The Calamity Café {+ Giveaway}

◊ THE CALAMITY CAFE by Gayle Leeson

◊ Series: A Down South Café Mystery (Book 1)

◊ Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

◊ Genre: Cozy Murder Mystery

◊ Publisher: NAL (June 7, 2016)

◊ Language: English

◊ ISBN-10: 1101990783

◊ ISBN-13: 978-1101990780

SYNOPSIS:

Aspiring chef and small-town Virginia native Amy Flowers is ready to open her own café offering old-fashioned Southern food. But her dream may go up in smoke when someone kills the competition...

          Tired of waiting tables at Lou’s Joint, Amy Flowers doesn’t just quit—she offers to buy the place from her bully of a boss, so she can finally open the café of her dreams. Amy can't wait to serve the kind of Southern, down-home treats and dishes that her grandmother always loved to the kooky cast of regulars at the restaurant. She knows her comfort food will be the talk of the sweet, small town of Winter Garden, Virginia.
          At first Lou Lou refuses to sell, but when she seems ready to make a deal, she tells Amy to come see her.  Showing up at the eatery ready to negotiate, Amy is shocked to find her former employer murdered. As the prime suspect, Amy will have to clear her name by serving up the real killer—and with Lou Lou’s stack of enemies, that’s a tall order.

Includes delicious Southern recipes!

When an author can make you feel like you’re surrounded by a warm, friendly sensation, then you know it’s going to be entertained by a delightful tale.

Author Gayle Leeson translates those feelings through her talented writing in the first installment of her new Down South Café Mystery series. The friendly, close-knit atmosphere of a small community encircles you despite the fact a murder has been committed. The delectable aroma of good old Southern cooking can almost be smelled through the author’s vivid descriptions. It’s an added bonus that several of the recipes are actually shared in the book.

The characters are well-developed and likable. Their easy-going manner will pull you in as the twists and turns keep you guessing. The story flows at a steady pace and holds your attention until the very end.

A good mix of suspense, laughter and a touch of romance make this a pleasurable start to what looks like will be an amusing new series. Cozy mystery fans won’t be able to put down THE CALAMITY CAFÉ until the last drop of entertainment has been absorbed.

The Calamity Café by Gayle Leeson, A Down South Café Mystery (Book #1), Obsidian (NAL), @2016, ISBN: 978-1101990780, Mass Market Paperback, 304 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Penguin/Random House, I have a print copy of THE CALAMITY CAFÉ by Gayle Leeson to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Thursday, June 16.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope I’ve enticed you to check out this new series and the fun first installment. Do you have a favorite café you like to visit? What’s your favorite food to enjoy at a café?

a Rafflecopter giveaway