“You never know what tomorrow will bring.”

With her world turned upside down, again, Leila finds herself home and the new owner of the family maple syrup farm after her father’s brutal murder. Faced with a job she really didn’t want, a mother she’d never gotten along with, a desperate brother and a questionable employee or two, Leila is determined to figure out who killed her father and why. This was well thought out, with a cast of memorable characters that have me excited to see what’s up next! ( )

A Doomful of Sugar by Catherine Bruns
Maple Syrup Mystery series #1. Cozy mystery style.
Leila Khoury returns home to Sugar Ridge, Vermont to make over the family maple syrup business after her father dies. She has to learn from Tyne bottom up even though she is the boss. “Why” keeps bothering Leila and though the sheriff says he is investigating, she finds herself asking questions of everyone possible. Who would kill her father and why. Does Noah, the man running the company have a goal of owning it? What about her brother being excluded from the company? Or his money hungry girlfriend with the new diamond bracelet? Or maybe the ex partner’s son has a reason he wanted her father dead? Leila is going to track down the answers even as the danger seems to grow.

Twists and turns in the usual cozy manner with Leila asking questions and learning the business of a maple syrup farm.
Leila adopts a cat that is apparently left at the farm. What a lucky cat. Between Leila and her mother, there are toys galore and special treats. This addition to the story added personality and depth. A hint of a potential romance in future books.
3.5 ( )

I would have liked this story of an Anglo-Indian banker better if he hadn't been such an alpha male. ( )

A Doomful of Sugar by Catherine Bruns is the debut of the Maple Syrup Mysteries. Leila Khoury is our main character. She is a high school teacher in Florida. She left home four years prior after another disagreement with her mother (the two are opposites). When Leila’s father is murdered, she returns home to Sugar Ridge, Vermont to learn that he left the maple farm, Sappy Endings to her. Leila is determined to discover who killed her father. Her questioning technique needs a lot of work. Leila is impulsive and speaks before she thinks things through completely. There are a couple of suspects. There is misdirection when Leila’s younger brother, Simon is arrested for the crime. I liked the various incidents that occurred which kept things eventful. I wish the solution had not been so obvious. The clues are there to help readers solve the crime before the tension filled reveal. I like how the reveal was done. There may be some details that surprise readers. I had mixed feelings about Leila. She is immature for her age especially for someone who teaches high school students. She is stubborn, has anger issues, and impulse control problems. Leila is also defensive and suspicious which makes her a poor investigator. Her emotions were ruling instead of her head. Leila makes assumptions instead of logical deductions. Leila put herself and her best friend in danger. I am hoping that her new role as head of Sappy Endings will mature her. There is romance in the story as well. Personally, I felt it was inappropriate for this story. Leila is grieving the loss of her father, but she has tingles when is near Noah Rivers (he oversees many aspects of Sappy Endings). I wish the author had let Leila and Noah become friends first and then let the romance progress from there. I liked Heather, Leila’s best friend. She is a sweet, thoughtful, and a loyal individual with an upbeat personality. I also enjoyed getting to know Noah Rivers. It was interesting learning about a maple farm and the many dishes that can be made using maple syrup. A Doomful of Sugar is a good start to the series. I am hoping the author will provide more details on Sappy Endings in the next book. There are recipes for items with maple syrup at the end of the book including the baklava made by Leila’s mother. A Doomful of Sugar is a sweet treat with an alarming murder, a startling will, yummy maple syrup candy, a setup sibling, tire trouble, a handsome manager, and a terrible threat. ( )

After her engagement was ended by her fiancé, Leila needs a new start. It wasn’t quite what she envisioned: she had wanted to teach kindergarteners not high schoolers. But at least it was far from home and her disappointments. She had to put her new life on hold when she got the news that her father had been murdered. Now back where she was raised and the new owner of her family’s maple tree farm and shop, she is determined to find the killer. For a cozy mystery, this book is a page turner. Very exciting with twists you don’t see coming, it still has a touch of pending romance in future books. The main characters are believable and likable, the plot is intriguing, and the setting is lovely. It’s a great start for a new series, and one I need to add to my list of must-read series. ( )