Into the Frying Pan: A Southern Cozy Mystery Full of Country Cooking

Into the Frying Pan is the second A Ditie Brown Mystery and it can be read as a standalone. Ditie Brown finds herself embroiled in another mystery when one of her old medical school classmates dies at a Civil War reenactment. She must also deal with jealousy from Mason Garrett, her detective boyfriend, when her old beau Phil Brockton IV comes to town. There are multiple suspects who all had a reason for doing away with unlikeable Carl. The murder was unique with the killer using an old cannon to dispose of the victim. The second victim also died in an uncommon way. It was interesting to learn about reenactments and the people who participate in them. It is educational and a good way to allow children to learn about the Civil War. Avid mystery readers will not find the whodunit challenging, but others will like the variety of suspects and misdirection. I was not a fan of Mason’s jealousy which was featured throughout the whole story. Ditie was not the strong, confident woman we saw in Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot. She came across as weak and easily manipulated. I do like Ditie’s interactions with the children. She is sweet with them and I like how she is handling the loss of their mother. Lucie is the highlight of the book. She is a smart little girl with a sensitive soul. I like how Lucie watched and took notes which helped solve the case. There are recipes included for the dishes featured in the book. Into the Frying Pan is a lively Southern cozy mystery with death, destruction and a deadly foe.