Title: Black Cherry Betrayal (Claire's Candles 2) by Agatha Frost
Date Published: 9th June 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Description:
THERE'S A BODY IN THE ATTIC...
Claire Harris is excited to get the keys to her candle shop finally. A foul smell coming from the attic, however, turns her excitement into a living nightmare. There, she finds the body of Jane Brindle, the owner of the tearoom, which had stood in the heart of the village for decades.
Jane's eventual retirement at eighty after years of fruitlessly hounding her daughter, Em, to take over the tearoom sent her to the south of France, or so everyone assumed. Jane never left Northash, but nobody is admitting to knowing what happened to her. Accusations fly everywhere, with many fingers pointing at free-spirited Em, and even some at Claire for daring to change the status quo.
How did Jane end up dead in the locked attic after having supposedly left the village for a new life under the sun four months previously? How is Jane's impossibly wealthy 102-year-old mother, Opal, involved? Someone close to Jane killed her, but can Claire find out who before her candle shop dreams crumble around her?
THE DETECTIVE
Claire Harris, daughter of a retired detective inspector, runs her dream candle shop in a quaint British village. Surrounded by gossiping villagers, tight-knit friends, and loyal family, Claire, in her mid-thirties, can't help sleuthing when strange things happen on her doorstep...
Book 2 in the Claire's Candles Cozy Mystery series! Can be read as a standalone but will be enjoyed better as part of the series. A light, cozy mystery with a candle-loving British amateur female sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters. Written in British English. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes! Contains mild peril.
Review:
I really enjoyed the first in Claire's candles mystery series, Vanilla Bean Vengeance back in 2020, so I went out and bought the second, but of course me being the book hoarder that I am didn't get around to reading it until now.
This is the second in the series while it can be read as a standalone, but I would definitely recommend reading the first, as there are a few references to it in this book.
I was in the mood for a book on the lighter side after my last read and Black Cherry Betrayal was just what I needed!
Claire is on the verge of getting what she's always wanted; opening up a candle shop which stocks all of her handmade candles. Tragedy strikes when she finds the body of Jane, former owner of her shop, in the attic. Jane was about to start her retirement. Why would anyone want to kill her? It's up to Claire to find out.
The book has all the ingredients for a good cozy mystery; a likeable sleuth, a small town setting, a good few suspects with plenty of clues and red herrings along the way.
What I liked about this book, apart from the mystery, was the character development. In the first book, I felt that Claire's mum was a little harsh on her and always nitpicking at her dress sense and size just to be mean. She still does that in this novel, but there's more of a sense of love there and the author explained more about why she was that way.
The book really kept me guessing. I didn't figure out the whodunnit until near the end, which I always enjoy.
Black Cherry Betrayal is a lighthearted mystery with a likeable sleuth and a puzzling mystery that keeps you guessing.
About The Author:
AGATHA FROST, an Amazon bestselling author, has written over thirty mystery novels. She lives in the North West English county of Lancashire with her partner, two cuddly beagles, and two feline friends. When Agatha isn't writing, she loves reading head-scratching mysteries and thrillers, tea in the mornings, coffee near deadlines, baking, photography, interior design, and exploring her local countryside on long dog walks.
From a young age, Agatha devoured the great British murder mystery books and television shows, ample inspiration for her Peridale Café and Claire's Candles series. She loves writing about contemporary family women who juggle their ordinary village lives with the challenges of amateur sleuthing. Add in some good food, close friends and family, cute pets, and plenty of twists and turns, and you have a classic Agatha Frost mystery.
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