Book 117, 2024

[chez_jae]

Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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I finished reading my 'work' book at lunch today. It was Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson. This is the first in the "Chef-to-Go" cozy mystery series, featuring novice chef Danielle "Dani" Sloan.

Dani's life is in a downward spiral. She's recently learned her boyfriend already has a fiancée, and she's quit her HR job for a large corporation after having to fire an entire department and sign an NDA over it. Things improve, however, when she inherits a house from a family friend. Now Dani has the opportunity to launch her own catering business, which has always been a dream of hers. After a catering gig goes awry and the guest of honor ends up dead, Dani is interrogated by a local detective. Fortunately, one of her college-aged boarders knows the head of campus security, an ex-policeman named Spencer, who steps up to help. Desperate to clear her name, Dani launches her own investigation, aided by Spencer. What they find is that the victim had several enemies, all of which will make figuring out who killed her extremely difficult.

The story was interesting. The college campus setting was different. Characters were three dimensional, including the odious Detective Mickeloff and the snide Regina, who deserved to die in my opinion. LOL! What I didn't like is that the killer came out of the blue. Dani and Spencer had their eyes on a few suspects, but this person was not on their radar. I prefer it when the author builds the clues and the case to allow the mystery to be solved by the mc (and perhaps by the reader as well!).

Favorite lines:
♦ "If Ron Weasley can end up with Hermione Granger, anything's possible."
♦ "It's icier than a whore's heart in here."
♦ "My policy has always been never to make a woman mad. She can remember shit that hasn't even happened yet."
♦ She wondered if anyone else had ever dispensed advice about BDSM at a funeral.

I liked the book, but as far as cozies go it was just average. Three stars.


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, bed & breakfast? Yes
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? Yes
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) Sorta...Spencer is a former cop
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? No
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? No
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? No
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? No
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes