When a band of travelers arrives in the village of Snowflake, Vermont and a dead stranger is found by the side of the road, the past returns with a vengeance. Long-kept secrets will be revealed, lost loves will be found and the lives of many in the village will be irrevocably altered.
Keep reading for my review and a giveaway below Connie’s guest post!
* * *
MY REVIEW:
Connie Archer cooks up a delicious mystery in Roux of Revenge, the third book in the Soup Lover’s Mystery series. Set in a small town in Vermont, the novel features an engaging main character in Lucky Jamieson, the owner of the By the Spoonful Soup Shop, and a cast of interesting — but for the most part blessedly normal — secondary characters. Archer easily maintains the fine line between the boringly ordinary and the overly charming or eccentric, creating a place and characters that are both entertaining and believable.
The mystery begins when police chief Nate Edgerton arrives at the scene of a single-vehicle accident and finds the driver dead… but not necessarily as a result of the crash. Here’s another way in which Archer sets her novel a little apart from the typical cozy: although amateur sleuth Lucky is the main character, we do see some scenes from the police chief’s perspective, which lends them more immediacy than if the events were related by one character to another. Speaking of which, Nate, an older man, is also unusually forthcoming with both Lucky and her grandfather Jack, telling them more about his ongoing investigation than I think most policemen would. While his openness did stretch my credence a bit (almost the only thing in the novel that did), it’s more than made up for by the lack of either animosity or sexual tension between policeman and amateur sleuth. After a few too many cozies featuring one or other (and sometimes both!) I found the cordial relationship a relief. And it certainly makes it easier for Lucky to learn some of the pertinent facts. I also appreciate that Nate is not a “stupid cop”; he’s perceptive, canny, and not easily misled.
Another mystery arises around the same time, this one squarely in Lucky’s court. A strange man appears to be stalking her teenage waitress, Janie. As both mysteries escalate, the complications multiply. What secret is Janie’s mother Miriam keeping from her? Who is the dead man, and who is trying to keep Nate from identifying the body? How does any of it relate to the influx of ‘travelers’ working at a nearby harvest festival, or to the insurance investigator who just can’t let go of his only unsolved case? The escalation of tension is expertly done, and although most mystery aficionados will guess that the two cases are connected, the connections are far from obvious for quite some time. Ms. Archer employs her red herrings with skill, and isn’t above a spot of clever-but-fair misdirection. I did spot the murderer part-way through, in part because I’m very familiar with mystery conventions, but I could so easily have been wrong.
Lucky’s relationship with her boyfriend Elias, the town’s doctor, was the only place where I felt the novel stumbled even a little. Their relationship had clearly developed in the earlier books, and the inevitable obstacle which cropped up in this book, while it reveals a lot about Lucky’s insecurities, was a trifle obvious and more than a bit cliched. It also tripped my “why don’t they just talk to each other” button – though to Archer’s credit, avoiding the issue in question is consistent with both their personalities.
That small quibble aside, however, A Roux of Revenge is a well-plotted and solidly-written mystery, as flavorful and satisfying as the unique and hearty soups served at By the Spoonful. (You’ll find some recipes in the back, by the way. The Pumpkin Rice soup sounds delicious!) I’m delighted to have discovered this series, and I can’t wait to catch up on the first two books, A Spoonful of Murder and A Broth of Betrayal.
Final note: It’s worth checking out Connie’s website, where she has photos of small-town Vermont, a map of Snowflake, character descriptions, and a very up-to-date News page listing recent blog appearances, and her author bio.
Rating: 4 stars
Goodreads links: A Spoonful of Murder; A Broth of Betrayal; A Roux of Revenge
Category: Cozy mystery
Series: Soup Lover’s Mystery #3
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin/Random House)
Release date: April 1, 2014
Book source: I received an ARC from the publisher as part of this blog tour.
WIN a copy of Roux of Revenge!
Win a paperback copy of Roux of Revenge. (I’m sorry, but US residents only, please. The publisher requests no P.O. boxes.)
Sandy Cody
Interesting info – and very cleverly told. It was fun to read and made me want to read your mysteries. Good job.
Connie Archer
Thank you, Sandy! I hope you enjoy your next visit to the village!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
I think you’d enjoy them, Sandy!
Alicia
I love this series! Hoping to win a copy! afarage (at) earthlink.net
Connie Archer
Hi Alicia! Thanks for stopping by today. Good luck in the giveaway!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Good luck, Alicia! If you don’t win, I hope you’ll give Connie’s series a try anyway.
Player X
I agree that the Red Herring idea requires difficult judgment. As a reader, I don’t want tricks that fool me, I want to simply have parallel possibilities to confuse me. Your ability to maintain multiple possible outcomes very deep into the story is a great talent. I remember very clearly being within 20 pages of the end in Roux of Revenge and saying to myself, ‘I still have no idea who did it.”
Connie Archer
Oh I’m very happy to hear that! It’s a wonderful compliment. Thanks for stopping by today and good luck in the giveaway!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
It’s a well-plotted and unusual mystery, particularly with the whole “travelers: angle. I was really impressed.
petite
A thought provoking feature. This mystery is captivating. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
Connie Archer
Hi Elliot – I hope you get to visit Snowflake, Vermont very soon! Good luck!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
I hope you enjoy it!
Jan @ Notes from a Readerholic
Great review, Lark! I haven’t read any books in this series, but it sounds good and I like mysteries like this so I will have to give the series a try. I’m in the mood for some mysteries these days.
I enjoyed your article about red herrings, too, Connie. I think it must be difficult to set up, but so much fun when done well.
Connie Archer
Hi Jan ~ Glad you could stop by today. I love mysteries that give me a tiny, tiny clue in the beginning too (as long as I’m paying attention). If I miss it, I kick myself for not spotting it sooner. Good luck with the giveaway!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Jan, I think you would really enjoy this series. I just got the first two, and I’m really looking forward to reading them.
Ronna Lord
Now that our “too much ” winter snow has come and gone, reading this book should be great fun!!
Connie Archer
Hi Ronna ~ Autumn is probably my favorite season, but I’m working on one right now that’s set in spring. I”m finally in line with the seasons! Good luck with the giveaway!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Shh, shh, don’t jinx us! Judging from the last little round of snow that went through the midwest and northeast, winter might not be done with us yet! 😉
bn100
Interesting post
Connie Archer
Thank you! And glad you could stop in. Good luck!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Glad you enjoyed it. I loved Connie’s guest post!
Michelle F.
I have the first in the series so I’d love to win. I love cozies!
Connie Archer
Hi MIchelle ~ I hope you get to keep up with all the doings in the village! Good luck!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Good luck, Michelle! I read this one out of order, so I’m looking forward to catching up on the series.
I’ll drop by to see what cozies you’ve been reading recently!
kimbacaffeinate
What an interesting guest post, and I am very good at picking up subtle clues and lovewhen a author is able to fool me..provided it isn’t a too far fetched ending.Great review Lark..and yes communication is the key to happiness.
Connie Archer
Thanks for stopping by! I’m checking back at all my blog stops today. I hope you have a chance to guess the real culprit! Best of luck in the giveaway!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
This ending wasn’t at all far-fetched; it worked beautifully, and Connie does a great job with the subtle clues and red herrings. Glad you enjoyed the review and guest post, Kimba, and I hope you get a chance to read the book!
Cozy in Texas
This sounds like another to add to my TBR list. Interesting tidbits.
Ann
Connie Archer
Hi Ann – I hope you get to visit the village very soon and enjoy meeting all the residents! Best of luck!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Ann, I see you write cozies as well! Your Lowenna series intrigues me; I love British cozies and Cornwall is such a lovely part of Great Britain.
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you get a chance to read Connie’s books. I think they’re wonderful!
Kim
I never thought about where the term “red herring” came from. But I will admit, my husband has listened to me. He now is able to figure out before hand who the killer is in shows like Castle and NCIS. I mean, the true criminal is always revealed early on.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
That’s often true. Agatha Christie was really good at hiding the murderer while still giving clues to his/her identity. So were Dorothy Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. I cut my mystery teeth on those Golden Age British writers, so I’ve gotten reasonably good as spotting the murderer, or at least narrowing it down to a few suspects. But I love it when an author can fool me with a red herring!
Anonymous
Marguerite B
My son lives in Vermont. Can’t wait to read Connie Archer
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
I think you’ll really like her – particularly as you’re familiar with the state!