FORTUNE COOKIE - By Josi Kilpack - Tour / Review

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Fortune Cookie 

Sadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list. With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco changes everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn’t seen since their mother’s funeral nearly fifteen years ago. Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy’s world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder. The more Sadie digs into her sister’s past, the more she places her own future at risk.

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Culinary Mystery Series

My Review / Thoughts:

When this book came up for review, I had to grab it.  Who doesn't love a mystery, and then a mystery involving food.  Yes, Please..hehe.   I didn't realize this was a series, until I started reading more about it.  I don't think I would consider it a true "series" because it can be read as a stand alone.  I wasn't lost or confused by anything happening.  I was pleasantly surprised by the book and especially about how clean it is for a mystery.  It's fantastic.  Now, onto my thoughts.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  I think that at the beginning it moved a little slow, but it was interesting enough I wanted to know what happened.  When Sadie and Pete travel to San Francisco to go through the boxes that were Saides estranged sisters life, the book got really interesting.  I love mystery books.  I love trying to figure out who the bad guy is before it is revealed.  I cannot say I did that in this one.  Which, means (to me) that the author did a great job of hiding the "criminals".  It was fantastic.

When Sadies sister Wendy ends up dead things are a little sketchy.  I thought the story between Sadie and her sister was so sad.  Wendy was messed up.  Really messed up.  Sadie was the sister with her head on her shoulders.  When Sadie is forced to go through Wendy's things at the request of Wendy's son Ji, the story really begins to come to life.

There are a lot of twits and turns in this book, which made it exciting for me to read.  We learn that Ji suffered horribly at the hands of his neglectful mother.  He was a little bitter when Sadie showed up, and I don't blame him.  His life had sucked living with an emotionally unstable mother for way too long.  He was bitter at the fact that Sadie and his grandparents didn't do more to help him.  It really turns out to be a fascinating story.  When it all comes together I was like "how did I not see that coming"?  Having said that I don't think I would have seen the ending.  It still is surprising to me.  Which is awesome.

Sadie and Pete have such a sweet, complicated relationship.  Pete is such a great character.  You cannot help but love him, and feel sorry for him.  Sadie is also a great character.  She is a strong, complicated woman.  She is torn between finding the truth behind her sisters death, and dealing with the feelings Pete is having for his dead wife.

This is a great mystery/love story.  If you like that kind of thing, pick this book up, and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.  The book has a few recipes in it and I think I am going to have  to try.  Although I think they are over my head..hehehe.  I am not a good cook, but the things they had in the book made my tummy growl a few times just thinking about them.  A book, and food.  What an awesome combination. 

In San Francisco we are introduced to more characters, and each one comes with a story.  I love how it all comes together.  I love it when there are a lot of characters in a book and the process of connecting them becomes just as interesting as the story.  Or, when the connections come to light and you have that "AH HA" moment.  I love that.  This was such a fun read.

Source:  I was given this book as part of a blog tour in return for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way for the review, and these are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

My Rating:

Author Josi S. Kilpack 

Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

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Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/30/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway