Assault and Buttery - Cozy Mystery Review

Assault and Buttery (Popcorn Shop #3) by Kristi Abbott

Rating: Loved it!
Source:  Publisher

Description:  Repairs are under way at Rebecca Anderson's gourmet popcorn shop. With production of her tasty treats on hold, Rebecca has plenty of time to read the old diary she discovered hidden in the shop's walls. It's a fun peek into her town's history...until the diary's abrupt ending leaves Rebecca wondering whether she's actually stumbled upon a cold case. Unfortunately for Rebecca, mysteries are popping up right and left. When local busybody Lloyd McLaughlin is found dead, the police suspect he was poisoned by Rebecca's popcorn. But Rebecca has only made one batch of popcorn recently, and it wasn't intended for Lloyd. Nothing about Lloyd's death makes sense--until Rebecca discovers a startling connection between the missing diary-writer and the murdered man.
Now, with her reputation on the line, Rebecca must discover who's been cooking up murder--both in the past and in the present.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This series has been on my TBR for ages and I couldn't resist this one when it was offered - I mean there's a diary found in the wall!

My Impression:  I'm going to try not to gush though it'll be a challenge because I LOVED this mystery!  This is the 3rd in the Popcorn Shop series and while I've had the 1st book on my shelves for quite some time it's never been high up on my list.  Maybe an aversion to popcorn leftover from the braces day?  However, when I saw the blurb on this one I knew I couldn't resist.  An old diary?  An old cold case involving a missing person?  Yes, please!  Add in a modern day mystery involving poisoned popcorn and this made for quite a read - like a hide in corners while I finished just one more page kind of read.

The mystery was really solid.  I read a lot of mysteries and it's not unusual for me to guess the whos and whys long before the main characters get there in the investigation.  However, that was not the case with this one.  I was following right along with Rebecca and every surprise for her was a surprise for me.

One of the most important things in a cozy mystery series is the world the author creates.  It has to be a place you enjoy visiting through the books so much that you can suspend belief when it comes to the Jessica Fletcher style murder rate.  This was definitely the case here.  I liked Rebecca and she's someone I think I'd like to be friends with.  I completely related to her fascination with the diary and the her disbelief that anyone wouldn't have been interested.  I really liked that she's able to admit that she was wrong - though more about underestimating the police chief's investigative abilities and not so much getting involved in the investigation itself.  I even liked Rebecca's temporary cell mate, Cathy.  While at times she could be nice she definitely wasn't misunderstood!  Not everyone here is a ray of sunshine but no one ever enters comical villain levels.  This is definitely a community I'm looking forward to coming back to visit!

I know as soon as a character heads to the library to do research the book is going to be a winner but this one surprised me with just how much I enjoyed it.  This was a great mystery with a fun and smart amateur detective.  One of my favorite cozy series of 2017!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Yes absolutely!  I'm already looking for the first book.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you like cozy mysteries don't miss this series!  You can jump in with this book no problem.