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A Chocoholic Mystery #13
The Chocolate Book Bandit
When it turns out a member of Warner Pier's library board has been living on borrowed time, Lee is determined to discover who wrote the victim's final chapter...
Lee McKinney Woodyard, manager of TenHuis Chocolade, has been offered a position on the local library board. Before she accepts, she decides to check out their monthly meeting at the town's historic library.
Rumors are flying about the rugged new board director, Henry "Butch" Cassidy, and the changes he allegedly plans to make. Butch is indeed attractive--but Lee doesn't get a chance to find out about his proposals. The meeting is interrupted by the terrified screams of the library clerk.
The clerk has discovered the lifeless body of prim and proper Abigail Montgomery, a retiring member of the board. Suddenly everyone in attendance--including Lee--is a suspect. And, as Lee finds out, they've all got something to hide....
Includes Tasty Chocolate Trivia!
Lee McKinney Woodyard, manager of TenHuis Chocolade, has been offered a position on the local library board. Before she accepts, she decides to check out their monthly meeting at the town's historic library.
Rumors are flying about the rugged new board director, Henry "Butch" Cassidy, and the changes he allegedly plans to make. Butch is indeed attractive--but Lee doesn't get a chance to find out about his proposals. The meeting is interrupted by the terrified screams of the library clerk.
The clerk has discovered the lifeless body of prim and proper Abigail Montgomery, a retiring member of the board. Suddenly everyone in attendance--including Lee--is a suspect. And, as Lee finds out, they've all got something to hide....
Includes Tasty Chocolate Trivia!
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
33 people are currently reading
778 people want to read
About the author
JoAnna Carl
36 books433 followersJOANNA CARL is the pseudonym for the multi-published mystery writer Eve K. Sandstrom. The author writes about the shores of Lake Michigan and has been reviewed in Michigan newspapers as a “regional writer.” She has also written about Southwest Oklahoma and once won an award for the best book of the year with an Oklahoma setting.
Eve K. Sandstrom is an Oklahoman to the teeth: she was born there, as were five previous generations of her mother’s family. Both her grandfathers and her father were in the oil business, once the backbone of Oklahoma’s economy. One grandmother was born in the Choctaw Nation, and Eve is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Eve and seven other members of her immediate family are graduates of the University of Oklahoma. Eve even knows the second verse of “Boomer Sooner.”
Eve wrote two mystery series: the “Down Home” books, set on a ranch in Southwest Oklahoma, and the Nell Matthews mysteries, semi-hard-boiled books laid in a mid-size city on the Southern Plains.
But Eve married a great guy whose family owned a cottage on the west coast of Lake Michigan, not far from the Michigan towns of Fennville, Saugatuck, and Douglas. Every summer for more than forty years she, her husband and various combinations of children and grandchildren have trekked to the community of Pier Cove for vacations that lasted from two weeks to three months.
The area features gorgeous beaches, lush orchards, thick woods, and beautiful Victorian houses. Eve grew to love it. So when her editor asked her to come up with a new, “cozy” mystery series, Eve set it in a West Michigan resort town, scrambling up Saugatuck, Douglas, South Haven, Holland, Manistee, Ludington and Muskegon with her own ideas of what a resort ought to be to create Warner Pier.
As further background, she plunked her heroine into a business which produces and sells luscious, luxurious, European-style bonbons, truffles and molded chocolates. Most small towns couldn’t support a business like this, but the resorts of West Michigan – with their wealthy “summer people” – can. The “Chocoholic Mysteries” were on their way.
Eve’s editor requested that she use a pen name for the new series, and Eve picked the middle names of her three children, Betsy Jo, Ruth Anna, and John Carl. “JoAnna Carl” was born. So that’s how JoAnna/Eve became a regional author in two widely separated regions.
JoAnna/Eve earned a degree in journalism at the University of Oklahoma and also studied with Carolyn G. Hart and Jack Bickham in the OU Creative Writing Program. She spent more than twenty-five years in the newspaper business, working as a reporter, editor, and columnist at The Lawton Constitution in Lawton, Oklahoma. She took an early retirement to write fiction full-time.
