Review
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Title: Blackberry Crumble : A Culinary Mystery
Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Fiction
Year Published: 2011
Number of Pages: 363 (plus 9 page preview of: Pumpkin Roll)
ISBN: 978-1-60641-941-0
Price: $17.99

Reviewed by Gabi Kupitz for the Association for Mormon Letters

Sadie Hoffmiller has a desire to leave town. A mysterious young woman wants Sadie's help in proving that her father was murdered. A very telling newspaper article in The Denver Post about Sadie entitled: 'Modern Miss Marple: A Magnet for Murder?' has the women in the small town of Garrison, Colorado, gossiping and Sadie feels the sting. The last straw is widowed police detective Pete Cunningham. Pete and Sadie have dated for months, but Pete has not found the courage to tell his grown children about Sadie. When the mysterious young woman, May Sanderson, wants to fly Sadie to Portland, Oregon to help solve Jim Sanderson's possible murder, the frustrated Sadie jumps at the chance to flee to another venue.

Along with intrigue and occasional bumbling are the wonderful foods Sadie encounters along the way. The "Blackberry Crumble" figures into the story because blackberries are so much a part of Oregon, but also because the restaurant owner who creates this simple, but luscious, dessert is a wealth of information and, as in any good mystery, information -- or the lack thereof -- is key. As Sadie finds herself drawn closer to a troubled family, Pete's professional instructions about always hanging-on-to-your-keys and trying not to become blindsided are just a few truisms from this experienced detective that will save Sadie's life.

"Blackberry Crumble" offers up a thrilling murder mystery! Most people are not who they appear to be. I can't give away the really shadowy characters nor the killer, but there is a killer -- and this killer means business!

Once the mystery has been solved, the recipes remain. Eleven delicious recipes are indexed at the front of the book. For those who hate to cook and/or bake, blackberries (with a tiny sprinkle of sugar for non-purists) are also delicious on their own as is this latest culinary mystery from a talented author. Enjoy!