Murder as Sticky as Jam

Cooking up Murder #1

by Diana Orgain

Come for the cozy, stay for the thrill of it The first in a brand new series: A Gluten Free Mystery Mona Reilly is preparing for the grand opening of Jammin’ Honey, a local Jam and Honey shop, in the small town of Magnolia Falls. Her best friend, Vicki, supplies the shop with honey and homemade lotions, candles and royal jelly. While Mona and Vicki are off taste testing the gluten-free catering the shop mysterious burns down. When a body is recovered from the fire, Vicki’s brother, incidentally the most handsome cop Mona has ever laid eyes on, is assigned to the case. Everyone in town has a motive and it's up to Mona to solve this sticky situation.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Amazon, Cozy

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2018

About the author

Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series. She is also the Author of the Love or Money Mystery series and The Roundup Crew Mysteries (Yappy Hour and Trigger Yappy).
Diana is the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs.
Diana's latest release is 4 Sleuths and a Bachelorette, a fun collaboration with USA Today Bestselling Authors, Leslie Langtry, Traci Andrighetti, and Arlene Mcfarlane. Right now she's working on the next release in the Maternal Instincts Mystery, Murder Comes Crawling.
To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com

Series:
* Maternal Instincts Mystery

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Immature

The story started well. Vicki and Mona are ready to open their shop when a fire threatens to destroy their dream. The book goes downhill from there. Mona is written like a adolescent’s imagining a woman’s emotions. She thinks of the dozen people who might have wanted to burn down the shop as she drools over the old flame/detective and accuses one of her suspects after another. The other characters have an equal quantity of depth. Only my curiosity about how this mess would be concluded kept me reading. Teen readers will possibly like this book. This reader won’t be bothered with more by the author.

[Mary Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:

Come for the cozy, stay for the thrill of it The first in a brand new series: A Gluten Free Mystery Mona Reilly is preparing for the grand opening of Jammin’ Honey, a local Jam and Honey shop, in the small town of Magnolia Falls. Her best friend, Vicki, supplies the shop with honey and homemade lotions, candles and royal jelly. While Mona and Vicki are off taste testing the gluten-free catering the shop mysterious burns down. When a body is recovered from the fire, Vicki’s brother, incidentally the most handsome cop Mona has ever laid eyes on, is assigned to the case. Everyone in town has a motive and it's up to Mona to solve this sticky situation. (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. I enjoyed getting to know Mona and her best friend Vicki. Mona is a hardworking smart woman who has poured everything into her new shop, Jammin’ Honey. When things do not work out as planned and the shop has a fire, Mona will have to rely on strength she did not even know she possessed to get her life back on track. I enjoyed the friendship between Mona and Vicki, you could tell they cared deeply for each other. Mona was strong about everything that was happening in her life. That is, everything besides Leo, Vicki’s brother and Mona’s forever crush. Then she turned into a high school girl, with all of the insecurities that go along with that.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all of the action taking place. She is also very talented in creating small town settings and all of the nosiness and politics that go along with it. The mystery was well plotted and carried on well throughout the story. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through and I did not figure out who the killer was until it was revealed at the end.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. It is a good start to a new series and I am looking forward to reading future books.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, and that is what this review is.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Murder as Sticky as Jam” earns 5/5 Jars of Blackberry Ginger Jam…Murderously Delish!

I may not have a desire to live a gluten-free lifestyle, but the first book in the Gluten Free Mystery series was engaging and entertaining with a couple of easy-to-follow recipes that may entice me to test it out. Diana Orgain gives us Magnolia Falls nearing Memorial Day and heralding the tourist season, and joined by BFF and organic beekeeper Vicki Lawson, Mona Reilly is very excited anticipating the grand opening of her Jammin’ Honey shop. But even the annoying whining by Lacey MacInroy, caterer/high school pain-in-her-backside, about the inconvenience using gluten-free almond flour for the pastries will diminish her excitement. Then the wail of a fire engine, the smoke, the fire, her shop and inventory, her mother’s recipes, and a body all engulfed in flames. Wow! This can't be good…well, actually it is, very, very good!