She and her husband, David F. Sandstrom, have three grandchildren, whom they love introducing to the lore of their two homes – Oklahoma and Michigan.
She spent 25 years in the newspaper business as a reporter, feature writer, editor, and columnist, most recently at the Lawton Constitution. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of OK and also studied in the O.U. Professional Writing program. She lives in Oklahoma but summers in Michigan where the Chocoholic Mystery series is set. She has one daughter who is a CPA and another who works for a chocolate company and provides yummy insider information on the chocolate business.
Eve K. Sandstrom is an Oklahoman to the teeth: she was born there, as were five previous generations of her mother’s family. Both her grandfathers and her father were in the oil business, once the backbone of Oklahoma’s economy. One grandmother was born in the Choctaw Nation, and Eve is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Eve and seven other members of her immediate family are graduates of the University of Oklahoma. Eve even knows the second verse of “Boomer Sooner.”
Eve wrote two mystery series: the “Down Home” books, set on a ranch in Southwest Oklahoma, and the Nell Matthews mysteries, semi-hard-boiled books laid in a mid-size city on the Southern Plains.
But Eve married a great guy whose family owned a cottage on the west coast of Lake Michigan, not far from the Michigan towns of Fennville, Saugatuck, and Douglas. Every summer for more than forty years she, her husband and various combinations of children and grandchildren have trekked to the community of Pier Cove for vacations that lasted from two weeks to three months.
The area features gorgeous beaches, lush orchards, thick woods, and beautiful Victorian houses. Eve grew to love it. So when her editor asked her to come up with a new, “cozy” mystery series, Eve set it in a West Michigan resort town, scrambling up Saugatuck, Douglas, South Haven, Holland, Manistee, Ludington and Muskegon with her own ideas of what a resort ought to be to create Warner Pier.
As further background, she plunked her heroine into a business which produces and sells luscious, luxurious, European-style bonbons, truffles and molded chocolates. Most small towns couldn’t support a business like this, but the resorts of West Michigan – with their wealthy “summer people” – can. The “Chocoholic Mysteries” were on their way.
Eve’s editor requested that she use a pen name for the new series, and Eve picked the middle names of her three children, Betsy Jo, Ruth Anna, and John Carl. “JoAnna Carl” was born. So that’s how JoAnna/Eve became a regional author in two widely separated regions.
JoAnna/Eve earned a degree in journalism at the University of Oklahoma and also studied with Carolyn G. Hart and Jack Bickham in the OU Creative Writing Program. She spent more than twenty-five years in the newspaper business, working as a reporter, editor, and columnist at The Lawton Constitution in Lawton, Oklahoma. She took an early retirement to write fiction full-time.
She and her husband, David F. Sandstrom, have three grandchildren, whom they love introducing to the lore of their two homes – Oklahoma and Michigan.
She spent 25 years in the newspaper business as a reporter, feature writer, editor, and columnist, most recently at the Lawton Constitution. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of OK and also studied in the O.U. Professional Writing program. She lives in Oklahoma but summers in Michigan where the Chocoholic Mystery series is set. She has one daughter who is a CPA and another who works for a chocolate company and provides yummy insider information on the chocolate business.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
October 20, 2019
Lee McKinney is an accountant for a family run chocolate shop. She seems to be loosely related to nearly everyone in town.. and that’s a good thing.
Recently being offered a position on the local library board gets her involved in two murders, almost immediately. Having a police chief as an uncle and a penchant for solving cases immediately gets her into investigating the whodunnit.
The who that dunnit feels she’s too close to finding them out and tries to create an “accidental” car crash, but fails.
Meanwhile, her husband has been spending some extra time with an old high school flame just as the new library director stokes up some flickers in Lee’s libido.
There’s a lot of loose ends in this book, but probably the biggest is the title. Nothing about a chocolate book is ever mentioned.
Recently being offered a position on the local library board gets her involved in two murders, almost immediately. Having a police chief as an uncle and a penchant for solving cases immediately gets her into investigating the whodunnit.
The who that dunnit feels she’s too close to finding them out and tries to create an “accidental” car crash, but fails.
