Fatal Chocolate Obsession

Death by Chocolate #5

by Sally Berneathy

A bouquet of roses, a bottle of wine, a crystal butterfly…and a dead man in the alley behind Death by Chocolate. Gifts for Lindsay, left in the middle of the night. Is her ex-husband Rick between girlfriends and pursuing her again? Did he leave the roses and wine? He has done the out-of-season Santa Claus thing before. But when the crystal butterfly appears, Rick is in the hospital after a brutal attack leaves him near death. If not Rick, then who? Is it someone she sees every day? The tall man who refuses to look her in the eye? The short man who looks her in the eye too long? The skinny man with crossed eyes who might or might not be looking her in the eye? As the body count rises, Lindsay begins to see danger everywhere. Lindsay, Fred and Trent must catch this psycho stalker before someone else dies. Not bad enough he kills people. He also murders the English language in the horrible poems he leaves for her. Butterflies are free and so are we. Come fly away with me for all eternity. I’ll shelter you from harm, and always keep you safe and warm. Anyone who troubles thee will feel the wrath of me.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2014

About the author

“Write what you know,” they said. I’d been married three times. I wrote romances.

Fast forward ten years.

“Write what you know,” they said. I’d been divorced three times and fantasized about murdering my ex. Only massive doses of chocolate kept my finger off the trigger.

Now I write about murder and chocolate and the occasional ghost.

Reviews

[Brenda]

Lindsay’s shop, Death by Chocolate, was a huge success. But when a person she knew well was murdered behind her shop, Lindsay was devastated. And determined to find the killer.

Lindsay’s ex-husband, Rick was bothering her again – the gifts he was leaving her were ending up in the rubbish bin. At least she assumed it was him. But when he ended up in hospital and another body was discovered, Lindsay knew there was something more going on. Her next-door neighbour, Fred, along with Lindsay’s boyfriend Trent, also a detective, were concerned for her safety. Was it possible for them all to discover the perpetrator before more bodies were discovered?

Fatal Chocolate Obsession by Sally Berneathy is the usual laugh out loud, entertaining read. So much fun; Lindsay seems to attract the weirdos and spends her time between creating her delectable chocolate treats and trying to find the bad guys. Her wonderful cat, King Henry, is a star in his own right! A fabulous series, Fatal Chocolate Obsession is #5 in the Death by Chocolate series, and one I highly recommend.

Thanks to the author who gifted me a copy as it was the only one I couldn't access on Amazon!

[Anastasia]

Fatal Chocolate Obsession is book 5 in the Death by Chocolate mystery series. Chocolatier Lindsay Powell is being left gifts by a secret admirer and a homeless man is beaten to death outside her shop. A fun and entertaining book. I loved Lindsay's sarcastic humour but the book was a bit let down by the mystery. The stalker seemed obvious yet everyone seemed taken in by him. Fred seemed to be a bit lacking with his abilities in this book also. Plenty of laughs and humour made up a bit for the deficiencies and I enjoyed the book immensely.

[Sandee]

Does Lindsay have a stalker? This book in the series is a bit darker than the previous ones. It is just as much fun and just as engaging but the subject matter is darker and the danger is deadlier. I enjoyed this book even more than the others. It provided an opportunity to see Lindsay's depth and intelligence which, while evident, wasn't as obvious in the previous books. Of course the gang is all there to support and protect her and the humour is perfect to lighten some of the darkness. A solid mystery and lots of emotion.

[Marge]

Oooh, this storyline was a bit creepy! Lindsay has a stalker. First, she thinks it's her ex-husband, Rick, but soon she figures out it is not! Fred is so mysterious. Who exactly is he? How does he do all the things he does? To find out, read the story.... you won't be able to put the book down until you finish it!

[Darcy]

I like reading these books, but while Lindsay and her friends are smart they are stupid too. I guessed the bad guy and the reason very early on. It then became a comedy of errors seeing them all run around reacting to things. I was glad how this one ended though.

[Mettesknit]

I need more chocolate 🍫☕😍

[Sharon]

I love this series. Each book is stand alone so you do not have to read earlier books to figure out what is going on. Although, there are characters that reappear, they just add to the current story.

the characters are so real to life, I would love to have a neighbor like hers. Fred is so cool. She did kill off a character that I would loved to have seen been added to the future mixes. I love the book, because although there is a love interest, there is no blatant sex scenes. It also reminds us to be careful of strangers and certain incidents that we could run into.

A fun part is the recipes at the end of the book, yummy

I hope Sally never gets tired of writing this series.

[Petula Darling]

There were some real issues with tone in this one. Comedy and darkness can mix well, but this really didn't work. Light, frothy humor and quips are a tough pairing with a violent abduction.

I listened to the audiobook, so that may have affected the experience.

[P.T.L. Perrin]

Mysterious gifts, a series of murders, and a witty chocolatier.

Lindsay’s ex-, Rick, is at it again, leaving mysterious gifts to win her back. She is having none of it. When people Lindsay knows are murdered and one of the gifts arrives while Rick is in the hospital, the presents take on a more sinister aspect. Lindsay must rethink who might be leaving them, and whether they are related to the murders. Is she next?