Diana Orgain has penned a delightfully entertaining story with everything I look for to in my cozies: a clever, engaging mystery (a fire hiding a dead body implicating Mona) with some contemporary references (PTSD, ins/outs of owning a business, small town community), endearing characters always with a few quirky (Mona with her strength and realistic insecurities, supportive BFF, octogenarian aunts as comic relief), a renewed or developing romance (Mona’s heart has secretly belonged to Deputy Leo forever, and now hints of his heart being available to her), lots of suspects and motives (business competitors, women scorned, jealous relatives), a theme that sparks my googling interest (jams, honey, and gluten-free treats), and recipes, always a recipe or two (gluten-free southern biscuits and grain-free strawberry thumbprint cookies, but what about the blackberry ginger jam?). I highly recommend this book. Get started on this one; I understand book two, “Murder as Sweet as Honey,” is on the horizon.

“Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author, however this voluntary review includes my honest assessment and insights.”

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in A Gluten Free Mystery series, Murder as Sticky as Jam is sure to be a hit! The characters are lovable, emotions are real, and the mystery is intriguing. The Jammin’ Honey shop is unique, as is the career goal of Mona and Vicki, and I like this new series!

Mona is moments away from her dreaming come true as she prepares for the grand opening of Jammin’ Honey. She sells jams from her late mother’s recipes and best friend Vicki’s organic honey products. She plans to make more of her special blackberry ginger jam for the next day. Her least favorite person, Lacey, owner of the local bakery, calls. Lacey is suppling goodies for the Grand Opening, and wants Mona’s approval on a revised gluten-free recipe and she needs it immediately. Lacey hates gluten free foods, and doesn’t like providing the breads and crackers for people to put jam and honey on.

The nightmare begins when she hears fire trucks when leaving the bakery… Her shop has just gone up in smoke, and a body is found in the unused storage area. Mona is the main suspect! Then the local gossip calls to tell Mona about the rumors going on about her, Vicki seems to want one of Mona’s nemesis’ for a boyfriend, and her family members accuse her of torching it for the insurance money. It is a mixed blessing, then, that Leo, Vicki’s brother, is the detective on the case. Leo, who Mona has been in love with since high school. Hopefully he can find the real culprit before Mona is run out of town.

I really like Mona. She has been working hard towards her dream, and her emotions are normal under the circumstances. This reader gets to know Mona best in this exciting first in series, and she is very likable. Stephanie, a former bakery employee, seems likable, also. Other characters are as well defined as their roles require. I am certainly looking forward to getting to know Stephanie, Vicki and Leo better in the future!

The plot seems, as first, cut and dried regarding the mystery. Surprise! There are a couple major plot twists that sent this armchair sleuth backpedaling. The end is satisfactory, with all loose ends tied up. This novella is the perfect intro to Jammin’ Honey; in my opinion, this will be one of the author’s better series! There are recipes at the end, which are not to be missed. I highly recommend Diana Orgain’s new series!

From a grateful heart: I was given this eBook by the author, and here is my honest review.

[Cyndy Bailes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder as Sticky as Jam by Diana Orgain is the first short cozy mystery in a new gluten-free series. I enjoyed it very much as I found it to be fun and easy to read. The central character is Mona who, with her friend Vicky, is about to open a honey and jam shop. Before it can open disaster falls when there is a fire and a dead body. While very upset by the fire and murder, Mona is delighted that Vicky’s brother Leo, who she had a crush on in high school, is back in town and now a policeman. Leo is assigned to solve the crimes.
I thoroughly enjoyed the development of Mona as she struggles to deal with various situations. Other than still having a major, teen-aged crush on Leo, she gradually matures into a much more adult individual. I also enjoyed the other characters as well. Although they are not as fully developed as they would be in a full-length story, they each have fun, interesting character traits. The only thing I missed in the story was the traditional cozy pet, usually one or more cats.
I can certainly recommend this book and look forward to reading others in the series. An added bonus are several delicious sounding recipes at the end. I was pleased to receive it as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m feeling generous today so I’ll give this book three stars. I would’ve liked to have seen it fleshed out a lot more and I wish there was more to the characters. I didn’t feel any sort of attachment to any of the characters and they didn’t have too much in terms of personality, backstory, or…whatever. Unfortunately, I probably won’t continue on with this series.

[Shaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, cosy murder-mystery. Perfect for a quick read on a rainy day. I thought it sounded kinda cheesy and read it for an easy break but found myself unable to put it down. I genuinely laughed out loud and enjoyed trying to guess who was guilty. Can't wait to finish the series.

[kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this first book in the new gluten free mystery series. I received a copy for an honest review. The plot moves along at a good pace and the characters I could envision easily. I feel this is a great start to a new series. Mona is the main character and she has everything working against her. She has a fire in her new store, a troublesome cousin & townspeople who spread rumors about her. Fortunately on her side there is the start of a budding romance with Leo, the police detective. This book has the recipe with all the ingredients for an enjoyable cozy mystery! Heads up, there are some delicious sounding gluten-free recipes in the back of the book too.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mona and best friend Vicki have worked hard to get everything from finances to honey to jam perfected in order to open their own store in Magnolia Falls. It is to be called Jammin' Honey and features jams made by Mona and honey and beeswax products made by Vicki. Their dream come true is just days from opening when disaster strikes. Suddenly called to the caterer's bakery, Mona must give last minute approval for a change in flour for the gluten free bread ordered for the grand opening party. Miffed that it had to be right then Mona turns off the hot plate and unplugs it, leaving for the bakery. It is not until she has dealt with the less than friendly baker that Mona realizes she hears sirens. After she dashes outside, Mona sees black smoke in the direction of the shop. Driving like a women possessed, she arrives to find that her shop is engulfed with flames. Now what?

Ms Orgain doesn't write about sissies who give up! Mona and Vicki are determined to figure out who set the fire and file the insurance paperwork. Question is, can they succeed? Good thing Vicki has a brother (Leo) who is a police detective!

Mona thinks Vicki's brother is the most handsome man ever. She has been in love with him for years, and he is blissfully unaware. Now the main part of the story I didn't really like was the way Mona pined over Leo as though she were in high school. I felt she acted like a high school sophomore the way she daydreamed about him and imagined how things would happen. Considering she was close to 30, it was embarrassing to read about this behavior.

Who really set the fire in Mona and Vicki's shop? Who was responsible for the murder of the victim found in the warehouse? What happened to Mona's recipe book of the jam recipes her mother left her as her legacy? I guess you are going to have to read the book to find out. Be prepared to set aside a chunk of reading time, because once you get started, you won't want to quit until you get to the end!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars
Murder as Sticky as Jam is a fast new read by Diana Orgain, filled with fun characters and an interesting premise.
Mona Reilly and her best friend Vicki are gearing up towards the opening of their brand new store Jammin' Honey. Mona creates custom jams using her deceased mother's recipes, while Vicki supplies honey from the hives she keeps on her farm. One morning, while at the store setting up, Mona decides to make a batch of her special jam, and while she is getting things prepared, she receives a phone call from the town's baker (and Mona's high school nemesis) Lacey insisting that she come over quickly to go over her gluten-free menu recipes for her opening day hors d'oeuvres. Even though she doesn't want to go see Lacey, she quickly turns off her burner and rushes over to the bakery. While there, Mona hears several sirens, and she realizes that all the activity is headed in the direction of her store. Once she arrives, she finds her store engulfed in flames. The following day, she also learns from the town sheriff Leo (Vicki's brother and Mona's former high school sweetheart) that there was a body found in the wreckage.
There were several possible suspects for the murder, and while the author did a good job tossing in several red herrings, I did figure out the murderer rather early on. I grew a little irritated with Mona at times, because her infatuation with Leo caused her to seem a little bit flighty and immature. Her friend Vicki also seemed to switch alliances about halfway through the story, which made me wonder about her too. I really enjoyed the characters of Aunt Bee and Aunt Cee. I also liked the way the author left just enough of a question mark at the end to make you want to revisit Magnolia Falls and see what is up next for all these characters- especially between Mona and Leo. I'll be watching for the next one in this series.
I received an ARC of this book, and I voluntarily chose to write an honest review.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mona Reilly is moments away from her dreaming come true as she prepares for the grand opening of Jammin’ Honey in Magnolia Falls near the Memorial Day holiday. She makes and will be selling jams from her late mother’s recipes along with her best friend Vicki’s organic honey products. Her least favorite person, Lacey MacInroy, owner of the local bakery, calls while Mona is doing last minute preparations for her opening.. Lacey is supplying gluten free baked goods for the grand opening. She wants Mona’s approval on a revised gluten-free recipe immediately.

