The Crêpes of Wrath: A Pancake House Mystery

The Crepes of Wrath by Sarah Fox is the first book in A Pancake House Mystery series. Marley McKinney has agreed to The Flip Side Pancake House in Wildwood Cove, Washington while her cousin, Jimmy Coulson, is ill (double pneumonia). She has taken a leave of absence from the law firm where she works as a legal assistant. Jimmy finally gets released from the hospital and is at home resting. But then Jimmy is found dead on the rocks by Leigh Hunter (a waitress at the restaurant) of a cliff near his home. Did he accidentally fall down the cliff while walking? What was he doing out alone? Then there is the guy lurking around her cousin’s workshop and the stolen paintings inside the workshop. Did Jimmy steal them? Marley does not want Jimmy’s good name tainted and, reluctantly, starts asking questions. Will Marley be able to pull out the pieces together to figure out the puzzle? I found The Crepes of Wrath to be easy to read, but it was a lifeless book. The characters were not fleshed out and given life. This is especially true for Ivan, the chef. The pace is too slow and some information is repeated frequently (it was annoying). The mystery was not prominent in the book (at least not in the beginning). I was 35% of the way through the book and there was still no investigation. The mystery was interesting (there were even some little twists), but the reader can solve it. I give The Crepes of Wrath 2 out of 5 stars. It was okay for a first book, but some things were just off. Like where were the police? Why was Marley removing evidence from a crime scene? Marley notices a clue that no one else found. These are just two examples. Not everything added up in the end. The book reminded me of a rough draft, not a finished novel.

This is the first book by Sarah Fox that I have read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a wonderfully written cozy mystery. Crepes of Wrath is the first book in a new series, This is a standalone with no cliffhanger, though it is open-ended for future books in the series. I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. It is a perfect read for a day at the beach, a porch swing, tucked under a blanket in front of a fire, you get the picture. The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all info here. The author did a great job of explaining what is going on and describing the setting of Wildwood Cove. There are a lot of clues in the storyline that keep you guessing what twists and turns will be revealed next. It definitely kept me riveted. I look forward to reading more of Sarah Fox's books. I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy for review from Great Escapes Tours, but since my review is...less than stellar I'm no longer part of the tour. I'm posting this ahead of time to not clash. Cozy mysteries are known for their fun, amateur sleuths, mischief, and of course, mystery. The Crepes of Wrath is more somber than others. Marley has a tragic past and it gets worse with her cousin Jimmy dying while she’s watching The Flip Side. From seeing his body, people lurking around Jimmy’s house, hanging out with an old flame, and finding stolen valuables, her life is now a whirlwind. She used to know exactly what she wanted and was satisfied with her life in Seattle working for a lawyer. Now? Things look quite different in Wildwood Cove. She wants to figure it all out, the first step is catching Jimmy’s killer. Her involvement begins reluctantly but her mind won’t let the mystery go and the unknown actors won’t let her go either. There’s nothing wrong with Marley or her cast and crew. It was just hard to feeling anything and I think that’s mostly due to the writing. It was so lifeless. It would be chapters shorter without all the ‘she’s so sad and confused and the ocean soothes her’. Again, it makes sense for her character and circumstances, but I couldn’t connect and the mystery left something to be desired. Maybe I haven’t read cozies for too long but her tactics are ridiculous. She took evidence from the scene in front of the officer’s son who didn’t say anything. Then she notices blood where it wasn’t there yesterday and waves it off until days later. I just…no. She also hasn’t seen Jimmy in a while or kept in touch, yet she’s the only one that notices the cab usage is odd. Huh? Then she’s the one that tracks down the cabbie… It’s a small town, where were the police and why weren’t they interviewing everyone? If the investigator is sharing progress with you at dinner with his family, why aren’t you getting better information? Why didn’t they mention working on the cell phone number? Checking the broken glass? And what happened with the lock? Did they really break in, find his spare key, and replace the lock with their own? Ugh. Some interesting pieces up in the air but how it unfolded with Marley at the helm left a lot to be desired. A lot of time is spent at The Flip Side restaurant and while we meet Marley while waitressing that doesn’t happen often. She’s mostly stuck in the office doing paperwork which is realistic but dull. The townspeople are really nice cardboard cutouts except for the baddies in play. And the man of few words chef Marley tip-toes around? I felt so bad for him. It didn’t seem fair at all. Though the interviews were at least interesting. I think The Crepes of Wrath would’ve worked better as a prequel after the series was started with Marley already living in Wildwood Cove running The Flip Side, and on her second case. I’m sure she’ll be happier and more involved in the sequel but after this run, I don’t think I’ll bother.