The Crepes of Wrath

The Crêpes of Wrath by Sarah Fox
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Marley McKinney came to the tiny coastal town of Wildwood Cove to spend a couple of weeks running her Cousin Jimmy's restaurant while he recuperated in the hospital. When he is murdered right after returning to town, Marley struggles to help the police uncover the culprit without becoming the next victim.

What I liked about the first book in this new series:
*It was set on the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula.
*The story was interesting, with a few twists and turns.

What I didn't like:
*The budding relationship between Marley and her former crush, Brett, felt too obvious and artificial.
*The dilemma of whether to stay in Wildwood or return to Seattle would have been much more convincing if her life in Seattle didn't sound so lonely & unfulfilling.
*The writing felt very amateurish in many places. Ms. Fox's editor should have helped her tighten her language and eliminate the zillions of repetitions (& variations) of the phrases "spinning thoughts" and "filled my mind." For example, on page 2 of chapter 3, there is an entire paragraph listing questions that Marley is thinking about, followed by a completely unnecessary one-sentence paragraph stating, "Those questions circled around and around in my head." Thank you, Captain Obvious! Removing that extraneous sentence would make the story flow much better, and this is just one example of many.

Bottom line:
The series has promise, but it needs more polish.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, setting secondary. It's a cozy mystery, so a couple of kisses but no sex, graphic violence, or profanity.

I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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