The nightmare begins when Mona hears fire trucks as she is leaving the bakery. She looks and sees a smoke flume a few blocks away, in the direction of her shop. Turns out it is her shop with a dead body in the unused storage area. Mona is the main suspect! Then the local gossip calls to tell Mona about the rumors going on about her, Vicki seems to want one of Mona’s nemesis’ for a boyfriend, and her family members accuse her of torching it for the insurance money. It is a mixed blessing, then, that Leo, Vicki’s brother, is the detective on the case. Leo, who Mona has been in love with since high school. Hopefully he can find the real culprit before Mona is run out of town.

I thought it was well written, good start to the series. I had a hard time believing Mona Reilly is 30 years old. She is acting like a teen ager when it comes to her first crush. Get over it!
Looking forward to Jammin’ Honey Buns- the new store.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun start for a new to me series. I've had the first book in it for probably over a year now and finally pulled it up to read. Now I want to binge the other two books, so I borrowed the boxed 1-3 from Kindle Unlimited.

I've read other books by this author and always have liked her characters. I really liked Mona and Vicki's characters as besties and business partners. When the heartbreaking fire happened before their store even opened, I felt so sad for both of them. The showdown was a little different, and I was so proud of Mona for standing up to someone at that point. I think I would've wanted to crawl in a hole and pull it in with me after all the horrible rumors she had to put up with after the fire, but she stood tall and strong, well it does help that she's tall to start with, lol.

I can't wait to hopefully watch Mona and Todd eventually start a relationship. It was so sweet how she'd said he'd always been in her heart. By the end of the book, it looked like Vicki was happy to move on and found a new guy for herself. I hope to be reading the second book soon!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mona's life long dream is about the come true with the opening of her own shop, Jammin Honey. Her Great Aunt believed in her enough to loan her the money so that Mona and her best friend Vicki could start up their own jam and honey business. But not everyone is happy about this - Mona's cousin Stewart thinks that Aunt Cee ought to have given him the money as he is her grandson, Mona's ex-employer thinks that it is a pipe dream and will be competition to his cheese shop, Lacey, who runs the village bakery has always hated Mona and cannot wait to see her fail, Great Aunt Bee who disapproves of the loan and believes that you need to work hard to get what you want. But who is unhappy enough and hates Mona enough to set her shop on fire with a dead body inside it?

A good start to to a new series. I enjoyed this book, it was well written, the plot and story line flowed smoothly and the characters were likeable and I could related to them. There were enough red herrings for me to wonder whodunnit. I received an ARC but the review and opinions are my own.

[Tex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sticky Jam Catches the Murderer
(Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Murder As Sticky As Jam is an engaging, curious and romantic murder mystery. The author created an idyllic setting with character development appropriate for the storyline. The setting of Magnolia Falls is very detailed so you can see what the characters see which is important to engage with the story. The budding-old romance captured my attention and was a pleasant insertion by the author. It’s the main character’s (Mona) heartthrob who has come back into her life so the antics run parallel to the solving of the murder. There are a lot of twists and turns from Chapter One to Chapter Fourteen. The ending is what you expect of a cozy mystery so this will not disappoint. In Book Two of the Gluten Free Mystery Series, I can’t wait to see where the author takes the two characters that are engaged in the budding romance – they would make a good murder mystery solving pair. I RECOMMEND Murder As Sticky As Jam by Diana Orgain –Tex.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book; this is the first book in the Gluten Free Mystery series and is written by Diana Orgain. Mona Reilly is preparing for the grand opening of Jammin’ Honey, a local Jam and Honey shop, in the small town of Magnolia Falls. Her best friend, Vicki, supplies the shop with honey and homemade lotions, candles and royal jelly. While Mona and Vicki are off taste testing the gluten-free catering the shop mysterious burns down. When a body is recovered from the fire, Vicki’s brother, incidentally the most handsome cop Mona has ever laid eyes on, is assigned to the case. Everyone in town has a motive and it's up to Mona to solve this sticky situation. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kindle freebie at time of download

