Dianne Harman

I've read multiple cozy mysteries with female entrepreneurs opening various types of businesses related to cooking from coffee shops to tea rooms to restaurants so the thought of a catering business was a welcome addition. Ready for a fresh start, DeeDee Wilson is moving to Bainbridge Island to reside in the family home willed by her parents and will begin her own business of Deelish Catering.

I really enjoyed multiple aspects of this cozy. One delight was a "Prologue" providing the special show more event where the murder occurred rather than waiting multiple chapters for the escalation to the murder. Chapter 1 begins the lead-in that led to the special event and continues through the investigation to conclusion. All the transitions flow naturally even at the timing of the "scene of the crime" there is no repeat of the details previously provided in the "Prologue" and the story continues fluidly.

I also enjoyed the protagonist as DeeDee was given a very level and natural personality from the excitement of the opportunities of her fresh start to the moments of anxiety in the multiple changes in her life all beginning simultaneously even though they were of her own creation. DeeDee is someone that one would like to have as a friend and/or hire as a caterer.

I've been fascinated by the Iditarod Race since a family member was the volunteer (actually only one in the group that volunteered) for a short sled ride during a tour in Alaska. I loved the aspects of the story that created the opportunity for DeeDee to own a husky. The weave of the Iditarod and husky dogs rescued from Alaska woven into the story captivated my attention especially when DeeDee and Balto were walking or playing catch on the beach. This addition to the story also brought lovely memories of a former neighbor who owned a Siberian Husky. Huskies are beautiful animals.

DeeDee is a great amateur sleuth without endlessly mulling over question after question during her private time that is often very annoying in a cozy. Due to the timing of the murder it was also possible for DeeDee to take on the investigator role without leaving her business unattended. Another frequent annoyance in a cozy is how often the new entrepreneur leaves their new business in charge of recently hired employees to go sleuthing about town.

A terrific opener of the "Northwest Mystery" series. I'm looking forward to spending more time with DeeDee, Balto, and another character that will surely make more appearances in this series. show less

Coyote in Provence (The Coyote Series) (Volume 2) SOURCE: Author in exchange for a honest review.

As this was my first time reading this author I was not sure what to expect. What intrigued me about this book was the blurb and so I was enthused when I received an ARC. First off I must say that this title was inappropriately classified. I do not believe that this title should have been classified as a romantic suspense genre. I say this as for me there was absolutely nothing suspenseful. It show more did not leave me with that feeling that one would normally get from reading that type of genre. As for the romantic aspect, I personally believe that this was lacking to be even classified as a romance. Apart from this I must say it was an enjoyable read. I was a bit disappointed with the ending as it left me with a lot of questions. I am hoping there will be a sequel so that these questions will be addressed.There were actually two stories in one. I was a bit takes a back at first . Here I was reading about Jordan and Elena and the next thing I am reading about a whole new set of characters in totally and completely different setting. But eventually the connection became clear. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author intertwined these two stories and brought it full circle.This was a unique read and I would definitely recommend to readers looking for something different. show less

While cozy mystery writers are known for testing the limits of suspension of belief, I think this author went too far. There were two sleuths in the story: Chef Dani and Arthur, her one-time bodyguard and owner of a private investigation firm. While Arthur was hired by the owners of the resort and had a reason to investigate, Dani didn't. I don't know why she questioned some of the suspects and I cannot imagine why anyone would allow themselves to be questioned by a chef about a murder. show more Since this is the first book in the series that I have read, perhaps how these two characters came to do their sleuthing together would have been explained in earlier novels. It just seemed odd to me that the chef did more sleuthing than the professional investigator.

What I did find interesting was that digital vehicle forensics was supposed to be used in the investigation. I had never heard about this type of forensics before. However, after Arthur brought this idea up with his clients, it should have been used to determine who the killer was. It not only wasn't used, Arthur never even looked into the car owned by one of the suspects that he was interested in. Why was digital vehicle forensics even mentioned?

One more thing bothered me. When visiting chef Dani arrived at the resort, she was given the Presidential Suite. Granted, Dani is a celebrity chef but this still was odd to me.

There were several flaws in the story but it still had some appeal for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book but when Jackson Kelly died at the midpoint, it fell flat. The second half of the novel, which was the investigation, was not plausible. show less

From what I gather from this book, mafia and drug runners are endemic to the Cayman Islands. So I guess a murder of one of them is to be expected. This is an embarrassingly formulaic murder mystery. A chapter is devoted to each suspect identifying a motive. Then a chapter is spent on questioning by one of the mafia’s “good guys,” ruling each person out. Until one conveniently confesses—so no real detective work has occurred. Not poorly written just poorly executed.