Caught Read Handed

Caught Read Handed is a fun cozy and the second in the Read 'Em and Eat mysteries. The setting is Fort Myers Beach in Florida, and the main characters are Sassy and Bridgy the owners of the Read 'Em and Eat cafe. The cafe doubles as a book haven, with paperbacks and regular book club meetings. When Sassy meets a high strung lady who ends up murdered, and the prime suspect is the relative of a friend, Sassy determines to find the true killer.

Sassy is a lot of fun, she has a bit of snark and her and Bridgy make a good team. Half the fun of this is the sun- drenched Ft. Myers setting- the palms, the mangroves along the water, the egrets and wildlife. A lot of the story takes place at the cafe, with people coming and going- and Miguel, the irrepressible cook, adds a lot of flavor to the place. Like a lot of cozies, there is food, and pretty good food by the sounds of it- and the supporting characters are nice, especially Ophelia, who is Bridgy's aunt and quite the character. The story lightly touches on issues such as animal rights and PTSD, as the suspect is a veteran suffering from post- traumatic stress disorder.

I had an easy time getting to know all the characters, especially as this is a second in a series, and while it started slow for me it picked up and got better as I went. The mystery was nothing special but again part of the fun is the setting. The author seems to love the area and it shows. The cafe is neat too, with tables named after famous literary figures, and the menu reflects that as well. After serving a few Swiss Family Robinson cheeseburgers, I started wanting one! This is a fun, breezy read with great characters and I would definitely be interested in reading more.

From Goodreads:

From the national bestselling author of Well Read, Then Deadcomes the second mystery featuring Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield, who bring Fort Myers Beach, Florida, residents plenty of sinful treats and killer reads at their bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat.

Happy to help her fellow bibliophiles, Sassy visits the local library with book donations for their annual fundraising sale. Unfortunately, the welcoming readers’ haven is in turmoil as an argument erupts between an ornery patron and new staff member, Tanya Lipscombe—also known as “Tanya Trouble.” She may lack people skills, but everyone is shocked when she’s later found murdered in her own hot tub.

The man last seen arguing with Tanya is soon arrested. But Alan Mersky, a veteran with PTSD, happens to be the brother of Sassy’s former boss—and he’s no murderer. Now it’s up to Sassy and Bridgy to clear Alan’s name and make sure the real killer gets booked.

Includes a recipe for Miss Marple scones! (less)

Paperback, 304 pages

Published July 7th 2015 by Berkley