Karamell-Komplott (Ein Molly-Sweetwater-Krimi – Band 1)

A Molly Sweetwater Cozy Mystery #1

by Sophie Love

„Dieses Buch war einfach zauberhaft. Es fesselte mich so sehr, dass ich oft bis in die frühen Morgenstunden las, anstatt zu schlafen ... Mein Mann wird es auch verschlingen.”
--Amazon-Rezensent (über Love Like This)
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KARAMELL-KOMPLOTT (EIN MOLLY-SWEETWATER-KRIMI – BAND 1) ist der Auftakt einer neuen gemütlichen Krimireihe der Bestsellerautorin Sophie Love, deren Werke über 5.000 Fünf-Sterne-Bewertungen erhalten haben!

In einem viktorianischen Küstenstädtchen experimentiert die Toffee-Ladenbesitzerin Molly Sweetwater mit außergewöhnlichen Toffee-Kreationen - bis ihre berühmten Leckereien sie in die Nähe eines rätselhaften Todesfalls bringen und sie zwingen, ihren Ruf zu verteidigen und ein Geheimnis zu lüften.

Als ein bekannter Koch nach dem Probieren ihres neuen Meersalz-Karamell-Toffees tot umfällt, gerät Molly in arge Bedrängnis. Sie braucht mehr als Zucker und Gewürze, um ihren Namen reinzuwaschen und den Fall zu lösen - vor allem, wenn ein attraktiver neuer Ermittler seine Finger im Spiel hat.

Die Molly-Sweetwater-Reihe ist ein charmanter Wohlfühlkrimi, der Sie in eine malerische Küstenstadt entführt, mit seiner bezaubernden Atmosphäre in den Bann zieht und mit köstlichen Überraschungen lockt. Jedes Buch steckt voller Wendungen und fesselnder Geheimnisse, sodass man die Nacht zum Tag macht.

Weitere Bücher der Serie sind ebenfalls erhältlich!

„Ich habe dieses Buch verschlungen! Man fühlt sich wirklich mitten im Geschehen. Kann es kaum erwarten, mehr zu lesen.”
--Amazon-Rezensent (über For Now And Forever)
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„Eine unterhaltsame Lektüre! Ich konnte es nicht aus der Hand legen. Ich habe mir gleich die ganze Serie gekauft und kann es kaum erwarten, das nächste Buch zu verschlingen!”
--Amazon-Rezensentin (zu The Ghostly Mord und Frühstück)
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„Das Buch war hervorragend geschrieben und hat mich durchgehend gefesselt. Die Charaktere waren sehr glaubwürdig und die Szenen äußerst lebendig. Ein wahres Lesevergnügen!”
--Amazon-Rezensent (über Love Like This)
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„Ich habe dieses Buch wirklich genossen. Es war anschaulich, gut geschrieben und hat mich bestens unterhalten.”
--Amazon-Rezensentin (zu The Witching Mord durch Manuskript)
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Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Cozy

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2025

About the author

A lifelong fan of the romance genre, Sophie Love is thrilled to release her debut romance series: FOR NOW AND FOREVER (THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR—BOOK 1). Sophie would love to hear from you, so please visit www.sophieloveauthor.com to email her, to join the mailing list, to receive free ebooks, to hear the latest news, and to stay in touch!

Reviews

[Nic · Rating 1 out of 5]

This short book took me AGES 😫 the characters were one dimensional at best - but you do get to hear countless times about Molly’s green eyes (42 times I think? Even at the end of the book we’re reminded of the color of her freaking eyes) Poppy’s ponytail, and Liv’s glasses she’s always pushing up with her long fingers.

The author seemed to have a word count she needed to meet and so she restated circumstances multiple times in a row. She described the personality-less character’s physical attributes SO MUCH. Molly is dumb as a post and she does the typical stupid stuff like touch evidence the even dumber police missed, she interviews people she thinks may be murderers (by herself) and worst of all, she uses flour in her taffy? Stupid.

The only good I will say is this: it wasn’t gory.

I read this entire book because I don’t think it very fair to rate a book without reading it. I read it out of spite so I could give it one star.

[sophia davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice chil easy book to read.