Lindsay’s cop boyfriend, Trent, and her puzzling neighbor, Fred, are determined to protect her and find the murderer. The plot takes unexpected twists, which kept me intrigued. It’s more intense than the previous books without losing any of Lindsay’s wit, her cat’s quirks, or Fred’s mysterious ways. Things escalate when she provides temporary shelter in her home for a woman and her rowdy children fleeing abuse. Despite the intensity, I enjoyed many laugh-out-loud moments and look forward to the next book in the series.

[Marietta Slater]

Lindsay befriends a homeless man and encourages him to make his life better. When he is found murdered behind her chocolate shop, Lindsay is heartbroken. She begins receiving gifts (wine, flowers and a crystal butterfly). She is irritated because she thinks her ex-husband Rick is sending them; however, when he ends beaten and in the hospital, she has to rethink her theory.
There is a nice little twist to this story.

[Shannon]

This are just great quick reads. Lindsay is a wack-a-doddle but damn funny wack-a-doodle I just love how she's written. My favorite is Fred if you've never read this series then you must. The are wonderful written with great character a very dead bodies and delicious chocolate recipes. I forget the bodyguard cat .

[Bethany Hakimian]

Another riveting episode in this chocolate saga. Lindsey is as stubborn as ever, with her code word "okay" meaning "it's okay that you think that, and I'm not going to argue with you, but I'm going to do as I please.
I figured out the twist at the end only a few pages before it became obvious, leaving me with the dreadful feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. I've heartily enjoyed this entire series, and look forward to the rest, but this one, I think, was especially good.

[Danielle May]

A great read

A little too predictable, not much mystery, but still couldn't put it down. Figuring out how she was going to get out of danger and expressing her true feelings to Trent kept me going, even though I knew " who done it." Along with the great way Sally tells a story, it was still a great read.

[Kathy]

Book 5 in this series.
I enjoy reading these books. After a while you know the characters so well they almost feel like family members.
Lindsay is still a nut-case and she gets herself into a bit of a serious pickle in this book.
I figured out long before who was responsible for her anonymous gifts and the murder, so it was fun reading about everyone madly trying to figure things out.

[Linda C Lettau]

A page turner:

I have rated ( death by chocolate a five star ). Every book of this series seems to get better and better. I laughed a lot as well as wonder who is next the next victim. What's going to happen next ?? Plus a chocolate, and a budding romance. Definitely a page turner.

[Linda Curry]

Fun read

If you, like me, find yourself looking for an interesting story with fun characters and an engaging writing style, you will enjoy this book a lot. It isn't great literature but it is great fun.

[Maya]

I NEED to know who Fred is-what he does and EVERYTHING about him. I hope we find out in the series.
Loved the book! Good as always!!
Fifth book in a great cozy mysteries series and I rarely read anything other than YA Fantasy so you should know it’s that good. Definitely recommend it!!

[Jaynee]

Intense!

This, the 4th in the Death by Chocolate series, is a little more intense than the others. There is more suspense and breath-holding tension in this book. There is also some gore.

[Jackie]

Still going strong

So by now, most series books get boring and routine. I am pleased to say that this story line hasn't. Fred is still a mystery but the other characters are developing. Will be reading book 6!

[carol williams]

Great story!!

This is the first one that I guessed correctly at whom the bad guy was!
Surprised myself even!
But I do so love this series and hope they go on forever!
Thank you Sally!!

[BearlyChatty]

Very entertaining. Been reading and listening to heavier stuff. Needed a break. I read two of these in a row. What a joy to just relax and just enjoy engaging in a funny mystery. Plan to do that more often!

[Reneta]

quick pace, totally unreasonable, yet such a fun read!

Lindsey gets attached to more trouble than Jessica in Murder She Wrote. But how fun to see her navigate murders, mugging, and disappearances, all while keeping chocolate and Coke as a priority to keep her going.

[Kathy Walker]

Chocolate lover and Chef fights crime

Delightful story of woman who loved to help people and had a cop for a boyfriend. She gets stalked.be a seemingly meek customer and needs.assistance from her boyfriend and neighbors. Well told story.

[Sonjie Outlaw]

Chocolate and red can coke, who can resist?

You can't not give this story nothing but a five stars. Make be Trent and Lindsey Wii get married. Fred could be her best man.

[elizabeth mcdaniel]

Fun entertaining read

I stumbled upon this Author now I'm a great fan. Love her humor intertwined with mystery . I like her development of character.

[spamrich]

.

Liked the series a lot. Love the characters in this series too. Already reading some of her other books. ......

[Tara]

This one was a bit predictable but I still love the characters and plot and of course how the side romance is developing.

[Karl Hakimian]

This was more intense than the previous books, but a very good story. Even though I knew who the perpetrator was from the first appearence, it did not detract from the story.

[Bkunkle]

Another helping of chocolate and murder

If you've read any of the other Death by Chocolate books, you know what to expect here and you won't be disappointed.

[Barbara]

Great series

These books would make a great tv series. I have enjoyed reading all of them. Funny with a little mystery.