Meanwhile, her husband has been spending some extra time with an old high school flame just as the new library director stokes up some flickers in Lee’s libido.
There’s a lot of loose ends in this book, but probably the biggest is the title. Nothing about a chocolate book is ever mentioned.
October 9, 2013
In this installment of the Chocoholic Mysteries we meet new library director, Henry “Butch” Cassidy. Our protagonist, Lee McKinney Woodyard, has been asked to serve on the library board so she decides to attend a meeting before she commits herself. Before the director can even start to talk about his proposed changes for the library the meeting is interrupted by someone’s terrified screams. One of the library staff has found the lifeless body of Abigail VanRoostock at the bottom of the basement stairs. Abigail is the woman Lee has been asked to replace on the board due to her decision to retire. Lee soon determines this was no simple fall – it was murder and everyone in the meeting including her is now a suspect. It’s going to take more than a truffle or a bon-bon to solve this mystery.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I have been a confirmed Chocoholic my entire life and I have loved this series from The Chocolate Cat Caper to the The Chocolate Moose Motive and every book in between. I anxiously await each new story and they never disappoint.
Much of The Chocolate Book Bandit takes place away from TenHuis Chocolade where Lee does the managing and her Aunt Nettie and her staff make the chocolate. It takes place in the old library which would probably tie with a chocolate shoppe for my favorite place on earth.
Everyone in this story seems to be hiding something and the reader follows the clues with Lee to determine which one’s secret connects to the death of prim and proper Abigail.
Carl’s sense of humor shines through in the story as Lee has several things running through her mind as she tries to solve the mystery. That new library director sure is a handsome guy and that makes it hard for her to concentrate and her slips of the tongue, which Lee is known for, are going to get her in trouble one of these days. A few had me giggling out loud.
Joanna Carl writes sweet tasty mysteries, that include fun characters and she always includes some interesting chocolate trivia. As weather turns cool, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and curl up with this captivating cozy. A wonderful way to chase the chills away.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I have been a confirmed Chocoholic my entire life and I have loved this series from The Chocolate Cat Caper to the The Chocolate Moose Motive and every book in between. I anxiously await each new story and they never disappoint.
Much of The Chocolate Book Bandit takes place away from TenHuis Chocolade where Lee does the managing and her Aunt Nettie and her staff make the chocolate. It takes place in the old library which would probably tie with a chocolate shoppe for my favorite place on earth.
Everyone in this story seems to be hiding something and the reader follows the clues with Lee to determine which one’s secret connects to the death of prim and proper Abigail.
Carl’s sense of humor shines through in the story as Lee has several things running through her mind as she tries to solve the mystery. That new library director sure is a handsome guy and that makes it hard for her to concentrate and her slips of the tongue, which Lee is known for, are going to get her in trouble one of these days. A few had me giggling out loud.
Joanna Carl writes sweet tasty mysteries, that include fun characters and she always includes some interesting chocolate trivia. As weather turns cool, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and curl up with this captivating cozy. A wonderful way to chase the chills away.
July 10, 2020
I enjoyed the story with this one but did not enjoy the dynamics between Lee and Joe during it. I liked the library setting and it made me want to be able to go into my own library. I always enjoy visiting Warner Pier and would love to get a truffle from TenHuis.
February 17, 2014
These Chocoholic books aren't made of the best stuff. JoAnna Carl isn't shy from repeating herself. Indeed, many of her books have interchangeable sections. But you know what, they make for a great reading experience, especially when one is looking for one. Like most of her villains, the current one lacked dimension. The most important aspect of this book is the way characters are introduced and the way they are used or put away in the box. That was the single departure from previous books. I liked the uncluttered Warner Pier in this book. Waste not, want not! Reading the Chocoholic books makes one want to live there. I'm sure that's true for most people who've read these books. Every country should have a Warner Pier of their own.
February 22, 2021
I wasn't thrilled with the suspicion in the marriage ... but the mystery was good ... and of course, it involved books and a library, so I loved that!
January 30, 2023
This was a cute book. Definitely a “cozy mystery”. I like how by the end, the husband and wife realize they could have made better personal choices to avoid the “appearance of evil” in relationships with the opposite sex.