[Resa Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cozy Mystery

Interesting who "dun it". I felt the author was working heard to put more words on the pages. Each time a character showed on the scene the would you'd the same discriptive words. Luv was pushing up her glass in every scene... Poppy had her pony tail bouncing as she walked etc.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehh it was ok

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caramel Conspiracy is the first book in the Molly Sweetwater series. Molly has taken over her parents taffy shop and along with her sister is trying to keep it busy. This book starts with the two of them trying to perfect a new flavor of taffy; caramel in time for a festival. Things go wrong though when a reviewer comes through the festival tearing everyone down. It doesn't get any better when the reviewer is found dead just hours after giving Molly and her taffy business a scathing review. Now Molly, her sister and her best friend must put their heads together to figure out who has the most to lose to commit murder.

So I really wanted to love this book. It was a nice cozy mystery with a great premise and characters that you could really get into. The issue I had though was the overused imagery and the amount of times we are told that Molly's eyes are green. Also using both her first and last name together multiple times instead of just calling her Molly. The other issue is how quick the police were to tell Molly exactly how the deceased died, and allow her to get involved in the investigation. She was just allowed to interrogate suspects when the lead detective didn't think he got anywhere. I think the storyline was great and if their wasn't so much filler about the main characters eyes or intense descriptions the story could have included more interactions with other characters, maybe more snooping, and not just allow the main character to do what she wants.

[Caitlin Johnson]

DID NOT FINISH BECAUSE THE NARRATOR OF THE AUDIOBOOK READ EVERYTHING LIKE A Question WHILE MONOTONE

[Mathilde · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so bad, the characters had no depth, the main character was so obnoxious, the plot was so cliche, thankfully it was free on Amazon I would have hated to pay for this

[Caitlynn Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Audiobook on Spotify*

I listened to the audiobook. If you watch Hallmark mysteries the book gives off the same vibes. I like how the killer wasn't hinted or teased until the reveal in the end. I wonder if this is the authors first book or the voice actor was AI. A lot of the words were misread or jumbled. Last names were very uncreative except the new detective. I'll need to get my hands on the physical book and reread it. Audio version on Spotify is a 1 out of 5. The plot was good but there was filler.

[Judi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave it a 1 star. I never give 1 star unless I mean 0 because I am required to give it a numerical grade. This is truly a totally ridiculous book. At first I gave the author credit because I thought it might be a first effort and that there is hope for improvement. However it seems she has written a lot of books and people actually like them, so there is no incentive to get better.

It felt as if she had a thesaurus sitting on her desk and referred to it constantly. Unfortunately, she would pick words that almost fit what she was trying to say but it sounded awkward, strained, and sometimes just silly.

She also seemed to be going to great lengths to make the book as large as possible. The MC spent an incredible amount of time assessing the sounds the paper used in her candy shop made. At about 90% of the way through the book she was still telling us that the MC had long dark brown hair and green eyes. Again. She liked describing people, a lot.

ALL of the people acted incredibly stupid. The police were incompetent. The town people were so dumb I wondered how they could live independent of a caretaker. The cozy, loving, friendly town she adored turned 100% against her immediately after the police said she was not a suspect and there were plenty of suspects.

I really could go on and on about how badly written this book is. I feel somewhat bad to tear another person but I am saying all of this to encourage the author to get a writing teacher or coach to help her do better in the future. However, there seem to be little incentive since she received so many 4s and 5s.

After about 10 pages I continued to read only the first line on each page and it was quickly finished. Since it took about 7 pages to complete a simple task like opening a door, I never felt I missed a thing. Sometimes I skipped several pages in a row. I do not recommend.

[Amy Webster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah,
Perfectly formulaic "cozy mystery". Boring characters, boring plot, totally predictable.

Our heroine does everything she is asked not to, doesn't trust the police to do their job and runs a monotonous inner dialog at every turn. She questions her candy products, her history, her life choices. And, barge into a hotel room when she wasn't invited or expected, but of course. As if a single bad review of a single piece of candy would cause a business to fail in a tourist town. No, just no.

Our police officer is too cowed to actually arrest the heroine for meddling where she doesn't belong. So, breaking every rule in the book, he informs her of what's going on and asked for her help. Really? No, just no.

And of course, there are the traditional "suspend reality" bits. Three candy stores in a small tourist town, one keeping video surveillance of another? They never reveal what killed the murder suspect really, but everyone knows it was the candy. And, apparently when they do know, they don't arrest the person who made the candy and...cleverly selected and left out a piece just for the reviewer. No, just no.

