Today's Read & Giveaway: A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer

What would you do if you lived in a small town and thought one of your employees was in danger? Would your protective instincts kick in? Whether she likes it or not, Lucky Jamieson, owner of the By the Spoonful restaurant, can't help but get involved when one of her waitresses seems to be the target of a stalker and that stalker just might be a suspect in a murder investigation.

Nate Edgerton, Snowflake's Chief of Police, reached over and flipped off the siren and flashing light. He pulled his cruiser to the side of the road, slowing and coming to a stop behind a bright blue sports car. Early morning sunlight reflected off the rear bumper of the car where two people, a young couple, sat huddled together. Nate could tell from their expressions there was no need to hurry.

He turned to his deputy. "Cancel the ambulance."

—A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer (Penguin Random House / Berkley Prime Crime, 2014, p. 1)

Quick Facts

• Setting: Snowflake, Vermont, in modern times.
• Circumstances: Just before the Harvest Festival, a stranger is found dead at the side of the road; meanwhile a group of Gaelic travelers arrive in Snowflake, and a waitress thinks she's being stalked
• Characters: Lucky, the owner of a soup restaurant; Jack, her grandfather, Elias, her boyfriend; Janie, a waitress; friends, townsfolk, tourists, and police officers
• Genre: cozy mystery
• What I liked: I loved the way Archer captures the nature of small town life and makes the fictional village seem real. The soups on the By the Spoonful menu sound so good, I wish I could become one of the regulars. The restaurant is perfect for Lucky (and us!) because she's able to keep up with local gossip and gets to know her neighbors well. Roux of Revenge had everything I like in a cozy: great setting, fun characters, and enough suspects to make it hard to figure out who done it.
• What you need to know: This is the third installment in Archer's Soup Lovers series, but readers are given enough background so they won't feel lost if they start with Roux of Revenge. At the back of the book, you'll find recipes, which are from the author's own kitchen and include both her twists on classics and her own inventions.

The Giveaway

Thanks to the good people at Berkley Prime Crime, I have one copy of A Roux Revenge to giveaway to one of my readers. All you have to do to enter for a chance to win is to have a U.S. mailing address and to fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner via random number generator on April 15 (to ease the sting of taxes). Once the winner has been confirmed, I'll delete all personal information from my computer. Good luck!



ISBN-13: 9780425252420
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