Ginger Snapped
A Spice Shop Mystery
-
-
4.5 • 8 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
Murder comes well-seasoned in Ginger Snapped, Gail Oust's newest novel in the charming, "must-read" (Publishers Weekly) Spice Shop mystery series.
Piper Prescott and Police Chief Wyatt McBride might have gotten off on the wrong foot but, over the past year, their interactions have evolved into a friendship of sorts. And when the body of Shirley Randolph is found floating in a fishing hole, their relationship reaches entirely new territory.
Shirley, the town's Realtor of the Year, was also Wyatt's suspected romantic interest, and now the residents of Brandywine Creek are speculating that Wyatt is responsible for her death. As the town council moves to suspend the handsome lawman, Piper springs into action to save his reputation and possibly his freedom. She enlists the aid of her BFF, Reba Mae Johnson, along with Wyatt himself, to help solve the puzzle and find Shirley’s real killer.
Pointing them toward high-powered real estate tactics and possible affairs, the investigation soon becomes personal when Piper's shop, Spice It Up!, is burglarized, and she’s forced off the road late one night, narrowly escaping serious injury. Realizing that she must be close to uncovering the truth, and that the evidence against Wyatt is no longer circumstantial, Piper resorts to drastic measures to prevent a grave miscarriage of justice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Oust deliciously upends a cozy trope amateur sleuth vs. professional cop in her fifth Spice Shop mystery (after 2016's Curried Away). Fortyish, divorced Piper Prescott offers "anise to za'atar" and sage advice at Spice It Up!, her Brandywine, Ga., shop, but when murder's the matter, detect she must to the perpetual annoyance of police chief Wyatt McBride. Now he needs her: realtor Shirley Randolph's naked body is found in the fishing hole behind his house. They were seen sharing chili fries; suddenly he's a suspect. Even before the death is tagged homicide, he's suspended without pay. Interim chief Sgt. Beau Tucker likes the top badge for the crime and only halfheartedly investigates. But Piper would bet her last ginger rhizome that gorgeous, widowed Wyatt is innocent. Between deliveries of goulash and pizza to his house, she courts danger stalking likely villains with sidekick Reba Mae Johnson. And she risks social opprobrium and her teenage daughter's wrath by agreeing to chaperone the senior prom and asking Wyatt to escort her. Their prom date is hilarious and touching. Ginger lore and simple recipes provide lagniappe.
Customer Reviews
Fifth book in A Spice Shop Mystery series!
Ginger Snapped by Gail Oust is the fifth book in A Spice Shop Mystery series. Piper Prescott owns Spice It Up! In Brandywine Creek. It is April and Melly Prescott, Piper’s former mother-in-law, is getting married to Judge Cottrell Herman. Love has mellowed Melly and changed the relationship between the two women. During the wedding, Sgt. Beau Tucker and John Strickland (the coroner) get phones calls and rush off. After the wedding, Piper finds out that a body was found in Sheriff Wyatt McBride’s pond. Piper rushes over to his home worried about Wyatt (Piper is attracted to him). It turns out that local realtor, Shirley Randolph is the victim. Since Wyatt had been seen with Shirley recently, he is a prime suspect. Wyatt is suspended, and Beau Tucker is made interim sheriff. To clear Wyatt’s name and get him reinstated as sheriff, Piper along with Reba Mae and Wyatt explore Shirley’s life to see who could have wished her harm. Piper realizes she is close to the truth when someone runs her off the road one night and then breaks into her home. What was the killer looking for in her home? The culprit is setting up Wyatt to take the fall, and Piper is not going to let it happen.
Ginger Snapped is a light, humorous cozy mystery. I found it nicely written with a steady pace that made it easy to read. Gail Oust shows what life is like in a small, Southern town where everyone knows your business, gossip abounds, nepotism is alive and thriving, and the people are friendly (and very nosy). The jealousy, flirting and attraction between Wyatt and Piper was prevalent throughout Ginger Snapped. While Ginger Snapped is the fifth book in A Spice Shop Mystery series, it can be read alone. The author provides the necessary background on Piper, the spice shop, the town and secondary characters. We get to experience Piper’s life at the shop and with her family. I am not a fan of Piper’s ex-husband and his new wife. They are annoying and hinder my enjoyment of the story. I keep hoping that CJ will become the killer’s next victim (and Amber will get eaten by a shark). The investigation consists of Piper asking questions and nosing around the victim’s home with Reba Mae (who is in love with victim’s closet of clothes and shoes). When the killer’s identity is revealed, most readers will not be surprised. The why, though, takes a little longer to figure out. I appreciated the description of the spice shop and the information on ginger (it was interesting). Readers who enjoy hilarity, hijinks and homicide in a small Southern town, pick up a copy of Ginger Snapped.