| Title | : | The Chocolate Puppy Puzzle (A Chocoholic Mystery, #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0739449087 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780739449080 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 240 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2004 |
The Chocolate Puppy Puzzle (A Chocoholic Mystery, #4) Reviews
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A quick read, mildly entertaining and not as "quirky" as most cozies, which I liked. (On the other hand, those who enjoy the roundup of goofballs found in your typical cozy might miss them.) I liked the Michigan setting, in a fictional town in the vicinity of Saugatuck (which is not mentioned, but based on geographical clues, that's the most likely area). Also features a dog, which is usually a plus for me.
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Four very different feels to the books in this series so far. I must say that the fault lies totally with me regarding the low rating. I couldn't wrap my head round the events of the mystery. I can't carry a map in my head to save my neck. It was nice to read about the early events that foreshadowed the danger that Lee would incur. The attempt at suspense and endangerment was sad to the point of pathetic. We all know Lee will not die. But I sailed through three quarters of the book without problem. Despite the limited suspects, I was only partly right in choosing the guilty. There were only 2 to 4 suspects in all. Will keep slogging through the series as the author is not resting on what could be laurels.
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A producer has come to town with sites set on making a movie based on local history. But Lee thinks something isn't right and starts to investigate. She's hardly started when she finds a dead body. Another fast moving mystery with characters I love to visit.
Read my full review at
Carstairs Considers. -
In terms of being a cozy mystery this one was very good! I need to hunt down the rest of the series now!
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Impossible to put down! Read this in one day - stayed up past my bedtime! Easy to read, fun characters, can't wait to see what happens next!
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Over the past few months I've read most of the books in one series and one book in a longer series of Michigan based cozy murder mysteries. They were both wonderful. I read The Chocolate Puppy Puzzle by JoAnna Carl and the first three books in the Cranberry Cove Mystery series by Peg Cochran. All the books had all the necessary traits intrigue, thrilling, romance, humor, and some action. Both series feature a female lead who works in the family business. Both take place in the lovely state of Michigan (not a resident just a visitor) and I think they do a wonderful job of representing the beauty of the area, yes even when its cold. If you're a native or local to the Great Lake State and are looking for a fun cozy murder to read these are your jam.
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A dodgy guy claiming to be a Hollywood producer looking to film a movie based on a piece of local history has come to Warner's Pier, and Lee is immediately suspicious of him, especially since he shows entirely too much interest in Aunt Nettie. While snooping after the would-be movie maker, Lee then promptly stumbles over a dead body amidst a pile of pumpkins and from there, as usual, things go a little crazy.
Less predictable than the previous ones, but more convoluted. And what is it with this romance subplot that doesn't make me feel anything except annoyance? -
I felt like I missed a book or two, but I double-checked the list. No, I did not miss one. I was just getting used to the Joe relationship, and right in the beginning of the book, he mentions marriage like it was totally normal. It's still hard for me to see why the two of them are together, what they have in common and all that, and now they're getting married?? It threw me for left field. The rest of the mystery was really interesting, but the Joe parts just seemed really distracting and made it hard for me to concentrate.
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Alright, I guess it wasn’t as bad as I first opined. The second half of the story became more interesting as it hurtled on to the denouement.
And it doesn’t hurt that there were two sweet romances thrown in. 😆
On the plus side, I did not see that ending coming. On the other hand, the solution to the mystery took a lot of the last chapter to unravel, that it almost felt a tad contrived and surreal.
Entertaining for the time it took to read, but it doesn’t give me a hankering to check out the rest of the series. 🤷🏻♀️ -
Yeah. Aunt Nettie goes out on dates. And Lee helps Joe pick tile for his bathroom. Fun stuff. I got to the point where I didn't really care about the 75-year old mystery. I was just enjoying the characters.
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Lee and the group are back it in another fun adventure from Warner Pier. This time "Hollywood" has come to town and many of the residents are acting differently. Lee senses trouble is brewing from the moment a chocolate lab puppy named Monte comes charging up to her in the park.
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I liked it.
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Another great read in this series. I love this series and the characters. I will continue reading it b
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This is a such a fun addition to the series! Love the characters, Joe is finally building a personality, and I really enjoyed the mystery.
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This was not my favorite cozy mystery. I had a hard time getting into it. I cannot even point to a reason why. I am sure there are many other who would enjoy this book, just not me.
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This book was as enjoyable as the others in the series. I look forward to other installments.
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The Chocolate Puppy Puzzle by JoAnna Carl is book 4 of the Chocoholic Mystery series set in present-day Michigan. Fictitious Warner Pier is a small resort town on the east shore of Lake Michigan, celebrating the end of the tourist season with a “Fall Rinkydink” fair. Lee McKinney lives and works with her Aunt Nettie at TenHuis Chocolade, a gourmet chocolate shop. Her boyfriend Joe Woodyard, the city attorney, would like Lee to set a wedding date, but she hesitates.
Frisky chocolate Labrador puppy “Monte” arrives with Aubrey Andrews Armstrong, a movie producer from Hollywood. He wants to film a local author’s debut novel on her family homestead. Simple, quiet Mae Ensminger morphed into flashy, dramatic Maia Michaelson with the launch of her book. Mae/Maia’s Uncle Silas is furious about filming on his property and warns Armstrong off.
Lee suspects Armstrong may be a phony just like Maia, and she confirms it by trying to look up his purported film production career on the Internet. Lee doesn’t have a chance to warn her Aunt Nettie, before Nettie accepts a dinner date with Armstrong. Lee worries if Armstrong will swindle her aunt or humiliate her.
Lee goes to see Maia’s uncle Silas on his farm to see the business card from Armstrong, but instead finds Silas’s murdered body.
Lee’s friend Maggie McNutt, high school drama teacher, confides that Armstrong is a crook, but she cannot reveal it publicly or he will shame her with a secret from her past. Lee continues investigating Armstrong, trying to find evidence against him so she can keep her friend Maggie’s secret.
Out at Silas’s farm cottage (now Mae/Maia and Vernon’s) someone shoots at Armstrong, but he doesn’t want to report it to the police. The puppy “Monte” is dropped off at Aunt Nettie’s in the middle of the night, and Armstrong disappears. When Lee goes to deliver chocolates to an isolated mansion in the woods, someone tries to kill her.
Lee must remain hidden to stay alive, and yet ferret out the truth about Silas’ murder, Armstrong’s disappearance and her own attack. She reads the town newspaper archives for understanding of events in the past which may have led up to current violence.
She accidentally stumbles upon the truth, faces down the murderer, and cleverly saves the day. Oh, and sets a wedding date.
It’s a fun quick read. Between chapters “Chocolate Chat” pages share fun facts about chocolate’s history. I look forward to reading more of the series.
