CELTICLADY'S REVIEWS: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery by G.P. Gottlieb Guest Review and Excerpt! @GottliebGp

Charred: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery by G.P. Gottlieb

Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (February 21, 2023)
Category: Cozy Mystery, Culinary Mystery
Tour Dates: February 1-28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1955065672
Available in Print and ebook,320 pages

Description Charred by G.P. Gottlieb

Alene Baron is dealing with frustrated employees, closed schools, and a homeless man who harasses customers outside the door of her café.

Then, two dead bodies turn up in the burned remains of buildings owned by the husband of Alene’s best friend and pastry chef, Ruthie. Both bodies are wearing jackets that once belonged to Ruthie and crumbled in the pockets are the café’s distinctive wrappers. At the same time, Alene's uncle, a convicted felon, has resurfaced after disappearing for 22 years. It's all too much for the owner of the Whipped and Sipped Café.

Excerpt Whipped and Sipped Mysteries Series by G.P. Gottlieb

Alene rose early Saturday morning, shuffled into the kitchen, and studied the refrigerator for a moment before deciding to make sweet potato waffles with ricotta and blueberries. Ruthie had inspired her to keep baked sweet potatoes on hand, always ready to slip into salads, stir-fries, and desserts. It was too early to call the hospital, but she made a note to call in a few hours—hopefully, Finn had come away bruised but not broken.

Before starting the recipe, she checked the café schedule and texted Rashid and Estrella to confirm that they were opening at six. Kacey and LaTonya were scheduled to get there by seven, and the four of them would handle all the baking and food prep before orders started to come in. Ruthie was always off on Saturdays, so Alene couldn’t take the entire day off, but she’d go in later, after Neal picked up the children. The day always got off to a better start when they were ready for him and waiting outside.

Alene made a pot of coffee and texted Frank, who called back within moments. He felt marginally improved, he said, and it was still just a cold. Rhona had come home late again, and he hadn’t slept well. Alene scraped bean paste from a vanilla pod and told him about how her uncle, the same one who’d been beaten the previous evening in the park, had driven the getaway car for a bank robbery thirty years before.

“I’ve heard a million stories about the robbery, but last night was the first time I’d ever seen one of Finn’s co-conspirators,” she said. “And that guy at the park was supposedly the ringleader.”

“Why did you agree to meet Cal’s brother in the park at night?” Frank asked. “That’s never a good idea. Haven’t you ever watched a crime film?”

She measured the dry ingredients and stirred them in a large glass bowl. “It was more like late afternoon, Frank. I told you that Jocelyn was coming along to help the kids and me accompany my dad to see meet his brother. We certainly didn’t expect Uncle Finn to get attacked.”

“It must have been horrifying,” Frank said.

“Yeah, it was.” Alene shuddered as she added wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Sometimes all she needed was a little empathy. “My dad thought that the old guy got out of prison early because of the pandemic. I couldn’t believe that he attacked my uncle. My dad also said that Finn must have done something to deserve it.”

Frank said, “It’s not okay to beat someone with a weapon of any kind, Alene.”

“I know,” said Alene.

“The guy with the cane is still out there,” said Frank. “You need to be vigilant until we pick him up.”

“If I see someone following me in a wheelchair,” Alene said with a giggle, “I’ll run faster.”

“I’m not joking,” he said.

© G.P. Gottlieb

Review Whipped and Sipped Mysteries Series by G.P. Gottlieb

Guest Review by Laura Lee

Take one serving of charm, add in two cups of intrigue and one mystery to taste, and you will have this captivating new cozy mystery from the author G.P. Gottlieb.

'Charred: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery,' is such a fun read that I completely forgot where I was once, I dove into it.

It's not often that I not only get a great book, but several great recipes to try at the end all wrapped up in one. As a baker, myself, this was too sweet of a temptation to resist!

The mystery of 'Charred,' revolves around a dead body that has been found by the friend of the main character, Alene. Alene owns a bakery in Chicago called Whipped and Sipped, and serves as more than just a boss to her multiple employees, but as a friend that they can trust. This is why her friend comes to her with this information and this is why Alene, despite being unsure whether or not to tell her police officer boyfriend, Frank, ultimately makes the right decision.

Although she may have things under control at work, Alene struggles a bit more at home, where her father's long-time nurse has recently been hospitalized with Covid. Cal, Alene's elderly father, abruptly comes into contact with his long-lost brother, who seemed to vanish without a trace after serving his time in prison for a bank robbery decades earlier.

Alene is unsure of what to think about this sudden reappearance, but as the chips begin to fall into place on the murder investigation, she realizes that her uncle Finn's robbery case may be more relevant than she previously thought.

This all wraps up in a shocking ending that truly had me on the edge of my seat for Alene and all of the Whipped and Sipped gang.

‘|Charred’ is a captivating and fun cozy mystery! I can't wait to see what this author puts out next and I plan on adding her to my 'must read' list immediately!

G.P. Gottlieb has been a musician, a teacher, and an administrator, but she’s happiest when she’s writing recipe-laced murder mysteries. GP Gottlieb has always experimented in the kitchen and created her own delicious vegan cookies and cakes. She is also an interviewer for the New Books in Literature podcast channel. Gottlieb is the mother of three grown children and lives with her husband in Chicago.

Website: https://gpgottlieb.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gottliebgp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorgottlieb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whippedsipped/