Cricket McRae

I really enjoyed this book, I often have a somewhat love/hate reaction to cozy mysteries since I find the plots totally unbelievable, but this one managed to avoid most of the usual pit falls as well as having some of the best writting I've come across in this type of book.
The characters were fun, engaging and believable and I found myself just as engaged in their personal stories as I was the mystery. The mystery itself made sense, was well paced and it was believable that the main show more character would end up involved in solving it. show less

Soap maker Sophie Mae Reynolds is devastated when she finds the body of neighborhood handyman Walter Hanover on her workroom floor. The police think he committed suicide by drinking lye but Sophie Mae isn't convinced and begins looking into Walter's death herself much to the annoyance of Detective Barr Ambrose. The more Sophie Mae digs, the more complicated the case becomes. Sophie Mae doesn't seem to have a clue about Walter's death, but someone thinks she does and soon her life and the show more lives of those around her are in real danger.

"Lye in Wait" is the first book in Cricket McRae's Home Crafting Mystery series and it has some good moments. The characters are good, starting with Sophie Mae. She is a well-written character - widowed and making a decent living with her soap and other beauty products. I liked the fact that in this book, unlike some other mysteries, Sophie Mae is seen actually working instead of letting the mystery take over the book. Sophie Mae lives with her friend Meghan and Meghan's young daughter Erin and McRae does a good job of describing the relationship between the three which is very believable. The descriptions of the meals that Sophie Mae and Meghan cook made my mouth water. While the characters and soap making elements worked for me, the mystery aspects didn't work as well. Although the book has all the elements of a cozy mystery (including the ubiquitous attractive detective) it is a little too gritty to be called a cozy, especially in the way Walter dies and Meghan's relationship with her jerk of an ex-husband. The mystery seems to rely on too many coincidences and I felt cheated at the end when the murderer was revealed.

"Lye in Wait" is not a perfect mystery, but has some good moments and interesting characters and looks like the start of a good mystery series. show less

I had this on my TBR for way too long and read it as a part of a TBR challenge. I enjoyed it so much I was sorry it was pushed back so often. It is a cozy mystery yet it isn’t. I mean there is cursing, (not a lot), and some mature themes like alcoholism, mental illness and family related abuse. You don’t really see those play big parts in a cozy. It made it interesting and gave it a realistic feel.
I liked a lot of the characters, especially the main ones. I also like the strong show more relationships that are in the book, (not all are romantic so bonus). The mystery was good with several suspects and finger pointing. I had a good time reading it. I would recommend to those cozy readers who are looking to step it up a little. show less

The author showed some promise, but she was in desperate need of a good editor. The book got way too long-winded at time, too much detail about the crafting stuff. The recipes at the end were sufficient for anyone really interested in that stuff. But the budding "romance" had the spark of a damp dishrag, the climactic scene was a hot mess and the whole thing kind of fell apart for me. It was a kindle freebie, but all in all, I think I overpaid.