Anyone who knows me knows I love chocolate. So how was I going to pass up a cozy mystery that has chocolate in the title? I didn’t. Especially not when that book was the second installment of the Food Festival Mystery series!

Author Penny Pike has a wonderful style of writing. Her books read as though the words flow effortlessly from her fingers. She has a great talent for penning exciting and fun mysteries. With DEATH OF A CHOCOLATE CHEATER there were times that I held my breath, and others where I literally laughed out loud. Lines like . . . I reached into the container and helped myself. Taking a tentative bite, I let the sweet morsel dissolve on my tongue. The flavor flooded my mouth. Wow. Chocolate crack. . . Seriously, I went from drooling over what protagonist, Darcy was eating, to snorting with laughter over “chocolate crack”.

The characters in this series are an absolutely delightful mix of personalities. The way they interact makes you want to be part of their inner circle. I look forward to seeing them even more fleshed out in future stories.

The mystery in DEATH OF A CHOCOLATE CHEATER had so many facets. Much more going on than you would expect. Ms. Pike took me on a twisting, turning thrill ride that lasted all the way to our destination . . . the exciting reveal! To paraphrase character Darcy, “Wow. Book crack.” I am officially addicted to this fantastically tasty series.

Author Pike has also included half a dozen tempting recipes at the back of the book, as well as a sneak peek of book 3, DEATH OF A BAD APPLE! ( )