BROWNIES AND BROOMSTICKS by Bailey Cates

Publisher:  Signet
Published:   February 4, 2014
ISBN:  978-0451236630
Genre:   Cozy Mystery
Book format:  Paperback
Obtained via:  Publisher
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

Four Hearts

Leaving a relationship gone south, Katie Lightfoot heads from Akron to Savannah and her aunt and uncle where the threesome plan to open a bakery.  Named after her aunt Lucy and Uncle Ben’s cat, Honeybee, everything seems to be going along pretty well.  Katie’s found a great little cottage and having her own business to put her culinary skills to work is pretty much a dream come true.  Before Katie, Ben and Lucy can open for business they are approached by town matron, Mavis Templeton demands that they host the downtown business association’s upcoming meeting.  Despite their protestations of not being ready, Mavis will not take no for an answer.  On the day of the meeting Mavis eats little and then tries to short Katie the agreed upon amount of the bill.  Before Katie can confront her though Mavis is found, dead, behind the bakery.  A witness is sure that Ben was the last person seen with Mavis before her untimely demise.  Katie is determined to find the real killer but Ben wants her to stay out of it.  But Katie’s got some loyal friends on her side…her aunt’s book club members.  And by the way, those book club members have some very interesting talents.  Are they enough to keep Katie alive while she looks for the real killer?

BROWNIES AND BROOMSTICKS was my first Bailey Cates read but it will not be my last.  While I don’t normally care for paranormal aspects in my cozy mysteries, Cates seamlessly weaves those elements into a fun, fast-paced mystery.  Savannah is a great venue for a mystery and the Honeybee Bakery is a great venue for the story.  As the characters are presented their own unique traits are introduced with them.  From the book club members to Steve the journalist to hunky firefighter Declan, each one has something special that will hopefully continue to develop in future books.  Even Mungo, the Magnificent, the dog who adopts Katie has some fascinating aspects.  The story is nicely paced and sets the tone for future stories to develop without unrealistic leaps.

While one of the criteria for most cozies is that the character who is killed off isn’t well liked, the mystery of just who done it is well done.  I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.