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Lemonade and Lies by Agatha Frost

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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Finished an ebook last night. It was Lemonade and Lies by Agatha Frost, and it's the second in her "Peridale Café" series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Julia South, whose impending divorce has sent her back to her hometown of Peridale.

Business at Julia's café is coming along nicely, she's been flirting with DI Barker Brown, and her young lodger, Jessie, is slowly learning the ropes of the café. Julia's routine is thrown out of whack when she (and virtually everyone else in the village) receives an invitation to Peridale Manor for a special announcement. The manor is where Julia's estranged father lives with his wife, who is Julia's age. Most villagers anticipate a baby announcement, but they're all shocked when Katie reveals her grand plans to turn the manor into an upscale spa and resort. The announcement is derailed when a man plunges to his death from an upstairs window in the manor, casting suspicion on both Julia's father and his wife. Soon Julia is applying her keen sense of observation to investigate the crime, but her snooping puts her at odds with Barker. Worse, it puts her own life in danger.

I read the first book in this series and pronounced it as bland and basic, and this one was no different. It followed the cookie-cutter recipe of far too many cozies these days, from the main character's occupation to her romantic interest to her pet. Yawn. Further, Julia comes across as a tad smug; that's not an attribute I like in a character. And, once again, perhaps she could wait until her divorce is finalized before dating the DI?

Favorite line: "If I get like that, I want you girls to put me out of my misery. Take me out to a farm and put a bullet in my back. I won't stop you."

Average read, average rating of three.