Finger Lickin' Dead

Title: Finger Lickin' Dead

Author: Riley Adams aka Elizabeth Spann Craig

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: Memphis BBQ Mystery, Bk 2

ISBN: 9780425241912

Pages: 250 + Recipes

Obtained: Personal copy through paperbackswap.com

Comments:

I dragged my feet about reading this.  Maybe I just don't connect with the atmosphere.  I'm definitely not as charmed by all the characters when I know I should be.  For example, Flo (a wedding planner) rushes in anxious that the crazy bride and family have changed the wedding plans at the last minute.  What is she to do?!  She's just SO grateful when her friends jump in and offer to help.  But I couldn't help feeling that she definitely expected that as the result.  Why act like she couldn't think of a way out of her bind?  What I'm sure should have come across as friends coming through for each other felt like deceit to me.

I ended up taking a 1 1/2 week break from reading the book (due to life), and when I came back to it it did move much faster for me.I think I was finally able to get past some of the misgivings I had coming in and let myself enjoy the story.  The red herrings were frequent enough (I mean every other page at times), that I managed to have no idea about who was a murderer.  Oh the suspects were there, but it was harder to judge when everyone is supposed to be friends.  Several people had motive and were witnessed near the victim in some form of conflict.  But they all had "reasons" and Lulu liked them all, so the information was skewed.

What this means is pretty much the same thing that bothered me so in the beginning (the atmosphere and characters) is what made the mystery for me in the end.  By the time I finished, I enjoyed the book.  As for continuing the series, that depends on if the next book, Hickory Smoked Homicide, puts itself in front of me.  I'm getting to the point of having so many cozy mystery series started, and so many new ones starting all the time, I just can't guarantee continuing of them.