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kimdavishb's review against another edition
5.0
LADLE TO THE GRAVE is the story of Lucky Jamieson who owns and runs By the Spoonful, a soup restaurant in Snowflake, Vermont. When one of the town’s women drops dead after drinking May wine while celebrating Beltane Eve, Lucky’s grandfather, Jack, becomes an immediate suspect for accidentally poisoning the wine. Jack doesn’t have a mean bone in his body but he did pick the herbs that the wine was brewed with. Even though Jack is getting on in years and worries he made a mistake, Lucky knows her grandfather could not have given the women poisonous herbs. Jack also suffers from post traumatic syndrome and when the stress of the death sends him into a downward spiral, Lucky takes it upon herself to find out who murdered the woman.
In addition to trying to find the murderer, Lucky is in the midst of helping her best friend, Sophie, plan her wedding to By the Spoonful’s chef, Sage DuBois. To thank Lucky for all her help, Sophie takes her to visit her family’s property in the mountains. But instead of a relaxing girls’ getaway, they find a unidentifiable dead body, which could be Sophie’s estranged brother. The police begin taking an interest in Sophie since she has a strong motive for wanting her brother permanently out of the picture. Now Lucky has two people dear to her that need to have their names cleared and she races against the clock to make sure Sophie will be able to walk down the aisle to wed Sage.
I enjoyed Ladle to the Grave very much and am happy that there are three previous books in the series I haven’t read yet! Even if you don’t start with the very first one in the series, the Soup Lover’s Mystery series are easily read as a stand-alone. In addition to a great story with twists in the plot, Ms. Archer provides a variety of recipes along with one for May wine. My husband loved the Sausage and Vegetable Stew recipe I made! There was plenty of sausage to satisfy him and enough vegetables to suit my taste as well. I will certainly be making this stew again and loved the fact that it was great as leftovers for a few days.
In addition to trying to find the murderer, Lucky is in the midst of helping her best friend, Sophie, plan her wedding to By the Spoonful’s chef, Sage DuBois. To thank Lucky for all her help, Sophie takes her to visit her family’s property in the mountains. But instead of a relaxing girls’ getaway, they find a unidentifiable dead body, which could be Sophie’s estranged brother. The police begin taking an interest in Sophie since she has a strong motive for wanting her brother permanently out of the picture. Now Lucky has two people dear to her that need to have their names cleared and she races against the clock to make sure Sophie will be able to walk down the aisle to wed Sage.
I enjoyed Ladle to the Grave very much and am happy that there are three previous books in the series I haven’t read yet! Even if you don’t start with the very first one in the series, the Soup Lover’s Mystery series are easily read as a stand-alone. In addition to a great story with twists in the plot, Ms. Archer provides a variety of recipes along with one for May wine. My husband loved the Sausage and Vegetable Stew recipe I made! There was plenty of sausage to satisfy him and enough vegetables to suit my taste as well. I will certainly be making this stew again and loved the fact that it was great as leftovers for a few days.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
4.0
Ladle to the Grave is a solidly-written, genuinely puzzling cozy mystery with a thoroughly likable and intelligent protagonist. Lucky Jamieson owns and runs a soup restaurant; she’s engaged to the doctor who runs the town’s clinic, and her grandfather’s best friend is the police chief, which gives her access to more information than most amateur detectives. (Though I usually balk at the police sharing information with civilians, in this series I buy it, both because the town is so small and because of the personal relationship between Lucky and the chief.) Lucky is pretty level-headed, very loyal to her friends, fiercely protective of her grandfather, and naturally curious but not usually foolhardy – a good combination.
Snowflake, Vermont, the book’s small-town setting, is populated by interesting yet realistic characters – by which I mean that they are the sort of people you might meet in any town, rather than the exaggerated eccentrics that proliferate in some cozy mystery series. Sophie, Lucky’s friend, plays a large role in this book, because one of the mysteries involves her at least peripherally. Lucky’s grandfather is involved in the other death – a possible accidental poisoning – and the stress is stirring up his PTSD. As protective as Leslie is, it’s no surprise that she tries to clear his name.
I really enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and the various twists that Connie Archer threw in. The solution to one death felt just a tad convenient, though it certainly came as a surprise – I honestly didn’t see it coming. The other I had begun to suspect, but not until well into the book (and I didn’t get it exactly right even then.) It’s always fun when the author can surprise me, because I’m usually pretty good at spotting the villain.
This is the fourth book in the series, and the second I’ve read, but you don’t have to read the first ones to appreciate Ladle to the Grave. The recurring characters’ lives and relationships do develop as the series goes on, but Archer does a good job of catching new readers up on the essentials without boring those who’ve already spent time in Snowflake. That said, if you enjoy reading a cozy series from start to finish, go for it! (You can find the whole series listed on Goodreads.) And be sure to check out the recipes at the end of the book – they sound delicious.