July 26, 2015
Well, that was terrible. I wanted a change of pace book and thought I'd try reading a mystery. I'm not really a mystery reader, but I liked the concept: a chocolate seller decides to check out the library meeting and is asked to consider sitting on the library board. But things turn for the worse as the library clerk is found dead--soon suspect to be the victim of murder. But could be the killer? And why?
This is actually number 13 in the series, and I wonder if perhaps I should have started in the first in the series. I'm happy to say no, that isn't necessary. While I would guess the reader would have a better grasp of the characters, there was enough to go on that I didn't feel I needed to have read previous installments to get this one.
And I'm glad I didn't. This was dreadfully boring and not very well-written. There's not a lot that has to do with chocolate. I wanted to give the book a chance, but the characters seemed off: main character Lee was (I assumed) middle-aged or older. But it turns out she's in her mid to late thirties or so. The way the character was written really didn't jive with what I had in my head.
There's also a subplot where her husband may or may not be seeing an old girlfriend. Mildly interesting, but as it didn't really tie into the main plot I really didn't care and it seemed like filler. This was interesting as a concept, but it needed a better writer/editor. Skip it, unless you like the series.
This is actually number 13 in the series, and I wonder if perhaps I should have started in the first in the series. I'm happy to say no, that isn't necessary. While I would guess the reader would have a better grasp of the characters, there was enough to go on that I didn't feel I needed to have read previous installments to get this one.
And I'm glad I didn't. This was dreadfully boring and not very well-written. There's not a lot that has to do with chocolate. I wanted to give the book a chance, but the characters seemed off: main character Lee was (I assumed) middle-aged or older. But it turns out she's in her mid to late thirties or so. The way the character was written really didn't jive with what I had in my head.
There's also a subplot where her husband may or may not be seeing an old girlfriend. Mildly interesting, but as it didn't really tie into the main plot I really didn't care and it seemed like filler. This was interesting as a concept, but it needed a better writer/editor. Skip it, unless you like the series.
didnotfinish
July 29, 2016I was already rolling my eyes when the main used the word 'dadgum!' in her head but then had a major pause at the overly complex dialogue used to demonstrate the main's speech impediment (malapropisms)and then, finding out there are characters with names like Butch Cassidy, Lolly Jolly and Jerry Cherry...well, I just couldn't continue. There might be a decent mystery in there somewhere but I'm not going to dig past the ridiculousness to get to it.
September 16, 2015
I liked the other book I read in this series, but the considered infidelity in this one got to me. It gets to me when normally happily married people start kissing other people. So I didn't finish it.
August 17, 2015
It never ceases to amaze me how people don't talk about things with the people they love. Authors everywhere would loose pages and pages of story if people would simply talk to each other!
July 31, 2017
In truth this book was closer to a 2.5 for me.
The main thing I thought the book did well was the mystery. I did enjoy that even though I figured out who committed murder about halfway through the book. I love libraries and the fact that the murder happened at the library was the main reason I picked up the book. The mystery was a solid 3/5 stars.
I picked this book up without having read any others in the series. This is book 13. It is always hard to say whether a book would be significantly better if I had read others in the series though nothing in this book made me want to run out and grab others in this series.
The first thing that really bothered me about this book was that it felt like there was a lot of information dumping in the beginning. I understand that the writer has to fill in the reader on things that happened in the past 13 books but the way it was done interrupted the flow of the book and honestly was pretty boring and not vital to my understanding of THIS story.
The second thing that really made this book not work for me was the married people in the book lusting after other people. Again, maybe this would make more sense to someone who had read the entire series but it was a huge turn off for me (and made me not like the characters) when Lee is all googly eyed over a hot guy even though she is married. I really had a hard time liking her because of her lust.
