Kelly's Koffee Shop

Kelly, a small town snack-bar owner, and her drug-tracker boxer, Rebel, are loveable sleuths in Dianne Harman’s wonderful whodunit, Kelly’s Koffee Shop. A well-respected teenager has been found murdered in this tight-knit village where everyone knows each other, and it’s the talk of the town. The murdered girl is Kelly’s godchild so she feels obligated to find the killer. We follow the investigation closely with Kelly and her partner, Mike, who is the town sheriff. There are at least five local suspects with detailed files, and at one point, I was convinced I knew who did it, but then the author turns my head around by presenting a brand new suspect who turns out to be the real murderer.
This is an enjoyable read which will be a show more sure pleaser for the young adult and more mature readers. The author also reveals Kelly’s famous recipes at the end of the book, as well as a sneak preview of her upcoming novel. Well done, Dianne Harman. show less

Meets the criteria of a cozy mystery.

A female sleuth with a police contact who feeds her information, a small community setting, and a theme. One thene is cooking and the book includes several interesting recipes.

This is the first book in the series and does show promise.
There are no “caraciature:” eccentric characters which I dislike rather all characters fit the small town theme. The pace is sometimes uneven and the dialogue is unreal and at at times fatuous. I hope to see the characters grow as the series progresses.
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I liked the storyline of this easy-to-read book. I did find the dialogue a little stilted. The characters names were repeated a little too much for me. I think I would have enjoyed it more with a bit more descriptive language. That said, I did find the storyline light and not difficult. I was surprised at the "who-dunnit" part; I was busy trying to figure out who the murderer was from the cast of characters.

Kelly's Koffee Shop (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery, #1) by Dianne Harman is a well written cozy mystery. Even though I read them out of order, this is a stand alone book. I gave it five stars.

"Rebel was a gentle giant, but the regulars knew his one job in life was to protect Kelly at all times. If she went in the kitchen, he did too. She was never out of his sight."

I received a complimentary kindle copy from Amazon in a promotion. That did not change my opinion for this review.