A Murder of Aspic Proportions - A Sunflower Café Mystery by Amy Lillard Paperback
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4.5 out of 5 stars with 4 reviews
100% would recommend
4 recommendations
4 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
10 July, 2023
An upbeat cozy mystery!
A Murder of Aspic Proportions by Amy Lillard is a cute, lighthearted cozy mystery. Amy Lillard has a casual writing style. It is reminiscent of talking with an old, Southern friend. The story moves along at a good pace. There is a cast of quirky characters that includes Sissy Yoder, Aunt Bethel, Lizzie, Gavin Wainwright, and indolent Earl Berry. Sissy Yoder temporary stay in Yoder, Kansas may become permanent. She is discovering that she likes life in the small town. Sissy especially likes the Chicken Coop, her tiny home that she shares with her small companion, a Yorkie named Duke. Sissy is getting to know her Amish relatives as well. She has a fondness for her Lizzie who is on bedrest awaiting the birth of fraternal twins. Aunt Bethel is quite a character. She is a bit of a grump, but Bethel loves her family. The mystery was simple and frustrating. Emma, a young Amish woman, confesses to the crime. Deputy Earl Berry should not be in charge of a donut shop much less a town. That he would let her confess without a lawyer or a parent present is appalling (it is a small town, and he should know that Emma could not have committed the crime). Earl Berry does no investigating (why is this man an officer of the law). I can understand why Bethel feels the need to clear Emma. Sissy, of course, is happy to tag along and help (plus, she has the car). The mystery is one that can be solved early in the book. The reason why is mentioned many times. The reveal was anticlimactic and unsatisfying. I did feel that A Murder of Aspic Proportions was a little long. Fifty pages could have easily been shaved off. There is repetition of information (Sissy’s convertible Fiat is mentioned eleven times, Duke is mentioned by name over fifty times, her column alias at least eight times). There is humor in the story which keeps things light. A Murder of Aspic Proportions is the second A Sunflower Café Mystery. It can be read as a standalone since the author provides the necessary background information on the main characters. A Murder of Aspic Proportions is a cute story that is good to read when you need something to lighten your mood or brighten a rainy afternoon. A Murder of Aspic Proportions is an upbeat tale with a snuffed-out farmer, a cozy convertible, an idle deputy, a false confession, stolen tomato plants, futile fertilizer, and a sleuthing Sissy.
4 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
4 July, 2023
A Fun Cozy Mystery!
I can't decide what I like best about this book. Is it the murder mystery that needs to be solved, or the people who are trying to solve it? Sissy Yoder may have an Amish last name but her Amish experience has only been during the visits to her Amish relatives in Yoder, Kansas. How in the world has she ended up working for her Aunt Bethel at the Sunflower Cafe and living in a renovated Chicken Coop? So many questions to be answered and so many laughs along the way! A Murder of Aspic Proportions is the second book in the Sunflower Cafe Mystery series but author Amy Lillard does a great job of filling in the background so that new readers never feel lost. I enjoyed the quirky characters, the cozy mystery, the subtle flirtation between Sissy and Gavin, and the interesting tidbits that advice columnist "Aunt Bess" offers at the beginning of each chapter. It was, however, the many laugh-out-loud moments that made this such an entertaining story. Lillard's signature humor makes this a perfect stress-relieving read and I recommend it to all who enjoy cozy mysteries. I received an ARC from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
28 June, 2023
Fun, cozy mystery
You have a very small town of Yoder, Kansas whose residents include both Amish and English. Everyone seems to know everyone else in this town and their personal business most of the time. Imagine a male resident being murdered on his own property! This particular person, Walt Summers, has no friends and is despised by most everyone in town and surrounding areas. The fun part of this book is the fact that there are multiple suspects with individual motives for wanting him dead. Enter amateur sleuths Sissy Yoder and her Aunt Bethel. They are in a time crunch because their sweet, tiny Emma has signed a confession and is in jail. No way they said could she have done it! Add in a tiny convertible and an even tinier yorkie dog both owned by Sissy and a fun story is sure to emerge. If you’re not into Amish fiction, no worries because this does not center around the Amish faith. I think I’ll go now and make me a “hot” tomato sandwich on fresh bread and mayonnaise. And of course hot, black coffee. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author but was not required to write a review.
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
27 June, 2023
Good Reading!
This is the second book of this series with Sissy Yoder, as the town mystery solver. The man who was murdered wasn't loved by the community leaving lots of possible murderers to sift through. It was a cozy mystery and took place in Yoder, Kansas where there are lots of people of that same surname, which is highly likely among the Amish community. It was a cute story, with some hints of romance which weren't quite developed in this book but maybe will move forward in another addition to this series. We shall see! It was a nice and enjoyable read and I am thinking there will be some more books in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.