Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed Eclair and Present Danger (Emergency Dessert Squad, Bk 1) on + 704 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Dollycas's Thoughts
Laura Bradford scores huge points for originality. When Winnie Johnson loses her bakery to a greedy landlord she takes her luscious desserts on the road in her Emergency Dessert Squad. She has inherited an old ambulance and a tabby cat, that seems to love everyone but her, from her neighbor and friend, Gertie. It doesn't take her long to figure out a way to mesh her new vehicle and her business together. She comes up with catchy names for her treats and starts to rescue her customers from their stressful days.
Many of Winnie's friends and neighbors are elderly and she is fine with that even though some people aren't. She made a special promise to Bart Wagner's wife before she died. Deliver her husband a peach pie every week. Sadly when she arrived with the pie this week she found someone had killed Bart. Now Winnie is doing all she can to get her new business off the ground while searching for the killer. She plans to give them their just desserts.
When I first saw the cover I thought of the Ghostbuster's car but this one has nothing to do with ghosts, just yummy desserts. Did someone do something nice for you? send them a You're A Peach Pie! Worrying over a project at work, you need some Worry No s'More Bars! Want to reward your child for good grades, bring on the You Are One Smart Cookie! (Recipes are included in the book.)
The characters we meet in this story are extraordinary. I love Winnie and she has the perfect sidekick in her best friend/employee Renee. We also meet Winnie's senior citizen friends and neighbors. They are quite a group and wonderfully written. We are also introduced to some paramedics, one Winnie asks for help outfitted her rig to tie her concept to the reality of an ambulance, in a sugary sweet way, of course. I can't forget, Lovey, Winnie's new pet. The hissing didn't make her too lovable for Winnie, but I think they were coming to an understanding as the story ended.
Ms. Bradford also served up plenty of suspects. It was surprising how the whole mystery played out and yet it all made perfect sense.
This was a deliciously delightful debut! I can't wait to be rescued again by the Emergency Dessert Squad!
Laura Bradford scores huge points for originality. When Winnie Johnson loses her bakery to a greedy landlord she takes her luscious desserts on the road in her Emergency Dessert Squad. She has inherited an old ambulance and a tabby cat, that seems to love everyone but her, from her neighbor and friend, Gertie. It doesn't take her long to figure out a way to mesh her new vehicle and her business together. She comes up with catchy names for her treats and starts to rescue her customers from their stressful days.
Many of Winnie's friends and neighbors are elderly and she is fine with that even though some people aren't. She made a special promise to Bart Wagner's wife before she died. Deliver her husband a peach pie every week. Sadly when she arrived with the pie this week she found someone had killed Bart. Now Winnie is doing all she can to get her new business off the ground while searching for the killer. She plans to give them their just desserts.
When I first saw the cover I thought of the Ghostbuster's car but this one has nothing to do with ghosts, just yummy desserts. Did someone do something nice for you? send them a You're A Peach Pie! Worrying over a project at work, you need some Worry No s'More Bars! Want to reward your child for good grades, bring on the You Are One Smart Cookie! (Recipes are included in the book.)
The characters we meet in this story are extraordinary. I love Winnie and she has the perfect sidekick in her best friend/employee Renee. We also meet Winnie's senior citizen friends and neighbors. They are quite a group and wonderfully written. We are also introduced to some paramedics, one Winnie asks for help outfitted her rig to tie her concept to the reality of an ambulance, in a sugary sweet way, of course. I can't forget, Lovey, Winnie's new pet. The hissing didn't make her too lovable for Winnie, but I think they were coming to an understanding as the story ended.
Ms. Bradford also served up plenty of suspects. It was surprising how the whole mystery played out and yet it all made perfect sense.
This was a deliciously delightful debut! I can't wait to be rescued again by the Emergency Dessert Squad!
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
First and foremost, the Emergency Dessert Squad concept and the names of Winnie's desserts are an absolute stroke of genius. I loved reading about putting Winnie's new business together and the brain-storming sessions for dessert names every bit as much as I enjoyed the mystery.
Winnie Johnson is a fabulous character as is the secondary cast of-- mainly-- senior citizens. Winnie tends to surround herself with older people, and she has a good reason for doing so. There are so many things to like about Éclair and Present Danger, and one of them is the sense of community and of caring Winnie and her "old folks" have.
Winnie-- like several other heroines in cozy mysteries-- has captured the attention of two very handsome and available men, but she deals with both of them very honestly. I certainly appreciated the fact that there was no real dithering back and forth between Greg and Jay. Romantic triangles have become a bit of a cliché and tend to bore me to insensibility.
The mystery of Bart's death is pretty much kept on the back burner until almost the end of the book, but the solution is very satisfying. Bart had no real part in the book, but I was left wishing that I'd known him better-- a testament to Bradford's writing in that she took just as much care in developing a character who "had no future" as she did with her returning cast.
With such a satisfying mystery, a wonderful cast, and a brilliant concept, is it any wonder that I'm eagerly awaiting the second book in the series?
Winnie Johnson is a fabulous character as is the secondary cast of-- mainly-- senior citizens. Winnie tends to surround herself with older people, and she has a good reason for doing so. There are so many things to like about Éclair and Present Danger, and one of them is the sense of community and of caring Winnie and her "old folks" have.
Winnie-- like several other heroines in cozy mysteries-- has captured the attention of two very handsome and available men, but she deals with both of them very honestly. I certainly appreciated the fact that there was no real dithering back and forth between Greg and Jay. Romantic triangles have become a bit of a cliché and tend to bore me to insensibility.
The mystery of Bart's death is pretty much kept on the back burner until almost the end of the book, but the solution is very satisfying. Bart had no real part in the book, but I was left wishing that I'd known him better-- a testament to Bradford's writing in that she took just as much care in developing a character who "had no future" as she did with her returning cast.
With such a satisfying mystery, a wonderful cast, and a brilliant concept, is it any wonder that I'm eagerly awaiting the second book in the series?
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Helpful Score: 1
A terrific start to a new series. Winnie Johnson has inherited a vintage ambulance and a feisty cat from neighbor Gertrude Redenbacher. Hoping that Gertrude had left her money enough to keep her bakery Delectable Delights alive, Winnie is disappointed but soon embarks on a new business venture - The Emergency Dessert Squad. With the help of her best friend and employee, Renee and the advice of her elderly neighbors Parker Nelson and Bridget O'Keefe Winnie is soon delivering desserts all around Silver Lake.
Winnie discovers her neighbor Bart Wagner lying dead on his kitchen floor. The recent widower was a close friend of Winnie's and she's determined to find his killer and also settle the nerves of the other Seniors living on Serenity Lane. With plenty of suspects to choose from Winnie has her hands full investigating, starting her new business and trying to figure out a new romance.
Definitely a unique premise for a series - a fun cast of characters and a crotchety cat will have you laughing out loud, the recipes are great! I'll be looking forward to the next in the series, Silence of the Flans.
Winnie discovers her neighbor Bart Wagner lying dead on his kitchen floor. The recent widower was a close friend of Winnie's and she's determined to find his killer and also settle the nerves of the other Seniors living on Serenity Lane. With plenty of suspects to choose from Winnie has her hands full investigating, starting her new business and trying to figure out a new romance.
Definitely a unique premise for a series - a fun cast of characters and a crotchety cat will have you laughing out loud, the recipes are great! I'll be looking forward to the next in the series, Silence of the Flans.
Bonnie A. (ladycholla) -
This was a fun new series. Great characters, good mystery and a nice animal thrown into the mix. Very enjoyable.
