Review: The Cruel Chef
In an effort to build traction for Cozying Up, I recently re-joined Threads. I have to admit that I didn't really understand it the first time I tried it. This time, I went in with a more open mind and known community: Book Threads. It wasn't long until I had this lovely exchange:
The ARC in question is The Cruel Chef, the second book in the Haunting of Hexen House series. As a fan of the show Supernatural and a lover of cozy mysteries, a paranormal cozy was a subcategory I wanted to explore.
Having already helped one ghost escape Hexen House, Gwen Flewellyn wakes up one day to discover another ghost has trashed her kitchen. It turns out that the ghost was a well known (and mostly despised) chef in the area in the 1970s. In order to get him out of her kitchen, Gwen has to investigate his death while also protecting her second grader son and finishing up her own school year teaching at the middle school. Oh, and somehow handle her tumultuous relationship with her late husband's mother.
One of the strongest parts of Graves' writing is the relationships between the characters. Between Syd (her best friend), Darius (her husband's former police colleague), and Larry (her father-in-law), Gwen and her son Buck has a great support system. On the other side, Principal Bailey and sometimes Barb (her mother-in-law) are long-term antagonists that we need to keep an eye on.
My only nit to pick is that the ending seemed to move too fast for my taste. Maybe a short epilogue? Maybe make the last chapter more than five pages? Just something so that the ending doesn't whoosh by so fast.
Because of the time crunch between receiving the ARC and its publication date (today!), I didn't have time to read the first book. Luckily, this second book passes the Grafton Test. I'm interested in going back and reading The Scandalous Star, but never felt lost because I hadn't already read it.
If you're looking for a spooky season read that's not too gruesome and not too spicy, this is the book for you. And book three (The Dapper Driver) is coming soon!
4 lattes out of 5
Disclaimer: This ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
