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beththebookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
The characters are both the sugar and the spice in this light mystery that blends a missing person, a bizarre herbal weight-loss remedy, and an ultra-ascetic religious group with baker/sleuth Corinna and her friends like a light but tasty cinnamon swirl muffin.
Recommended for bakery/cozy mystery fans who like quirky characters and want a taste of life in a contemporary Australia that, aside from politics and street names, is much like the American/Canadian/British side of the globe.
I've already been recommending this series to library patrons who like light mysteries with interesting characters.
Recommended for bakery/cozy mystery fans who like quirky characters and want a taste of life in a contemporary Australia that, aside from politics and street names, is much like the American/Canadian/British side of the globe.
I've already been recommending this series to library patrons who like light mysteries with interesting characters.
williams_a_i's review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Delightful story.
Easy to follow plot with loveable characters.
Kerry Greenwood is a fantastic writer, who brings out the fun aspect of detective fiction in all her works.
Would recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery novel but is not in the mood the particularly dark aspect which can arise within the genre.
Easy to follow plot with loveable characters.
Kerry Greenwood is a fantastic writer, who brings out the fun aspect of detective fiction in all her works.
Would recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery novel but is not in the mood the particularly dark aspect which can arise within the genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Drug use
Talk of drugs is very light. Just a continuation of theme from earlier books in the series.insanebluegenius's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely an interesting portrait of terrible parents. As always I love everyone from Insula and how they all fit together and work together to take care of each other.
stacey42's review against another edition
3.0
The devil is alive & well in this story. It begins with Earthly Delights gaining a new client - a semi religious cult focused on mortifying the flesh & holding diet seminars - hires her to make 'famine bread', a bread that is only edible by people who are mortifying the flesh & feel that while they *have* to eat, the food should be as unsatisfying as possible.
Then her mother shows up with news that her father came to the city a few weeks back and hasn't been heard from since and what does Corinna intend to do about it? Corinna doesn't get along with her parents so fortunately a new neighbor in Insula is an old friend of Mom's and takes her in while Corinna & Daniel begin searching.
Meanwhile, her fat phobic teenage counter girls, Goss & Kylie, end up getting very sick from some mysterious 'diet tea' they bought from a guy in a club. Corinna & Daniel add this to the list of investigations.
Then, Daniel is hired to look into a small smuggling operation. With so much on their plates can they solve everything?
Then her mother shows up with news that her father came to the city a few weeks back and hasn't been heard from since and what does Corinna intend to do about it? Corinna doesn't get along with her parents so fortunately a new neighbor in Insula is an old friend of Mom's and takes her in while Corinna & Daniel begin searching.
Meanwhile, her fat phobic teenage counter girls, Goss & Kylie, end up getting very sick from some mysterious 'diet tea' they bought from a guy in a club. Corinna & Daniel add this to the list of investigations.
Then, Daniel is hired to look into a small smuggling operation. With so much on their plates can they solve everything?
charmaineclancy's review against another edition
4.0
Good fun. Romance, comedy, feel-good drama and crime. Great Aussie style.
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
4.0
This series seems to be getting better with each book:) I really liked this book. The sense of community being developed among the recurring characters is great. The book achieves this without falling into the sickly sweetness that some cozy mysteries can develop. The characters remain real. I will definitely continue reading this series.
lisa_setepenre's review against another edition
3.0
A nice, light and fluffy piece of reading. I liked the characters and premise, but I find the plot really that interesting. I felt I was watching Corinna rattle around in her life, rather than watching a mystery unfold before me. The few breaks in POV didn't really add enough tension to make me feel like I was reading a crime novel. Still, it's light and fluffy and I like hearing from Corinna's POV.
alesia_charles's review against another edition
3.0
Happily continuing with this series. There was rather more than the usual quotient of deranged characters in this one - starting with Corinna's parents and continuing with a religious cult that does that whole hating on the world and the flesh (and also tries to market itself as a weight-loss program).
Some might think that there are too many coincidences in this one's plot, but I think most of them are excusable. I'm not so sure about one character's outbreak of good sense, but the required happy endings for a cozy mystery does mean it rather has to happen.
Greenwood breaks point-of-view in this one, because otherwise the plots wouldn't work at all. Part of that point-of-view break is using a simple device to add tension that would otherwise be lacking. Overall, not as strong a story as the others. But still, the resilience of the characters in the face of the world's cruelties continues to be one of the strengths of the series.
Some might think that there are too many coincidences in this one's plot, but I think most of them are excusable. I'm not so sure about one character's outbreak of good sense, but the required happy endings for a cozy mystery does mean it rather has to happen.
Greenwood breaks point-of-view in this one, because otherwise the plots wouldn't work at all. Part of that point-of-view break is using a simple device to add tension that would otherwise be lacking. Overall, not as strong a story as the others. But still, the resilience of the characters in the face of the world's cruelties continues to be one of the strengths of the series.
theelliemo's review against another edition
3.0
I like the interesting collection of varied oddball characters that live in the apartment block that houses Corinna Chapman’s bakery. The stories aren’t grabbing me as much as Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series, however, though I’m not sure why.
beholderess's review against another edition
5.0
I am really in love with the series. The main strengths (unapologetically fat heroine who enjoys her food and is adored by her boyfriend, quirky and likeable cast of characters, the setting one would love to live in, adorable and imperious cats, delicious muffins) and the main weaknesses (lacklustre mystery and no no possibility for the reader to figure it out themselves because the author withholds information) remain the same.
What is interesting in this instalment is that here the author tries to tackle what it is to be a fat person in the current fat-hating society more thoroughly. It was a bit unrealistic (though positive) in the previous books that the heroine behaved as if she was unaware of the stigma surrounding her body type, and here the author attempts to confront it. With very mixed success.
The topics of weight in the mysteries themselves felt very gimmicky and uninspiring, so I wouldn't consider that a successful approach. But some of the heroine's reactions, especially the body-positive speeches she was giving herself, praising her body for strength and capability and for being hers, are spot-on and very needed.
Another thread running through this book in the series is the sense of community. The inhabitants of Insula are becoming a very close-knit bunch - a kind of weird, hard-working, supportive and amusing family, and it is heart-warming to see.
What is interesting in this instalment is that here the author tries to tackle what it is to be a fat person in the current fat-hating society more thoroughly. It was a bit unrealistic (though positive) in the previous books that the heroine behaved as if she was unaware of the stigma surrounding her body type, and here the author attempts to confront it. With very mixed success.
The topics of weight in the mysteries themselves felt very gimmicky and uninspiring, so I wouldn't consider that a successful approach. But some of the heroine's reactions, especially the body-positive speeches she was giving herself, praising her body for strength and capability and for being hers, are spot-on and very needed.
Another thread running through this book in the series is the sense of community. The inhabitants of Insula are becoming a very close-knit bunch - a kind of weird, hard-working, supportive and amusing family, and it is heart-warming to see.
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