Ah yes, the silly policeman. "I know you didn't do it!" Our video recorder also doesn't think to check her footage after the fact. No one knows she has it, it was all sent to their phone and she didn't bother to look after the murder? Really? No, just no.

There are better books, even cozy mysteries.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the day of the festival, Molly Sweetwater's main concern was how much the food critic would enjoy her new flavour of taffy. Little did she know that by the end of the day, he would be dead, and she would become the town's number one suspect.

Oh dear. I went back and forth on how I wanted to score this book. In my own system, it's worth three stars; in Goodreads', it would be a two. Since I can't split the difference, it's really a two and a half, but rounded up to three, if that makes sense. The main issue (that a good editor could have fixed) was wordiness. Molly's green eyes, dancing fingers and dark brown hair made far too many appearances in the story and slowed the pace to a crawl. The side characters each had a similar trait that was described almost every time they were on scene. Beyond this, there was a continuity error or two and a sprinkling of grammatical errors.

That's the bad. Now for what I did like: the plot was interesting, and while a candymaker/investigator isn't revolutionary, it is different from the bakers and booksellers that populate many a cosy. I had a genuine chuckle at a scene (too close to the end of the book to relate, without spoiling the conclusion).

So while I wasn't fussed, I would suggest this story to cosy lovers who appreciate a slower unravelling of a mystery.

[Lonny Sanford · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know how I finished this. From the one dimensional characters to the main character going from sweet taffy maker to supreme detective that the police let interrogate people bug them she makes the talk when trained detectives couldn’t. And the police have no leads but the taffy maker finds the killer. Not believable. And the author has never heard of show don’t tell. Because every thing was told over and over. Green eyes so many times I can’t count. Don’t waste your time.

[Kathleen Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolute rubbish.

A short story painfully stretched and dragged out. A detective who shared far too many details with a civilian, allowed her to interview witnesses and put her at risk in a murder investigation. Utter tosh.

[Jenny Kastle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was ok. But they used ai for the narration and there were so many weird pronunciations.

[Sarah Ord · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I ever start reading one of Sophie Love's books again please stop me. I know Molly has green eyes so don't use it as the only adjective a million times. Makes for a mundane annoying read.

[Candace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read by AI and written by AI?

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this cozy mystery because it centered around a Taffy shop. Growing up, my family always bought saltwater Taffy when we went on vacation. So it brought back good memories! In this cozy mystery, Molly Sweetwater and her sister Poppy operate the family's Sweetwater's Taffy shop. They are getting ready for the Tidewater Festival by coming up with a new taffy flavor. Shortly after the festival judge, Marcus Bloom, makes his critiques and leaves the festival, Molly finds him dead! He had recently tasted the new Sweetwater Taffy flavor! Now the shop is shrouded in whispers and suspicion and customers are few and far between. Molly desperately needs to figure out the truth and save the shop's reputation. "The absence of information felt as tangible as the sticky residue left on the counters after a day of taffy pulling." I liked the seaside setting for this book and the major characters. There is a hint of a future romance for Molly which I liked. I had fun reading this book and I look forward to reading the next installment.

[Thia Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth finishing

This book was so boring and predictable that it didn't spark my interest. When it mentioned the man laying on the floor instead of lying, the grammar was off-putting. I was done when Molly showed up at the police station in fashionable boots, and then she was suddenly in sensible shoes. The descriptions lacked imagination. Eye color was mentioned repeatedly for the same person, and the women's hair being twirled or across their faces was overused. I just had to stop wasting my time and switch to better reading material. I really hate being so critical of an author's work, and this obviously appeals to some, so just take it for what it is - one person's opinion.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another slow paced mystery set in a small town. In this beach town, it seems everyone owns a food establishment. Also how could such a small beach town have so many sweet shops?

The characters seem one dimensional and flat. The trope of a new law enforcement person comes into town and falls for a shop owner who is implicated in a murder is apparent. This just seemed so unrealistic. It didn’t seem realistic that the police would let a layperson help solve the murder, even if that person was implicated in the murder. The wrap up of the murder was done too quickly.

I had high hopes for this mystery but was disappointed.

