Book 10, 2022

[chez_jae]

Fries and Alibis by Trixie Silvertale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Last night I finished the ebook Fries and Alibis by Trixie Silvertale. It's the first book in the author's "Mitzy Moon" mystery series. The story is told in first-person point of view of the main character, Mitzy.

Because she grew up in the foster system, Mitzy believed she was an orphan and had no family. Therefore, she's shocked when she inherits a bookstore from a grandmother she never knew. With her humdrum, paycheck-to-paycheck life imploding around her, Mitzy eagerly travels to Pin Cherry Harbor to claim her inheritance. After the handsome sheriff takes her for a vagrant and tries to run her out of town, Mitzy finds herself standing over a dead body in the alley behind her bookstore. Now the sheriff thinks she's a killer. Great. Mitzy is nothing if not resourceful, however. With the help of some of her grandmother's acquaintances, including Pyewacket (her gram's aloof caracal), as well as the ghost of Grams herself, Mitzy is determined to prove her innocence and claim not just her inheritance, but the family she never knew about.

This was a funny and charming story. Mitzy is tough and vulnerable by turns, but she's fierce and not inclined to back down from a fight. Other characters were portrayed well, including Pyewacket. I enjoyed how Mitzy's brash behavior kept Sheriff Erick Harper off balance. Mitzy's wry wit made me laugh, and I liked seeing her step up and step into her new role.

What I didn't like...
- Why did the sheriff arrive on the scene even before Mitzy noticed the body in the alley? Who called the police?
- No officer of the law is going to arrest someone on the spot like that, unless they're brandishing the murder weapon. Time and manner of death need to be determined, as well as motive and opportunity. Mitzy LITERALLY just arrived in town. When would she have had time to kill someone, let alone WHY would she have done so? Sheesh.
- Mitzy's reunion with her father was lovely. Too lovely. The man just spent 15 years in prison; I had a hard time believing that he wouldn't be hardened, stand-offish, and wary.
- Twiggy works at the bookstore for free? Really?

Favorite lines:
♦ Yes, I need to get a life--or at least start crowdfunding for one.
♦ I don't think this loud, smelly bus could possibly make any more stops! I mean, why in the wide world does a bus need to stop at an empty bench in a town with the same population as I have fingers? No one boards. I'm as shocked as you are.
♦ Is this a Mexican standoff? Actually, no. If my movie knowledge serves me, a Mexican standoff requires three people--one of whom must be Salma Hayek.
♦ "I ate the pie. I'm not an idiot."
♦ "Robin Pyewacket Goodfellow, if you deign to lay one claw upon my head I'll turn you into a mouse."
And I thought Robin Goodfellow couldn't be reincarnated!
♦ I push open the solid wooden door and it creaks with appropriate Scooby Doo intensity.

Cute, fun story, and I'll certainly look to read more in the series. Four stars.

Although it won't affect the score, I'm putting this one to the Trope Test:


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique? Yes, she has inherited a bookstore.
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? Yes, she lives in an apartment on the third floor.
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) Yes, he's the sheriff.
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? Yes, she has a caracal (an exotic breed of cat).
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? Not really seeing a BFF here...
6. Did the mc find the body? Yes, she did.
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes, she did.
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes, her mother is dead.
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? Yes, Mitzy has her "Ghost-ma"
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes, she's child-free

Wow, 9.5 out of 10. Good thing I'm not basing the book's rating on this score!