Charred by G.P. Gottlieb: Excerpt, Review

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

 “Can you go back out to the café, please, Edith?” Alene asked. “It looks like orders are coming in and you might be needed.”

“Is it against the law to take an occasional break?” Edith asked. Alene just shook her head. Edith was supposed to deal with the phone orders, mostly from older customers who didn’t like or understand online ordering. She should have been answering the phone that was now ringing on the other side of the door, and Dori hadn’t stopped her from walking away.

Alene pointed to the door and asked Edith to leave the kitchen and get to work. Edith, glowering at Alene over her floral mask as if she’d been wounded, slouched out the door. As soon as Edith was out of hearing, LaTonya said, “She should be fired, Alene. Did you hear how she talked about homeless people? I had to stop myself from smacking her.”

Alene was relatively sure that LaTonya would never actually strike a fellow employee, especially one who was over sixty.

“Alene is not going to fire Edith,” said Ruthie. Alene had promised Edith’s brother, Gary, when he sold her the café, that Edith could stay on as long as

she wanted to. LaTonya shrugged as if she’d said her piece and it was up to Alene to follow through.

“LaTonya, wasn’t your thesis about homelessness?” Ruthie asked. “Maybe you could explain what you learned.”

“I’ll make copies,” said LaTonya with a twinge of sarcasm and a toss of her head. “But I think the only way to make people understand is by taking away their privileged educations and forcing them to walk nine blocks to a bus stop and two miles to a grocery store that doesn’t have any fresh fruit or vegetables.”

Ruthie blinked at her without speaking until LaTonya cleared her throat and added, “I mean I hope everyone learns something from reading my thesis.”

Ruthie waited another moment, until LaTonya said, “I just meant that I’d have given Edith a figurative smack, Ruthie, not a real one.” Ruthie pretended to wipe her brow with the back of her hand, and the lines on LaTonya’s forehead relaxed. Ruthie had a way of making people care about her opinions.

Everyone focused on their tasks for a while, but Kacey hadn’t returned from the restroom. Alene walked over, knocked, and asked if everything was okay. Kacey opened the door. Although she wore glasses, Alene could see that her sea green eyes were red and teary.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Alene asked. “Can I get you some soda water?”

“No, thanks,” Kacey said. “It’s bad, but I promised Kofi I wouldn’t tell you.”  

 “You already asked me not to tell Frank about the fire site.” Alene hustled her over to the office, ushered her inside, and closed the door. “Is it still about that? Nothing we can’t solve if we put our minds to it, right?” she asked. Her mother used to repeat that constantly, until her cancer metastasized.

“Alene, you have to promise you won’t say a word to anyone, especially Frank.” Kacey sank onto the office couch.

Alene sat next to her and reached over to gently rub her neck. She’d known Kacey since her parents brought her home from the hospital as a baby. Kacey had always loved having her back scratched and her neck rubbed. “I promise,” said Alene.

Kacey didn’t look convinced. “You’re going to want to tell Frank, but you can’t. This is important for Kofi.”

Alene said, “I already promised, Kacey.”

“It’s just that Kofi saw something this morning at the fire site,” Kacey said. “It was yellow fabric, the type they use in windbreakers.”

“Okay,” said Alene, flashing back to Kofi jumping into the car saying that he hadn’t found a single thing. She’d noticed that he was tense.

“He didn’t touch it,” Kacey said, trembling, “because it was a jacket, and someone was wearing it. And then he got closer and saw that it was a dead body.”

©G.P. Gottlieb 

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

Review by Suzie M.

From what I can tell, this is the third book in G.P. Gottlieb's 'Whipped and Sipped,' series, and I am only mad that no one told me about these books sooner! This series is right up my alley, and if you love cozy mysteries with a little romance and baked goods, it will be right up your alley, too!

In this book, the main character, Alene Baron accidentally stumbles into a murder investigation, when a friend's boyfriend finds a dead body. The body is lying in a charred, burned down building, (hence the title of the book, 'Charred.') and the friend's boyfriend is an artist who regularly scours burn sites in order to use materials from them in his art.

Now, Alene's boyfriend is a police officer named Frank, but this is not the reason that her friend, Kacey, tells her about the dead body. No, in fact, Kacey is pretty desperate for Alene to keep this a secret from Frank, for fear that her own boyfriend, Kofi will get in trouble for being on the burn site and for not reporting the body immediately.

Hijinks ensue, and the murder is, of course, investigated, pulling in not only Alene, but her entire colorful crew at the cafe that she owns, into the fold.

Truthfully, with the pandemic in full bloom, the situation at the Whipped and Sipped Cafe was already kind of chaotic, but the murder investigation just adds a cherry on top of that sundae. Alene must contend will all of this, plus the resurfacing of an uncle that disappeared decades ago and the emotional toll that his reappearance is taking on her father.

How does this all play out? Well, you'll have to read the book yourself to find out, and I highly recommend that you do. This is a five-star book in a very neat little package! It even includes recipes in the back.  The recipes are vegan but I tried making the ginger cardamon cookies and did not miss the eggs or butter, they were delicious! 

About G. P. Gottlieb

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/

Pre-order Charred by G.P.  Gottlieb

Amazon
DX Varos Publishing
Barnes&Noble IndieBound
BookShop.org

Follow Charred by G.P.  Gottlieb

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Feb 1 Kickoff & Interview

Leslie StoreyBook Reviews Feb 2 Review

Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews Feb 6 Review & Guest Post

DT Amazon & Goodreads Feb 7 Review

Lisa’s Writopia Feb 8 Guest Post

Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews Feb 9 Review & Excerpt

Bee Book Pleasures Feb 10 Review

Mark Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Feb 14 Guest Review

Lisa’s Writopia Feb 15 Review

Sal Bound 4 Escape Feb 17 Guest Review

Larry Reflections Feb 21 Review & Interview

Denise Amazon & Goodreads Feb 22 Review

Missi Cozy Mystery Book Reviews Feb 23 Review

Laura Lee Celticlady’s Reviews Feb 24 Guest Review & Excerpt