I don't feel like doing an in-depth review. The plot was unoriginal and boring. Mona's whodunit reveal is silly and lacks evidence. I kept waiting for more. The characters are twoo-dimensional and unappealing. Mona is whiny and sometimes mean. She's rude to her caterer and even though she insists on gluten free, she has no idea what alternative flours are out there other than almond. She insists on almond and while Lacey is a *itch, she has every right to be annoyed with Mona. Mona's crush on her best friend's brother is ridiculous and she lets her feelings get hurt while evesdropping when he has shown that he at least cares about her as his sister's best friend and a member of the community. Yeesh. Vicki's eternal optimism is annoying. She's very naive and blind for an adult.

Trigger warning:
PTSD-related issues like suicide
Murder victim is a military veteran with PTSD.

[Queen Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romantic Cozy

I am not a fan of romance with my mysteries, I see them as a sub-genre, or is that a sub-sub-genre? In any event, we have a small town, a handsome detective, a young single protagonist who owns her own small business and lovely compliment of secondary characters including twin great aunts that I look forward to in future installments. Yes, despite the romantic crap, I really enjoyed the mystery. Our protagonist was a target of the villain, but she was not a damsel in distress saved by our hero, and she didn’t really sneak around behind his back putting herself in danger, although she did confront people. Plenty of character development yet to do. As for the mystery part, the author sets out clearly three suspects and sticks with those three suspects, all of them viable, no real secrets only Miss Marple heard while knitting in the library so I actually found the mystery part pretty satisfying. Hence my interest in reading the next book in the series.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder as Sticky as Jam is the first book in the Gluten-Free Mystery series by Diana Orgain.

The characters of Mona, Vicki, Aunt Bee, and Leo were likable. I look forward to getting to know them better.

I appreciated that even though Mona investigated on her own, she wasn’t reckless and putting herself in dangerous situations. I liked how Mona didn’t let the gossip in town tear her down and she ended up better for it.

You don’t usually see cozy mysteries dealing with serious issues, but there is discussion about the military and PTSD. I thought it was handled well.

The one thing that irritated me as I read was that there was all this terrible stuff like arson and murder taking place and Mona reverts back to a silly high school girl thoughts with her crush on Leo. It was distracting.

I received this book as a gift and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate leaving negative reviews but I really struggled with this book. The plot was interesting with Mona and Vicki having their shop burned down and a murder taking place, but that’s about where it ended for me.

It felt like through the whole book Mona placed more emphasis on her schoolgirl crush on Leo, the detective leading the case and Vickis brother. This along with all the typos finally got the better of me. There are times when Mona is talking to Stephanie but the author accidentally says Lacey. I had to go back and re-read to double check who she is talking to. I can handle plot issues but grammar and spelling mistakes in a published book really get to me.

I finished it because I wanted to see who did it, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing with the series.

[Skater · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never wanted to write a bad, scathing review of a book, but I finally read one that so put me off I have to. Murder as Sticky Jam has all the makings of a great start to a wonderful new series, but the fact that the protagonist has the emotional, romantic maturity of a young teenager totally put me off. Within the first chapter our protagonist is telling us how she "...ducked out of the grocery store...", and "...snuck out of the back of the bookstore...", all to avoid her high school crush. What are we, in 7th grade? The plot is equally simple, with the ' who done it' very obvious. All in all, this is a very short introduction, to what could be an interesting series....for someone else...not me.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just OK

The storyline was OK.

