Murder, Honey

Carol Sabala Mystery #1

by Vinnie Hansen

Baker/sleuth Carol Sabala probes into the death of Chef Jean Alcee Fortier at the swanky restaurant Archibald's. As a great womanizer, Fortier has left a trail of possible suspects, from his young lover Delores Medina to the lesbian feminist Patsy.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1999

About the author

Two-time Claymore Award Finalist Vinnie Hansen is the author of the Carol Sabala mystery series (misterio press) as well as literary works and over 40 short stories, appearing in such diverse collections as Fault Lines, Fishy Business, Santa Cruz Noir, Catamaran Literary Reader, Destination: Mystery!, Fish or Cut Bait, Lake Region Review, Porter Gulch Review, Mystery Weekly, Transfer Literary Magazine, Mysterical-E, Crime & Suspense, and Web Mystery Magazine. She won the Golden Donut Award from the Writers' Police Academy, and a B.R.A.G. Medallion for her mystery, Black Beans & Venom. Award-winning crime writer Allen Eskens says of Black Beans & Venom: "It is the mark of true talent for a writer to be able to deliver her readers completely and believablyto another world, and in Black Beans and Venom Vinnie Hansen has done just that. Set in the vibrant and gritty back streets of Cuba, this cat-and-mouse hunt for a missing woman is full of intrigue, suspense and authenticity."

Reviews

[M.M.]

Fun read! The humor leans toward the darker side, which I love. The characters were fun, and the writing was excellent. :)

[Renee Butler]

Good writing but the plot line was so clunky, I just couldn't. I made it halfway and quit. The author is talented but the story is just all over the place. I would read her work again, but never this book.

[Paula]

DNF I found Carol insensitive, aggressive, and intrusive. Those are probably good traits for a PI, but not characteristics I want to spend time with in escape fiction. There were not enough redeeming factors to pull me toward finishing the book.

In spite of that, I admired Hansen's smooth prose.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Ended up skimming a bit in the middle. Was okay, but it is pretty hard to care about solving a mystery when the victim had zero redeeming qualities and is a total d-bag

[Ellen Kirschman]

A sweet but piquant cozy

Pastry chef and amateur sleuth Carol Sabala investigates the murder of a fellow chef lots of people love to hate. She's a determined woman with strong opinions about love and lust, A quick and quirky sense of humor. And an eye for detail. Set in the seaside town of Santa Cruz, it's a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Bob Folker]

Mystery set in the Santa Cruz area. I recognized some local landmarks, which was fun, but distracting...

[Patricia Mccammon]

I liked the new quirky style. Other books about chefs or cooks do not have the humor of this one. I look forward to more stories with Carol Sabala.