Poisoned Pen Press Tart of Darkness.

by Denise Swanson

Right when Dani thinks she's hit a dead-end in her career, she unexpectedly inherits an enormous empty mansion in a quaint college town. This gives her the perfect opportunity to pursue her true passion―cooking! So Dani opens Chef-to-Go, preparing delicious, ready-made meals for hungry students attending the nearby university, as well as providing personal chef services and catering events for the local community. To help support her new business, she opens her home to a few students, renting them rooms and becoming almost like a big sister figure in their lives.

But Dani's sweet new life has a measure of darkness in it: when the friend of one of her boarders is murdered, Dani becomes a primary suspect! She'll have to scramble to clear her name, solve this culinary mystery, and save her business before the killer reappears―perhaps to silence the new chef forever.

320 pages, Paperback

About the author

Denise Swanson lives in rural Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr.

After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.

Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window.

Reviews

[beccaaaa ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, and easy but nothing extraordinary. I’m not sure if I had a misprint because there were some annoying mistakes throughout which kinda took away from the book.

I also didn’t love the romance direction this took, as it felt the reveal was crammed into the smallest part at the end, it felt a bit rushed

[- Natasha - · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book, it was a bit more of a Romance than I thought it would be for a mystery. It wax a nice easy read though, and I didn’t expect the killer to be who it was, however, I do think that finding out who done it was a bit rushed. There was a few misprints in my book that did distract me a little, but overall I didn’t expect enjoy this read.

[Mrs L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, I mean it was OK, but it seemed to very quickly turn into a romance novel which is fine if that's your thing, but not what I was after. The ending was also a bit of a let down. I don't think I'll be reading any more of the author's work

[Jay Urquhart-pettifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got really bored with this one

[Helenadinnca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry but this was a disappointment

[Holly Falconer-Leeds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little crime thriller kept light hearted but still with twists and turns.

[Eleanor Broadbent · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story and characters had potential but the story seemed rushed and there were even typos in the text!

[Naomi Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[Chae · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bought this to get another book half off. Was excited by the premise but ended up dnf ing cause this girl is stupid and that’s before the mystery even gets started.

[Abi C · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok.

This book had me checking Google to make sure my book wasn’t missing any pages at the end. It was slow paced until the murderer was discovered and from there on it felt rushed.

Mikeloffs connection to Dani was left unanswered??
Spencer and Dani just went back to being acquaintances??