murdered are drawn to Marygene Brown. Marygene gets a help with the cases from her mama, Clara who is in limbo (she should have done more good deeds while alive). Marygene co-owns The Peach Diner with her sister, Jena Lynn. Marygene is a wonderful baker whose pastries are in demand by the island's residents and tourists. Marygene is having relationship troubles with beau, Deputy Alex Myers. Alex was seen doing something that landed him in hot water with Marygene. Alex wanted his cake and to eat it too (if you get my drift). Deputy Javier Reyes is new to the force and sparks fly between him and our protagonist. It looks like Alex has competition. I wish less time had been devoted to Marygene's love life. It was a little much for me. Marygene deserves a good guy who is understanding, kind, and loyal. There are a variety of colorful characters whose antics had me laughing. Betsy, an employee and friend, is a hoot. The food descriptions will have your mouth watering. Thankfully, there are recipes at the end of the book. I like the author's conversational writing style which made Southern Sass and a Crispy Corpse was easy to read. The story moved along quickly. The mystery was an enjoyable one to solve. It was complex (love that) with a variety of clues, several suspects and misdirection. I had a good time assembling the clues and arriving at a solution. There is a dramatic reveal where I got to see if my deductions were correct. There was plenty of action in this story that helped move this story along quickly toward the end. The paranormal element is fun and enhances the series. Southern Sass and a Crispy Corpse is a capricious cozy mystery with a disdainful deputy, unabashed bathing beauty, a chill cellar, pretty pastries, a defensive dad, and crispy corpses.

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