When I first started this series, I wasn't impressed. I'm a huge fan of the Hannah Swensen books by JoAnne Fluke, and these seemed like a cheap knockoff. There are so many of the same plot elements: slightly overweight protagonist who finds herself immersed in murder investigations, police antagonization, a love triangle, and of course, delicious recipes. I had a hard time overlooking that in the first couple of books, but as I've gone on, I've had a better time of it. I quite enjoyed this one. I think I'm coming to realize even more that every writer has to get inspiration from somewhere. And the later books in this series aren't nearly as closely related to Fluke's books.

I like that Kilpack has her characters travel, instead of always being in the same place. It adds excitement to the book. I also really like the recipes that she's included. I tried the Butterfinger cookies from this book, and HEAVEN. That's all I have to say about those. I have plans to try all of them sometime soon.

I do like Sadie as a character. She's feisty, clever, and not above getting a little dirty to get the job done. She's a lot like Hannah in that respect, and Hannah is one of my favorite literary characters. Sadie has developed a lot from the first book. She came across as whiny and needy in Lemon Tart, but that has lessened considerably since. I'm coming to appreciate her wit more and more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's good for a quick, fun read. I'm giving it a 'drooling' rating (because of the recipes!) ( )

Key Lime Pie by Josi S. KilPack a nifty cozy. The main character, Sadie Hoffmiller loves good Southern cooking, has a wonderful quirky sense of humor and is 56 years old. She wears her age well.

Sadie has two boyfriends, dependable Pete Cunningham and the wild Eric Burton. She feels a lot of attraction for Eric and is not so sure about Pete. After she broke up with Pete, should she encourage her girlfriends date Pete? She had got into trouble with the law previously along with Eric. Eric seems to walk the edge of breaking the law. That apparently was covered in a previous cozy. But there was no problem reading this book before reading the previous one or ones. The story is great as a standalone.

Eric's daughter has been missing for a while and there has been a body found that could be hers. Sadie starts off to hunt down the truth. I liked her character. She questioned whether or not she should be doing something or not. She wasn’t always sure of what she should be doing and was a pretty good judge of character except for boyfriends. The story does get more complex and revealed more about Eric than Sadie wanted to know. I liked the unique characters that she met while trying to uncover the truth.

The recipes are great ones and make me long for comfort food. She likes to make good Southern recipes and doesn’t have much respect for readymade food. There are also some twists that took me completely by surprise. The twists were like the tartness of the key lime pie.

I recommend this to all cozy lovers; I want to read more of her books. ( )

I love this series! The recipes are amazing. The author has a way of pulling you into the characters life. Each book builds on the previous. I have a hard time putting it down at the end of a chapter, as she keeps the action going.

Josie Kilpack has done it again! Sadie is back and this time she has a love interest and around that interest lies a mystery just begging to be solved with Sadie's help.

This is my second book of the "Culinary Mysteries" by Mrs. Kilpack and the more I read of this series, the more I want! I love Sadie's character. She is a middle aged busy body who is also a clean freak and a culinary snob. Well, maybe snob is a bit harsh, but she is one that critiques the food she eats and many times decides she can do a better job. If not, she begs for the recipe, and writes it down in her "little black book".

Sadie has a way of getting the necessary information to help solve each mystery. If she can't get someone to talk, she's found that food usually loosens the tongue. Sadie also has a way of getting herself into trouble. She's a lovable yet sometimes annoying character that you can't help but enjoy. She's funny, witty, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

A nice plus to the book are the recipes. If Sadie is eating, cooking or discussing a certain dish, you are most likely to find the recipe at the end of that chapter. If you haven't read one of these delightful Culinary Mysteries, make sure to add at least one to your reading list. They are truly a fun read and a nice bonus is you can start anywhere in the series. The books do mention past events, but you don't get the feeling of being lost and missing out.

These mysteries will be enjoyed by those that like cozy mysteries, Miss Silver mysteries or anyone that just wants a nice fun read. ( )

Culinary + mystery=one fantastic novel! That's just what this book was! Josi Kilpack has mad writing skills as an author. I loved how she instantly captured me with both the humor aspect, and the mysterious aspect, and added depth with a romance aspect,too! Her characters were gripping and kept me hooked through out.

I really loved Sadie's character, bless her heart. She was a witty one, who just can't sit still long enough to mind her own business and not be a busy body. Enter humor aspect. She's a sweet character, who loves to eat good old Southern food (mmmm! No wonder I love her character!) but she has one eensie little problem...she seems to be involved in murder investigations when she tries to help out....hmmmmm. Enter mysterious aspect. Sadie, while witty and loveable, just can't help being in other people's affairs to "lend a hand" and some cookies!

Oh, and Sadie has another problem..she's got TWO guys in her life and she's just not sure which one she wants to end up with. Especially when one of them is a person who's directly connected to the murder investigation. Enter a romance aspect.

I am trying to keep all the spoilers out of this review. I haven't used spoilers yet and I'm not starting now, but boy is it hard to not just get right down to business of the story and everything I liked about it. I will just say this: this is a 4 star novel that will fill your cravings for a witty mystery and leave your stomach rumbling for more! You'll be able to practically taste the good from this novel, especially with the recipes thrown in. My only regret with this novel? I didn't read the first 2 culinary mysteries! But, along with book 4, Blackberry Crumble (releasing in 2011), I'll be checking out the rest of Kilpack's fabulous mystery series!

*This book was provided for review by Pump Up Your Book Promotions and the author* ( )