Sweet Masterpiece: The First Samantha Sweet Mystery (Samantha Sweet Magical Cozy Mysteries)
Sweet Masterpiece: The First Samantha Sweet Mystery (Samantha Sweet Magical Cozy Mysteries) book cover

Sweet Masterpiece: The First Samantha Sweet Mystery (Samantha Sweet Magical Cozy Mysteries)

Paperback – September 8, 2010

by
Price
$13.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
242
Publisher
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1453797686
Dimensions
5.06 x 0.55 x 7.81 inches
Weight
10.4 ounces

Description

The character of Samantha Sweet first appeared in one of my Charlie Parker mysteries, Gossip Can Be Murder , almost as a walk-on. She had one scene and would have vanished, but I was already thinking of a new series that would feature a baker (anyone who has been around me or read any of my books has a pretty good idea how I feel about chocolate!). By the time I did the final edits on Gossip , Sam had become a real person to me, complete with her quirky day-job of breaking into houses for a living. I expanded her role in the original Charlie book, giving readers a tiny glimpse of the magical powers that become such a part of Sam's personality in this new series. My editor was a little unsure about my letting my two fictional heroines cross over into each others territories, but readers seem to like it. Connie Shelton is the author of more than two dozen books in her bestselling Charlie Parker mystery series and now in the paranormal romantic Samantha Sweet mystery series. She taught writing for several years and is the creator of the Novel In A Weekend writing course. Visit her website at www.connieshelton.com to sign up for her free email mystery newsletter. She and her husband live in northern New Mexico with their two dogs.

Features & Highlights

  • USA Today
  • bestselling author Connie Shelton introduces her most delightful cozy mystery series yet—with a little romance, a little magic and a whole lot of chocolate! With nearly 2 million books sold and downloaded in more than 110 countries, see what the fuss is all about!
  • Samantha Sweet breaks into houses for a living. But when she encounters a dying woman in one such house and a backyard grave at another, handsome deputy Beau Cardwell shows up and—well, things get complicated.A small mural painted inside a closet in the abandoned house provides clues and Sam is caught up in Beau’s investigation. A fortune in artwork, a bogus will, and a wooden box that seems to give Sam powers she never dreamed she possessed— it all adds up to a dynamic paranormal romantic mystery.Then, there is all that chocolate! Sam's real goal in life is to use her elegant baking skills to open her own pastry shop, Sweet's Sweets. She's gaining quite the reputation as a baker with a magical touch, but a few obstacles stand in her way. Her grown daughter shows up on her doorstep—jobless and homeless; her bank account is at an all-time low; and trying to work from the tiny cramped kitchen in her home is becoming impossible. Somehow, Sam copes and she finds that her dreams might just have a chance of coming true.
  • Readers are raving about these lighthearted, relaxing, well-written books—Samantha may not be young, beautiful or have the perfect body, but she is intelligent, independent, and hard working, the kind of person you feel you already know.Praise for Connie Shelton's mysteries:
  • “Wow, this was an incredible book!”—5 stars on Amazon"Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes." --
  • The Midwest Book Review
  • "Shelton, a major success for Intrigue, can only expand her fan base with this solid effort." --
  • Publisher's Weekly
  • "Shelton continues to combine suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships." --
  • Booklist
  • "Shelton again has done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life." --
  • Albuquerque Journal
  • "Connie Shelton has another winner!" --
  • The Book Report
  • * **USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton is the author of three ongoing mystery series. In the Samantha Sweet cozy mystery books, Connie draws upon her own love of baking (and eating) pastries to bring a sweet element to the business of solving crimes for her new female sleuth. Her original series features female accountant and part-time sleuth, Charlie Parker and her loyal sidekick dog, in a series that is now eighteen books strong. And her Heist Ladies series features a group of women friends who steal stuff … from the bad guys! Connie and her husband live in northern New Mexico with their two dogs. Visit her website at connieshelton.com

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(2.7K)
★★★★
25%
(2.3K)
★★★
15%
(1.4K)
★★
7%
(633)
★
23%
(2.1K)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

what makes it actually very boring. Even if it is a cozy mystery series ...

I couldn't connect with the protagonist at all. The story is mostly told, what makes it actually very boring. Even if it is a cozy mystery series I expect at least a little excitement. For me, it was too shallow and it lacked emotions to really grab my attention. The only thing I liked was the baking, it made want to bake cookies and cakes.
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Not quite my cup of tea

After reading the first Charlie Parker mystery, I got the rest of the books in the series. On this one, I'm hesitating.

I think it is Sam's job as someone who cleans up houses that have been vacated by foreclosure or death that turns me off. It is a downer and brings a hint of sadness to it.

What I don't like most, I think, is the bit about the box that when Sam touches it, she gets energy. That's sort of a supernatural thing that I don't enjoy at all.

Maybe after Sam gets her sweet shop going, I will enjoy the series more, for Connie Shelton is a good writer, but there just is a hint of darkness about this series that is something that I don't enjoy. Will I try the next one? Probably, but I can't wait to get back to the next Charlie Parker.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

First of a series of good reading.

A really good book, fun to read, good characters too.
✓ Verified Purchase

A different kind of mystery.

Meet Samantha Sweet. A single middle-aged mother who has dreams of opening her own little bakery shop. She also cleans houses reposed by the government for the USDA to help make ends meet. One of the houses she starts cleaning contains a surprise in the form of a shallow grave in the back yard. This winds up being the body of a famous reclusive artist that had not been heard from in the last 20 years.

Connie Shelton wrote a fun story with a hint of paranormal in it that does not contain witches, ghost, or critters to help find clues to the murdered victim. It has a solid story line and well developed characters.
✓ Verified Purchase

Good book, but wish characters had been smarter.

The cake and sweets part of the book was more fun than the mystery, but mainly only because the characters were not making smart decisions, and I like my amateur detectives to be smart rather than lucky. I agree w other reviewers that there either needed to be more or less of the supernatural plot angle, because it feels random at this early point in the series.
✓ Verified Purchase

loved it

Ok I got it as an ebook to try out. Loved it so much got the next 3 as real books so that I could share them with a friend. They make me laugh and I so wish there were recipes in the back..... oh to have some of the cakes and muffins ..... Only in my dreams.

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