Karen S. (BoysMom) - My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wonderful debut of this new paranormal, cozy mystery series!
Cooking to Death: Stirring the Pot is the first book in author Marcy Blesy's fun new series, the Ghost Texter Paranormal Cozy Mysteries, and features kindergarten teacher-sleuth Vivien Belcher or Ms. B, for short (and giggle avoidance.) With its lovable and engaging main character, intriguing premise, and well-paced plot, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the story.
Vivien Belcher is a 24-year-old single teacher at Beach Shores Elementary School in her Michigan hometown. It's her second year of teaching kindergarten, so she's pretty well settled into the routine of her career and has a wonderful and realistic attitude about her job, students, and coworkers. However, most days, she returns home to her apartment and cat, Bruce the Boss, too exhausted for a social life. Her school life and home life were so relatable, and she's got a great work bestie who is a true âride or dieâ type of friend.The premise of her ex-boyfriend (her deceased ex-boyfriend) reaching out and communicating with her through her old cellphone piqued my interest from the start. The idea of being able to communicate with loved ones beyond the grave is probably a universal desire; however, her connection to the afterlife is through Kasper Houston, the guy who broke her heart so completely she hasn't had a long-term relationship since they parted. She struggles to conjure up her innate goodness to help Kasper with his predicament, but his interference in her life motivates her to do what she can and get him out of her life once and for all. Some of Kasper's antics reminded me of the mischief of George and Marion Kirby from Topper or Adam and Barbara Maitland from Beetlejuice. I'm dying to know what Vivien's neighbor, Freddy Holland, knows about Kasper.
The author tells a great story and subtly built the entire community of Beach Shores almost without me realizing it was happening. The plot gets going right away with enough exposition to understand the action and setting without bogging down the action. I was so involved in the story that I read it in one evening, and since it ended with a cliffhanger surprise after the resolution of the murder, I immediately had to get the next book in the series to find out what happened next.I recommend COOKING TO DEATH: STIRRING THE POT to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a touch of the paranormal in their stories.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.