Game of Scones

As co-owner of Sugar and Spice Cookbooks, Sugar Calloway has seen simple confections bring friends together and spark fiery feuds. Except this time, the recipe truly is to die for. . . After losing her job as food editor at a glossy magazine, Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway—aka “Sugar” to friends, isn’t sweet on accepting defeat and crawling back to her gossipy southern hometown. When she has an opportunity to launch a community cookbook business with blue-ribbon baker Dixie Spicer in peaceful St. Ignatius, Iowa, she jumps at the chance to start over from scratch.

As Sugar assembles recipes for the local centennial celebration, it’s not long before she’s up to her oven mitts in explosive threats, too-hot-to-handle scandals, and a dead body belonging to the moody matriarch of the town’s first family. With suspicions running wild, Sugar and Spice must solve the murder before someone innocent takes the heat—and the real culprit gathers enough ingredients to strike again.

---

Series: A Sugar & Spice Mystery – Book #1
Author: Mary Lee Ashford
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary/Business
Publisher: Lyrical Underground

Rating:

Game of Scones is the debut book in the new “A Sugar & Spice Mystery” series by Mary Lee Ashford. Ms. Ashford is not new to the cozy book industry. She is half of the writing duo of Sparkle Abbey, author of the national best-selling Pampered Pets mystery series from Bell Bridge Books.

Sugar loves her new home in St. Ignatius, Iowa. Even though having everything she has tied up in a new business venture is stressful, she knows that she and her partner, Dixie can and will be successful. It is just going to take a lot of work, and she has never been afraid of hard work. But when their very first project is in jeopardy before it’s even finished because one of their backers is murdered, she jumps in to solve the case before it puts her in the poor house.

The characters in this book are well developed and highly entertaining. They each have distinctive characteristics that make them instantly loved. Even the murderer and the victim aren’t hated by the community or by the reader. The killer, in particular, is a likable character, and some readers will even feel pity for the motive.

The setting is great for this type of story. Small town life can often seem to be one giant gossip fest and knowing everyone who lives there is like have a giant extended family. Like many families, they have the good and bad, but when it comes down to it, they are always there for each other.

The story is fast-paced without skimping on the detail. The writing is intelligent and smooth with easy transitions. The delicious recipes contained in the book are included and will cause the reader’s mouth to water. The second book in this series comes out in 2019, and readers will grab it up as soon as it hits the bookstore shelves. I highly recommend Game of Scones to anyone who loves a great who-done-it.

---

About the Author

In addition to writing the Sugar and Spice series for Kensington Books, she also writes as half of the writing team of Sparkle Abbey, author of the national bestselling Pampered Pets mystery series from Bell Bridge Books. Prior to publishing Mary Lee won first place in the Daphne du Maurier contest, sponsored by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA, and was a finalist in Murder in the Grove’s mystery contest, as well as Killer Nashville’s Claymore Dagger contest.

She is the founding president of Sisters in Crime – Iowa and a past board member of the Mystery Writers of America Midwest chapter, as well as a member of Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death the RWA Mystery Suspense chapter, Sisters in Crime, and the SinC internet group Guppies. She loves encouraging other writers and is a frequent presenter for writers’ groups.

Mary Lee has a passionate interest in creativity and teaches a university-level course in Creative Management to MPA candidates, as well as presenting workshops and blogging about creativity. She currently resides in the midwest with her husband, Tim, and Sparkle, the rescue cat namesake of the Sparkle Abbey pseudonym. Her delights are reading and enjoying her two sons and daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren.

Contact Mary: https://maryleeashford.com/contact/

Find Mary on Social Media
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/maryleeashford1
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mary_lee_ashford/
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/maryleeashford/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/maryleeashford