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A review by kimdavishb
Southern Sass and a Crispy Corpse by Kate Young
5.0
SOUTHERN SASS AND A CRISPY CORPSE is the second book in the Marygene Brown Mystery Series by Kate Young. The action starts right from the very first in this edgy cozy mystery. Protagonist Marygene Brown gets involved in a decades-old cold case after accidentally bumping into the remains of the missing young woman while skinny-dipping in the ocean off the coast of Peach Cove Island in Georgia. From this set up, the mystery takes a unique and entertaining twist in that Marygene doesn’t want to be involved in solving the mystery, nor has she ever wanted to be an amateur sleuth. Except her deceased mother’s ghost is quite insistent that Marygene do so… or else… Adding to the twists in Marygene’s life is the fact that she’s the daughter of Sheriff Eddie Carter, the result of an affair between the sheriff and her mother. Marygene is pulled between her mother’s ghost and her sheriff father while working alongside her half-sister and half-brother at the family-owned Peach Diner. Ms. Young’s vivid imagery leaps from the pages as the story unfolds. The reader feels the emotional angst the protagonist feels, smells the delectable peach treats baking at the family diner, hears the sound of the waves on the beach, and sees a ghost that shouldn’t be there. With each turn of the page I felt like there was something new to discover.
Ms. Young crafts a fast-paced plot. There are layers upon layers of mystery surrounding the cold case(s) and plenty of suspects for Marygene to discover. The author has created some terrific characters, especially in the island’s older generation that were around when the cold case occurred. These memorable characters added some humor and humanity which I found important since the book covers some serious topics that can be quite tragic. It adds an element of emotional depth and I appreciated that each scene is written with sensitivity and weaves into the story without detracting from the flow. With a heart stopping reveal, Ms. Young wraps up the threads of the plots and subplots in one highly satisfying conclusion, making me count the months until the next book in this series is released.
With the Peach Diner serving up all sorts of delicious Southern food and delectable peach treats, the reader will get hungry reading the descriptions. Fortunately there are several recipes at the back of the book to whet any appetite.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ms. Young crafts a fast-paced plot. There are layers upon layers of mystery surrounding the cold case(s) and plenty of suspects for Marygene to discover. The author has created some terrific characters, especially in the island’s older generation that were around when the cold case occurred. These memorable characters added some humor and humanity which I found important since the book covers some serious topics that can be quite tragic. It adds an element of emotional depth and I appreciated that each scene is written with sensitivity and weaves into the story without detracting from the flow. With a heart stopping reveal, Ms. Young wraps up the threads of the plots and subplots in one highly satisfying conclusion, making me count the months until the next book in this series is released.
With the Peach Diner serving up all sorts of delicious Southern food and delectable peach treats, the reader will get hungry reading the descriptions. Fortunately there are several recipes at the back of the book to whet any appetite.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.