Secret Sweets: A Sweet's Sweets Bakery Mystery

Samantha Sweet #18

by Connie Shelton

Samantha Sweet’s husband, Beau, gets a call from a cousin he hasn’t seen in decades. Cecelia’s husband was recently murdered, and the local cops in their small town haven’t come up with a single suspect. She knows it wasn’t the random act of violence they’re claiming; Mark had been digging into something mysterious at his workplace and no one knows what kind of secrets he may have uncovered.

Sam and Beau are on the road to Oklahoma to figure it out. Creston is a typical small town and no one wants to believe there’s a killer in their midst. But someone is hiding a secret that’s probably worth millions of dollars. And as Beau always says—behind most murders there’s a connection to either territory, love, or money. He and Sam just have to sort through the various suspects and motives to figure it out before the killer turns it back on them. Can they manage to catch the killer and still get home in time for the Thanksgiving holiday in Taos?

Readers are raving about these lighthearted, relaxing, well-written books—Samantha may not be young, beautiful or have the perfect body, but she is intelligent, independent, and hard working, the kind of person you feel you already know.

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Praise for Connie Shelton’s previous

“The best yet!! Not only was Sweet Magic fantastic, it left me dying to see where life is headed for Samantha and her family! Heart-gripping, fast-paced, and amazing.” – J.J. 5-stars, online review

“LOVE, LOVE these books!” —5 stars, online review

“Fantastic! Impossible to put down!” – 5 stars, Amazon reader

“Shelton again has done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life.” —Albuquerque Journal

“Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” —The Midwest Book Review

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 18, 2024

About the author

My love of books started with weekly trips to the library as a child and from the moment I learned to read I can't remember a time that I didn't have at least one book going. For the past 25 years, that list has grown to include what I'm reading and what I'm writing at any given time.

I began writing my Charlie Parker series when my husband and I lived on Kauai, then continued them in my home state of New Mexico. Charlie lives in Albuquerque and manages to travel to a variety of locations, wherever her investigation business and her husband's helicopter business take them. My second series featuring Samantha Sweet, the 50-ish woman who breaks into houses for a living, is set in Taos, New Mexico.

In addition to reading and writing, I've traveled quite a lot, taught writing courses, and been a speaker at a whole lot of mystery conventions and writing conferences. In my spare time I also love to paint, draw, cook and spend time at the beach.

Series:
* Charlie Parker Mystery

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid investigative narrative

Well written mystery with corporate embezzlement, murder and kidnapping thrown in. Plenty of suspects, lots of investigative work and twists. Exciting with and odd mixture of normalcy. In other words a Connie Shelton book filled with action and narrative. The Samantha Sweet Mystery series is long running but this book works a stand alone novel.

[Gail Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam's back!

This book was more like the beginning of the series in that it features Sam and Beau for the whole book whereas the last books seemed to focus on other characters for the main part. I really enjoyed this story and can see this developing further maybe with Beau going back to law enforcement allowing more stories involving the couple. Can't wait for the next part.

[Linda Kleback · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Addition to the Sweets Series

I've read all the books in this series and am always glad when a new one is published. In this book Sam and Beau leave their hometown to help solve a mystery in Beau's childhood home. The mystery is well written and engaging. I love these characters!

[Mary Seifert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic whodunnit

Samantha Sweet and Beau are off to help his cousin Cece deal with the murder of her husband, but can they sort out the guilt or innocence of those involved?

[Carol Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book

Connie Shelton comes through again. Love all of the Samantha Sweets mystery series, they are wonderful and I can't wait for the next book.

[Janet Epperson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic series.

[Katie Storer · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Another wonderful adventure from Sam and Beau. In this episode Beau’s cousin calls. Her beloved husband was stabbed to death and the local cops called it a mugging. This book takes place in Beau’s childhood home town. And they travel to stay with Cece, so that Beau can investigate the the truth surrounding this untimely death.

I loved that this setup, in a town where Beau hasn’t visited since childhood, takes this duo to a town where they are unknown and where Beau has no legal authority. They are truly starting from square one.

I highly recommend this book.

[Cyndi Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it

My only comment is why didn't Sam and Beau give the $2,000 to Jay?.since it was. Really his and he needed monsy.