Review of Banana Split

Banana Split

A Culinary Mystery

Josi S. Kilpack

Shadow Mountain 2012

ISBN 9781609089030

   Sadie Hoffmiller has taken a mental health leave in Hawaii to rejuvenate and heal after her previous experiences in sleuthing. Her time in Hawaii is not as tranquil as she had planned. She is off with the Blue Muumuus, kind of a Hawaiian version of the Red Hats , when a dead body finds her. She suddenly becomes forced into facing her fears and anxieties.

   When the dead woman's son seeks out Sadie, she finds herself hard pressed to stay out of danger and just try and face her fears. Charlie has questions about his mom and thinks Sadie is the only one who can help. With the assistance of her boyfriend cop back home, her best friend, and a local social worker, will she be able to help Charlie and in the process, help herself on the road to recovery?

   This is the seventh book in the culinary mystery series. I have not read any of the others so I don't know exactly what has been going on with Sadie. This is a pretty good book and if you like a different type of mystery without all the really bad stuff, this one is for you. Sadie is definitely an unlikely person to be a sleuth. She is middle aged and an empty nester. Actually, it is hard for me to picture her in the role. She would have to be a stronger woman then she is in this book. She is suffering from some severe depression and anxiety in this episode. My biggest problem with this book is the extreme degrees that Sadie swings in this story. She is almost non-functional to start and within a matter of a few days, while facing her demons, she is solving the mystery of Charlie's mom's death. A bit unbelievable in my estimation. The story keeps shifting from place to place and makes for a jerky feel to the storyline. There are some recipes thrown in throughout the story which makes a nice addition to the book. Unfortunately, since I hate to cook, I will probably never give them a try. All in all, this is a pretty good read. If you just want a nice mystery to curl up with, this would be a good choice. Even though this is not one of my top rates, I would still check out the other books in the series.

   I wish to thank the author for providing me a copy to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. I was not compensated in anyway except for receiving the book to review.

I give Banana Split 3.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase link:http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Split-Culinary-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1609089030/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333149243&sr=8-2

 Author's website: http://www.josiskilpack.com/