[Breana Jobin · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5 stars

Okay, I’m never one for leaving bad reviews. Granted, I did finish the book, so I’m giving it 1.5 stars for that alone (as I didn’t DNF).

While I get the intent of trying to clear her name, in real life none of that would’ve be acceptable. If you’re a suspect in a murder case, they’re not going to let you help the investigation and interrogate people…especially just because the lead detective thinks your “curious green eyes” are pretty and you’re into each other.

I hated the repetitive use of first name and last names for certain characters. First name is fine.

And I didn’t like the narrated voice for the audio book.😭

[Lois Hinderliter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great book. Well written with a good plot. Molly and her sister Poppy own a taffy shop. During a festival a Chef who is evaluating everyone's food gives everyone a bad review. So Molly goes to his hotel room later to find out what was wrong with her taffy, why he didn't like it. When she arrived she found him dead. So the investigation begins. Jack the detective keeps telling her to stay out of his investigation for her own safety. But Holly just can't let it go. Very interesting how she goes about to find the killer. This book does keep things moving on every page.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of me thinks its a good thing she found the body

Molly's a contradiction. Annoying at the beginning but she got better. Luckily enough, the police would not have solved the murder without her.

When the judge at the festival dies, rumors flow that it was Molly's family taffy that was the culprit. Finding the body does not mean she killed him so what can she do, but try to clear her name. With the help of her sister, her best friend and the new detective, she'll question a few suspects, hunt for some clues, and use her intuition to find a murderer.

[Ethan R. Mingay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was fundamentally really flawed. Why on earth did the police just allow this random woman with a sweatshop to basically lead an entire investigation into a murder to which she should have OBVIOUSLY of been the prime suspect for I will never know.

Moreover, none of the humans spoke like real people. It feels like this book was written by AI and tbh I think it may have been.

I’m really sorry, it just wasn’t for me at all.

Extra star because I actually finished it, but otherwise would have been a 1.

[Apryl Barrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is good and it is engaging. But I wish I would have read the book and not listened to the Audo book. I give the audio version 2 stars because the AI narration is terrible and extremely distracting. I had to force myself to give the book a chance and concentrate on the story and not the narrator. Common words are mispronounced, the voice is high when it's a man talking and deep when it's a girl talking, and monotone in places where there should be excitement. But I did enjoy the story and I will read more in the series. I just won't listen unless she gets a new narrator.

[Janet Hottel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too similar to other stories I've read. Disappointed with the writing. Every time she mentions someone's eyes she has to state what color they are, the same with the hair, when someone is pondering something they are always chewing on their bottom lip. After mentioning their hair or eye color, etc. once, that's enough unless it's relevant to the story line. Seems like she was just using the same words to up the word count in the book. Sorry, I don't usually give negative views.

[Roy Lee Saint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caramel Conspiracy , Sophie Love

I have read many cozy mystery, but none like this book and story. Immediately you develop an relationship with the character of the book. You feel sorry for each Character involved. But with the love for their family business, and their community you can feel the love and dedication. It is more than a murder, it's their lives and lively hood. They care what the people think of them and their business. A very enjoyable read.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

I enjoyed this book. Molly can really put her m I d to a problem...in this case murder! The reviewer was no one's friend but to blame the murder on Molly was serious business. With her sister Poppy and friend Liz Molly was determined to clear her name. Cooperating, mostly, with the new handsome police chief, did indeed clear her name and helped capture the killer. Quick fun summer read.

[monacia williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly defends her reputation

The book did not start out well for me, perhaps because of cultural bias. Molly's character was a bit too submissive, too weak to fit her characterization for me to appreciate who she was, so, I almost gave up reading. Her character improved tremendously towards the end of the book so it was not difficult to finish. I am not sure that I like the ending but I cannot say why without sharing too much of the story.

Go, read, find out for yourself.

[Michelle Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good twist to the story

Molly works hard to clear her name and save her family business. With the help of her sister Polly and bff Liv, she tries not catch killer. Bunny Jack, the new detective in town has to keep his eye on her so that she doesn't get into trouble or mess up his investigation.

[Sharon M. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caramel Conspiracy

Molly Sweetwater has a Caramel Shop and works hard to invent new tastes and flavors. A famous chef is sampling her wares amongst others to pick the best caramels. He's famous but not very well liked. He is poisoned and Molly could be the number one suspect! How can she and her family find the real killer?