I figured from the writing that this was perhaps the author’s first writing attempt, but I see she has written numerous other books. Surprising, since the book was riddled with awkward sentences, run-on sentences, and poor punctuation. It was quite distracting. Perhaps a refresher course in basic grammar and punctuation is in order.

I seriously considered giving up after a couple of chapters, but since the book was quite short, I decided to plow ahead and finish it. Unfortunately, the writing did not improve. Sorry to leave an unfavorable review, but I just couldn’t find much to like here.

[monacia williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many bubbles in the Jam.

I had a few problems with the story, one of which was that I could not reconcile in my head the fact that a young woman with enough business savvy to open a store could behave like a love sick teenager. Another was, how could Mona be 50:50 business partners with Vickie when her aunt had loan her the start up money? Why was Vickie starting a relationship with Alexander after he had treated them so badly? What brought about the transformation of her cousin so that he went from being irresponsible to be responsible enough to become a store owner?
Despite all of this, the book was engaging and easy to read.

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good mystery. I thought a couple of times that I knew who did it, but wasn't sure until the last. Mona is opening her own place and is putting the finishing touches on it. While she is called away for a few minutes, her store catches on fire. When the smoke clears, there is a dead body in the warehouse portion. Then rumors start around town that she was having an affair with the victim and that she started the fire to collect the insurance. Mona sets out to clear her name and fix her reputation. Will anyone listen?

[Vicki Mencarini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book I just want more of the story !!! Great characters which have awesome interactions !!! I really enjoyed

the story line of women who find unique ways to make money !!!!!💯💯💯👍👍👍👍👍😊😊😊😊😊 !!!!! Starting with fairs & festive to share their delicious 😋😋😋😋😋 jams & honey household products & body care products!!!!! I love these 2 different products !!! Especially jams & honey products for the body !!!! I love the brother & sister relationship !!!! The fun loving kidding back & forth between them is terrific to watch !!!💕💕💕💕💕 Vicki Mencarini ☺☺☺☺☺

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An arson/murder delays what was supposed to be the grand opening of a new shop, Jammin' Honey. Mona Reilly and her best friend, organic beekeeper--Vicki Lawson, are getting ready for their grand opening in Magnolia Falls. But arson in addition to Collin MacInroy's dead body being discovered in their unused warehouse, crushes their dreams. Vicki's handsome brother, Leo, who works at the Police Department, is out to solve the mystery. I liked Mona and Vicki and the idea of the shop in a small town. I also liked the hint of a romance between Mona and Leo.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in the series. The main character is Mona. She is about to open a honey products and jam store with her best friend when there is a sudden fire at the new business and a body is found. While trying to figure out what happened someone is spreading bad rumors about her and trying to kill her. Can she figure out who is behind all this before it's too late or will they get lucky ?

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rumors, fires, murder and small town gossips, it is enough to make anyone crazy. Mona and Vicki are great characters, they feel like old friends. This mystery was a little heavier than most cozy mysteries, but it was well crafted and very enjoyable. Had to keep reading to see what would happen next. Recommend this book to all mystery fans.

[Paulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in a series...but hopefully not the last. Mona and Vicky, best friends and partners are getting ready to open their new shop. Suddenly all of their hopes and dreams go up in smoke, literally. Rumors abound and Mona struggles to keep her name out of the mess as sticky as her jam. A good, fun read not to be missed. I received a free copy of Murder As Sticky As Jam for my honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, fun cozy

The story was fun and characters interesting but there was just something that didn’t sit right with me. Mona’s thought process sometimes was way too juvenile her supposed age. I think I’ll try reading the next one to see if there is any improvement since I enjoyed the story overall.

[Carol L. Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fulll-bodied taste

I liked the story. Mona wasn't some empty headed heroine. We knew her personality, what she thought, planned, and wished for. The plot took murder seriously, unlike some cozy mysteries. I also liked that Orgain gave a taste of a romance that might bloom, but not overwhelm the story.