Book Review: Death is Like a Box of Chocolates by Kathy Aarons (Chocolate Covered Mysteries #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Interesting mystery and likeable characters

Cons: Story wanders a tad at the beginning and end

The Bottom Line:

Book is gateway drug

Promising more chocolate

And fun mysteries

Delicious Way to Go

I don’t need any more series to read.  And yet I can’t help but read up on new series that are starting, and it seems like several catch my eye.  That was the case with Death Is Like a Box of Chocolates.  Add in a couple of good reviews, and I bought the book.  I’m glad I did because this was a fun debut.

Michelle Serrano and Erica Russell are celebrating the first anniversary of their combined bookstore and chocolate shop, Chocolate and Chapters.  As part of that celebration, they are hosting a fudge cook off.  The mayor of their town has turned it into the kickoff of a Memorial Day event designed to bring tourists into the town and give a boost to the local economy.

However, two weeks before the event, Michelle walks into her chocolate part of the store and finds their neighbor, Denise, sitting in a chair dead.  Worse yet, she was poisoned with one of Michelle’s chocolate truffles.  With the locals looking at Michelle with suspicion, she needs to find out how poison got into one of her chocolates and then into Denise.  Meanwhile, the potential tourists are starting to cancel their plans to come to town.  Can Michelle find the killer and save her own reputation before the upcoming holiday weekend is ruined?

The beginning of the book was a tad on the slow side as we were being introduced to the characters and the story was set up.  However, as the book progressed, I really began to like the characters.  Michelle, Erica, and their friends and family became more developed, and I truly came to care for them.  I’m looking forward to finding out what happens to them next.

Likewise, the plot got stronger as it went along.  There were some great twists to things that kept me confused until the very end.  The plot gets a little sidetracked near the end, but the climax is wonderful and perfectly logical.

Since Michelle is known for her truffles, it only makes sense that there are recipes for three truffles at the end of the book.  These may not be traditional truffle flavors, but they sound delicious to me, and fairly easy to make.  Honestly, I was just interested in seeing how truffles are made.

I can’t resist chocolate, and once I start I can’t eat just one.  It’s going to be the same with this series, I can tell.  Death Is Like a Box of Chocolates is a fun debut that teases at even more great mysteries to come, and I will be picking up the next in the series for sure.