The thing that put the nail on the coffin of me not liking Lee and the book was a jab at self published books. I read widely and I know that there are many books both self published and traditionally published that aren’t very good. I am a self publishing author and I work hard to write a good story. I did not at all appreciate the jab that Lee gave self publishers “I checked the title page. Self published. Hmm. I’ll look at it on my way to the trash I thought “(161). The Chocolate Book Bandit was published in 2013 and of course self publishing has made strides forward since then. Still, I thought it was an unnecessary jab at an industry. Lots of traditional published authors have turned to self publishing some of their works. Hope JoAnne Carl never becomes a self pubbing author otherwise she is going to have a bit of egg on her face. This was just a personal pet peeve about the book. Even without this comment I still wouldn’t have enjoyed it very much.
The main thing I thought the book did well was the mystery. I did enjoy that even though I figured out who committed murder about halfway through the book. I love libraries and the fact that the murder happened at the library was the main reason I picked up the book. The mystery was a solid 3/5 stars.
I picked this book up without having read any others in the series. This is book 13. It is always hard to say whether a book would be significantly better if I had read others in the series though nothing in this book made me want to run out and grab others in this series.
The first thing that really bothered me about this book was that it felt like there was a lot of information dumping in the beginning. I understand that the writer has to fill in the reader on things that happened in the past 13 books but the way it was done interrupted the flow of the book and honestly was pretty boring and not vital to my understanding of THIS story.
The second thing that really made this book not work for me was the married people in the book lusting after other people. Again, maybe this would make more sense to someone who had read the entire series but it was a huge turn off for me (and made me not like the characters) when Lee is all googly eyed over a hot guy even though she is married. I really had a hard time liking her because of her lust.
The thing that put the nail on the coffin of me not liking Lee and the book was a jab at self published books. I read widely and I know that there are many books both self published and traditionally published that aren’t very good. I am a self publishing author and I work hard to write a good story. I did not at all appreciate the jab that Lee gave self publishers “I checked the title page. Self published. Hmm. I’ll look at it on my way to the trash I thought “(161). The Chocolate Book Bandit was published in 2013 and of course self publishing has made strides forward since then. Still, I thought it was an unnecessary jab at an industry. Lots of traditional published authors have turned to self publishing some of their works. Hope JoAnne Carl never becomes a self pubbing author otherwise she is going to have a bit of egg on her face. This was just a personal pet peeve about the book. Even without this comment I still wouldn’t have enjoyed it very much.
September 7, 2024
**SPOILERS**
I liked certain aspects of the story, but overall it wasn't to my taste. In a mystery I like to be able to try and figure it out, and in this one the essential evidence wasn't known to the protagonist until the end, so as a reader I basically had to guess based on the various clues and on which characters were being focused at during times in the plot that indicated that they weren't the culprit.
Also, I thought that the "chocolate" motif was cool, except that it had nothing to do with the story except for the fact that the protagonist likes and works with chocolate, and so the author also put chocolate trivia in there. Calling the book "The Chocolate Book Bandit" seems weird. Chocolate could be part of the series title, but the title is "The Chocolate Book Bandit," not "Chocolate Mysteries: The Book Bandit." It just struck me as a weird title.
The adultery subplot also through me off, because everything indicated that Joe was not just into Meg for the innocent-ish reasons he described. He kissed the woman in the street. I don't think that the protagonist should have taken that so lightly and given it credence. And if she did out of worry that she would upset her husband or something, then showing some fear or unrest that he'll leave her would've been appropriate to the situation if it wouldn't be out of character. It just felt like the author was trying to wrap of the subplot so that the book could end on time.
I liked certain aspects of the story, but overall it wasn't to my taste. In a mystery I like to be able to try and figure it out, and in this one the essential evidence wasn't known to the protagonist until the end, so as a reader I basically had to guess based on the various clues and on which characters were being focused at during times in the plot that indicated that they weren't the culprit.
Also, I thought that the "chocolate" motif was cool, except that it had nothing to do with the story except for the fact that the protagonist likes and works with chocolate, and so the author also put chocolate trivia in there. Calling the book "The Chocolate Book Bandit" seems weird. Chocolate could be part of the series title, but the title is "The Chocolate Book Bandit," not "Chocolate Mysteries: The Book Bandit." It just struck me as a weird title.