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are entirely my own.
Snowflake, Vermont, the book’s small-town setting, is populated by interesting yet realistic characters – by which I mean that they are the sort of people you might meet in any town, rather than the exaggerated eccentrics that proliferate in some cozy mystery series. Sophie, Lucky’s friend, plays a large role in this book, because one of the mysteries involves her at least peripherally. Lucky’s grandfather is involved in the other death – a possible accidental poisoning – and the stress is stirring up his PTSD. As protective as Leslie is, it’s no surprise that she tries to clear his name.
I really enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and the various twists that Connie Archer threw in. The solution to one death felt just a tad convenient, though it certainly came as a surprise – I honestly didn’t see it coming. The other I had begun to suspect, but not until well into the book (and I didn’t get it exactly right even then.) It’s always fun when the author can surprise me, because I’m usually pretty good at spotting the villain.
This is the fourth book in the series, and the second I’ve read, but you don’t have to read the first ones to appreciate Ladle to the Grave. The recurring characters’ lives and relationships do develop as the series goes on, but Archer does a good job of catching new readers up on the essentials without boring those who’ve already spent time in Snowflake. That said, if you enjoy reading a cozy series from start to finish, go for it! (You can find the whole series listed on Goodreads.) And be sure to check out the recipes at the end of the book – they sound delicious.
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are entirely my own.
kathyscottage's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
4.0
Ladle to the Grave is part of the Soup Lover’s mystery series by Connie Archer. I really am enjoying this series and this book was no exception. In this book, a death has occurred and there is some question as to whether it was accidental or not. Lucky’s grandfather is mixed up in the death due to his gardening and herb gathering hobbies. Lucky is plunged into the investigation to clear her grandfather’s conscience and his good name.
Entwined with the mystery are Lucky’s budding romance with Elias, Sage and Sophie’s wedding plans, which the entire plan wants to be in on and the ski resort’s expansion plans that include land Sophie has inherited along with her estranged brother. A second body turns up and the mystery builds. The story is paced well and flows quickly to a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended to readers of cozy mysteries!
Entwined with the mystery are Lucky’s budding romance with Elias, Sage and Sophie’s wedding plans, which the entire plan wants to be in on and the ski resort’s expansion plans that include land Sophie has inherited along with her estranged brother. A second body turns up and the mystery builds. The story is paced well and flows quickly to a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended to readers of cozy mysteries!
katherineep's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Lucky and her friends. They were nice, interesting and didn't act like children. The setting is beautiful and I really want a restaurant that specializes in soup nearby! The little glimpses of Lucky's parents were nice and I really enjoyed her relationship with her grandfather. They were close but not right on top of each other. It felt very much like a real relationship. It was nice to get a feel for Sophie and Lucky's childhood and definitely helped me connect with both characters more. I liked that police weren't portrayed as inept and Lucky, while investigating, wasn't going against the orders of police. There were no slow spots or places it felt like the story was dragging and the reveal was a surprise which is pretty rare for me! While I haven't read the first 3 in the series (though I own them) I don't feel like that prevented me from enjoying the story and connecting with the characters.
Overall:This was a cup of tea kind of mystery. This is an interesting story, great pacing, nice characters and soup. What more can you want!
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/02/ladle-to-grave-blog-tour-review-giveaway.html
Overall:This was a cup of tea kind of mystery. This is an interesting story, great pacing, nice characters and soup. What more can you want!
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/02/ladle-to-grave-blog-tour-review-giveaway.html
dollycas's review against another edition
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Another tasty mystery from Connie Archer.
Snowflake Vermont is a small town where everyone knows everyone and most likely everybody knows your business too.
First Sage and Sophie are trying to plan a small wedding but the whole town seems to plan on attending, well not everyone, but definitely more than the couple had originally planned. Then we end up with not just one body but two. A group of ladies decide to welcome Spring in a whole new way. The fun quickly comes to a halt when one of the women falls over dead after drinking some special brew. The concoction was enhanced by herbs Lucky’s grandfather, Jack, had gathered, which lands him in the soup. Then the next body is found in some chilly water. Sophie finds a man in a bubbling brook on the property where she grew up. She also learns that property may hold other secrets as the neighboring Ski Resort wants to pay big bucks to buy it.
This was one of those stories that once you started reading you just couldn’t stop. I really felt bad for Jack. He was really questioning himself. Did he make a mistake and pick something that killed someone? I liked the large part Sage and Sophie played in this story. It was great to get to know more about each of them and their relationship. As always I love checking in on the the recurring characters that drop in at By The Spoonful.
Archer has given us two mysteries to solve and she weaves them together throughout the entire story. Readers follow the clues right along with Lucky, a spoonful at a time. The characters remind me so much of the people that used to drop by my mother’s restaurant. I have a picture of each of them in my mind.
Same time, next year, Connie. My next trip to Snowflake is all planned.
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