The Chocolate Moose Motive

The Chocolate Moose Motive by JoAnna Carl ISBN-13: 9780451414809 Mass Market Paperback: 246 pages Publisher: Obsidian Mystery Released: October 1, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
As much as the chocolate concoctions at TenHuis can tantalize people’s tongues, Lee’s newest hire is more likely to make them wag. Forsythia “Sissy” Smith is the granddaughter of Warner Pier’s only remaining resident hippie, but that is the least of Lee’s concerns. The previous winter, Sissy’s husband, Buzz, was found shot to death, and local talk named Sissy the number one suspect.

Even though her alibi was airtight, the gossips are still pointing their fingers at her. Lee sympathizes with the young woman—even more so when Buzz’s dad, a tough retired Army colonel, threatens to sue Sissy for custody of her son. Then the chief gossip is found dead, with Sissy on the scene. Was she lured there? Or is she the killer?


My Review:
The Chocolate Moose Motive is a cozy mystery. It's the twelfth book in the series. You don't need to read the others to follow this one, and this novel doesn't spoil any of the previous mysteries. This story had the unique ability to make my mouth water--fine chocolates, yum!

The characters were complex and reacted realistically to events. I liked that the heroine didn't think she was smarter than the police or some great detective. It was more that she heard things, and she wanted to help her friend.

She calls herself "nosy," but she wasn't rude and didn't come across as someone who felt they had the right to know and judge everyone else's business. It was more that she was super-curious. I liked her. Even when she did not-so-smart things, I understood why she did them (as they were mostly heat-of-the-moment, impulsive reactions). There was also a mild humor throughout the book that I enjoyed.

The mystery was clue-based and could be guessed before the big reveal. The clues seemed pretty straight forward, though, and I had no trouble identifying whodunit. The clues progressively confirmed my guess. Often it's the gossip that reveals clues in cozy mysteries. I liked that the heroine in this mystery kept discovering how wrong the gossip was.

There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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