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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

REVIEW - The Great Witches Baking Show (Great Witches Baking Show #1) by Nancy Warren

A baker with secrets
Witches in trouble
The cameras are rolling
Ready, set, die.

REVIEW

Would you like something sweet? If yes, treat yourself with The Great Witches Baking Show. Nancy Warren cooked it especially for you. Curious about her recipe and the ingredients she had used? Let’s try to find out: 

Ingredients: 
- one young woman to play the amateur sleuth; carefully developed, intelligent, insecure and with a secret (of the paranormal species) enough to add a particular pleasant flavor;
- some herrings… better said, some red herrings, in the perfect amount to don’t spoil the taste, but sufficient to raise and keep the curiosity; maybe also some red herrings about the red herrings… 
- two plots that will intersect each other at the right moments and will make people want more; each of them with their specific elements and curiosities; 
- intrigues as much as it’s necessary; 
- several possible suspects (with motivations for all of them) and several real clues here and there; 
 - one or two teaspoons of some action in a naïve but believable way; 
- other (innocent) characters who have a suspicious vibe to resist until consumption of the last gobbet. 
"We’re looking for interesting flavors and some artistic imagination."
Method: - it’s secret; I can only say that I discovered; Nancy Warren: 
- mixed the plots – attention this is a very tricky business but in this case, nicely done; 
- then took in the right amount the above ingredients – this is the real art of…cooking a cozy mystery; 
- added them at the right time and in the right drops in the mixed plots; 
- boiled them all softly in a cauldron of the small community; not too long, the time (and pages) will flow immediately! 

The result: a nice puzzle to elucidate and the challenge to work it out before the end of the book. One plot seems solved, the other will continue in the next volume of this new series. I’ll keep an eye on it, you do well and do the same! After all, from time to time, all of us need something sweet, cooked by the good witch Nancy Warren.

Description:

Published: January 15th, 2020

A baker with secrets
Witches in trouble
The cameras are rolling
Ready, set, die.

Poppy Wilkinson is thrilled to be chosen as a contestant on The Great British Baking Contest. As an American with English roots, winning the crown as Britain’s Best Baker would open doors she’s dreamed of. In more ways than one. Appearing on the reality show is her chance to get into Broomewode Hall and uncover the secrets of her past.

But strange things are happening on the show’s set: accusations of sabotage, a black cat that shadows Poppy, suspiciously unsociable residents at Broomewode Hall—and the judges can be real witches.

There are murmurs that Broomewode is an energy vortex. It certainly makes Poppy see and do things that aren’t exactly normal, and seems to draw interesting characters to the neighborhood.

When a fellow contestant dies in mysterious circumstances, Poppy has more to worry about than burned pies and cakes that won’t rise. There’s a murderer on the loose and it’s up to Poppy and her new friends to solve the crime before it becomes a real show-stopper.

From USA Today Bestselling Author Nancy Warren, this delicious series of cozy paranormal mysteries will have you guessing until the end. Includes recipes.

About the author:
Nancy Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than seventy novels, including the best selling Vampire Knitting Club series and the Toni Diamond mysteries. She's from Vancouver, though she tends to wander. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa university, appeared on the front page of the New York Times when her book Speed Dating launched the Harlequin/Nascar series. She was also the answer to a clue in a crossword puzzle in Canada's National Post newspaper.


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4 comments:

CMash said...

Loved, loved your review!

Nancy Warren said...

Oh, what a delightful review! Thank you so much. And you're right, putting together a successful mystery is a lot like baking. I'm so glad this one was to your taste :)

CCAM said...

@Nancy Warren

Thank you for the book and your kind words; I'm glad you liked the review too <3


@Cheryl

happpyyyy Thank you!

Victoria Alexander said...

Great review, sounds like a good book :)