The adultery subplot also through me off, because everything indicated that Joe was not just into Meg for the innocent-ish reasons he described. He kissed the woman in the street. I don't think that the protagonist should have taken that so lightly and given it credence. And if she did out of worry that she would upset her husband or something, then showing some fear or unrest that he'll leave her would've been appropriate to the situation if it wouldn't be out of character. It just felt like the author was trying to wrap of the subplot so that the book could end on time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2017
Thirty-something accountant, Lee Woodyard, has been asked to join the library board in her small tourist town of Warner Pier, Michigan along the banks of Lake Michigan. While attending the library board's monthly meeting, Lee and the other board members hear a scream coming from the historic library's dark basement. A retiring member of the library board is laying at the bottom of the basement steps, where the library clerk has found her dead body. This certainly isn't what Lee expected from her first library board meeting, and now she is considered one of the suspects, along with everyone else present at the library that night.
A sideline to the mystery in this story is Lee's attraction to the library's new director, "Butch" Cassidy, not that she plans on doing anything about it, as she keeps telling herself. At the same time, Lee has concerns about her husband's former girlfriend coming back into his life.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery and getting to know the protagonist, Lee Woodyard, along with her husband, Joe, and the small resort town where they live, as this was the first Chocoholic Mystery I have read.
A sideline to the mystery in this story is Lee's attraction to the library's new director, "Butch" Cassidy, not that she plans on doing anything about it, as she keeps telling herself. At the same time, Lee has concerns about her husband's former girlfriend coming back into his life.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery and getting to know the protagonist, Lee Woodyard, along with her husband, Joe, and the small resort town where they live, as this was the first Chocoholic Mystery I have read.
September 16, 2019
One of many “Chocolate” mysteries by JoAnna Carl, this book is pure fun. I was reading it on a plane ride and was truly annoyed when we touched down before I finished. Much like chocolates, I wanted to keep going. I’m so glad there are more books like it. In this one, our heroine, Ms. Lee Woodyard, who works at the local chocolate shop, has been asked to join their small town library board. As they gather for her first meeting, they hear a scream. A member whom they had assumed was merely late is found dead at the bottom of the basement stairs, beat over the head with a post from the old library newspaper rack. Who would kill this nice library lady? Lee is soon embroiled in the investigation, which is rollicking fun for the reader right up to the discovery of who did it. Carl references the old Nancy Drew mystery series here, and it occurs to me she has written a very similar series for grownups. Delightful.
April 1, 2025
Lee, Texas born and raised, is now living in a small Michigan resort town. She is the bookkeeper for her aunt's chocolate shop. In a town this small, almost everyone knows all of the residents so they are aware when things seem off. And so it was the day that Lee found a library board member dead at the bottom of the library's basement steps. Lee, along with several members of the community, works together to find the killer.
The story moves along quickly with so many people being viable suspects. As an added bonus, all of the chocolates eaten by the characters are described in mouth-watering detail. Chocolate trivia finishes many chapters.
Grab a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the book!
The story moves along quickly with so many people being viable suspects. As an added bonus, all of the chocolates eaten by the characters are described in mouth-watering detail. Chocolate trivia finishes many chapters.
Grab a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the book!
August 14, 2017
This series is cute and funny and a little ridiculous, but if you love a light small-town cozy mystery, I highly recommend picking them up. They're like book meringues--light, fluffy, and insubstantial but you still feel ok about yourself when you're done. In this entry, small town politics comes front and center as Lee is asked to join the library board for Warner Pier. It's realistic in its sense of the machinations people will go through in order to maintain whatever "power" they've come to wield and expect, but it's done in a light way that allows you to think the whole thing through without too much soul-searching.
July 26, 2017
I love this series.
Lee has been asked to be part of the library board. She goes to a meeting to determine if she truly wanted to be part of the library board. During that meeting, one of the other board members, Abigail, was murdered.
Lee decides to help figure out who killed Abigail. She also sets out to find the motive for the murder. While she is investigating the murder, she needs to be cautious because someone is out to harm her.
There is a secondary story involving Joe, her husband, and one of his ex girlfriends. I thought this part of the story was rushed.
Lee has been asked to be part of the library board. She goes to a meeting to determine if she truly wanted to be part of the library board. During that meeting, one of the other board members, Abigail, was murdered.
Lee decides to help figure out who killed Abigail. She also sets out to find the motive for the murder. While she is investigating the murder, she needs to be cautious because someone is out to harm her.
There is a secondary story involving Joe, her husband, and one of his ex girlfriends. I thought this part of the story was rushed.
January 18, 2020
In this book Lee has been invited to become a member of the library board. She decides to sit in on a meeting before she decides, and is there when the body of a board member is found at the bottom of the basement stairs. Did she fall or was she "helped" down them. Why was she there in the first place? Lee also has a crush on the new library director while Joe is seeing his first love as a client at work. How will this affect their marriage? When there is another murder, Lee jumps in feet first to find out what is going on.
September 11, 2022
An interesting murder mystery, taking place in a library while the library board was meeting! Lee McKinney Woodyard has attended the meeting to see what goes on as she's been asked to become a member of the board. The murder and the mystery surrounding it are good altho the motive is just a little unbelievable. There's also a hint of matrimonial infidelity with Lee and her husband Joe. I'm not sure about Lee and the other characters. I'm not sure whether I'll read any more of these books. I have so many on my TBR lists!
January 3, 2018
a very formulaic, classic cozy mystery that I probably would have adored it if the voices felt more genuine to me. The main character is supposed to be 34 or so and she speaks more like an older lady and continuously repeats herself in random babbling anxiety bubbles...that don't need re-explained or even touched on since many of the issues she mentally babbles about or constantly references don't actually have much bearing on the story. overall...2.5-low 3 stars for this book.
March 5, 2021
Lee might join the library board, then a murder. The basics are normal and good, but too really poor things blow it. First, early on, she lies to the police chief (who is married to her mother) to cover for a guy that she just met. Then, later, she calls the police, Joe and others, doesn't reach anybody, and still does the stupid thing solo. There was no emergency, and no reason for her to do it. Those ruined it for me.
October 18, 2021
I haven't read any others in this series and gave up on this one early, can't stand the main character and her "mis speaking" is annoying, her going on and on about how cute the new librarian is is tiresome. One mention that he is handsome would be fine, but we're getting her lusting after him everytime he's in a scene. There are plenty of interesting books out there to waste time on this one.
February 19, 2023
This was a quick, light read. I must admit to eye-rolling with the dynamic between Lee and Joe. In marriage, out with it. Especially, when you’d know better not being new to it. It started slow and I was determined to see this book through much as one does with movies…hoping if they keep watching it’ll improve. Thankfully, this book did. I didn’t know who dun it till it was revealed, and am happy with time spent. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2017
Lee wants to get more involved in the Warner Pier community. When she's asked to serve on the Library Board, Lee decides to attend a Board meeting to see if she thinks she'd be a good fit. When a body is discovered in the basement of the library, Lee is up to her ears in skulduggery even as she finds herself attracted to the new Library Director, "Butch" Cassidy.
June 26, 2018
not a fan; I expected to like this book far more than I did. the dialogue is very basic, the plot could have been designed by a teenager because it's so under developed and obvious. the strife between the main character and her husband is juvenile as is her infatuation with the librarian. the most entertaining feature is the chocolate trivia
August 6, 2022
Replete with chocolate trivia and just the right amount of intrigue, The Chocolate Book Bandit is a fun and easy read that can be devoured as easily as the chocolates it describes. There was a moment where I said, "Ah-ha! This person is surely the criminal!" And I was vindicated. I would gladly read more books from this author, and it looks like there are plenty to choose from.
September 26, 2017
Another festive tale in a fictional town in southwest Michigan on Lake Michigan. Every time she mentions a truffle, she explains exactly what is in it or on it. I'm learning my truffles with this series. (The chocolate variety, not so much mushrooms.)
December 5, 2021
Cute, but a real stretch for it to happen at a library. I had a rough time believing this story. I was foolish and picked it up because of its cover and title! Genius marketing, though. "Fool the choco-booka-holic!"
February 10, 2017
Cute! Entertaining! I don't usually do mysteries, this was fun and I'm onto another;) perfect for a mind vacation.
September 19, 2017
Fast fun read with bits of chocolate spread throughout.
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