A secretive philanthropist books Betty Snickerdoodle's brand new inn for her elite, ultra-private holiday poker tournament. With the hefty fee she's offering, it seems like Christmas has come a few days early--especially since the inn's not even open yet! But Bea Sickles--the savvy, 70-something ex-poker pro turned author behind Betty Snickerdoodle--smells trouble. "Might be a special gift from Santa," Bea says. "Or we might be getting a scam in our stocking." The set-up is undeniably odd. And as the tycoons settle in for their high-stakes vacation, the shindig starts to look even stranger--especially when the organizer unveils the tournament's bizarre rules. Bea's so certain there's something fishy about the fat cats and their game, she buys in for $50,000, just to keep an eye on them. But a poker scam is hardly the only suspicious thing about these whales. Before long, shocking accidents start happening--and Bea and Angela, her clever young business partner, start to wonder if what looks like an "accident" might instead be murder.... A Sleuth Is Born is book two of the Betty Snickerdoodle cozy mystery series, which blends mystery, humor, and adventure. It can be read as a stand-alone or as a sequel to book one, The Return of Betty Snickerdoodle.
Original and funny, Bea is a hoot! I ran across this author through another author’s promotion. I am so glad that I did. After reading book 1 of ‘A Betty Snickerdoodle Mystery’ series, I was anxiously to begin reading book 2. I am happy to report that Bea is just as insightful, feisty, and productive octogenarian again in this tale. She is able to read people well. I guess that is a really important asset as a card shark as well as junior detective! The other main characters that were introduced in book 1 are back again and just as, if not more, interesting than before. I cannot wait to see how Angela will handle her love interest(s). Hopefully that will be a big part of the next book in ‘A Betty Snickerdoodle Mystery’ series. I don’t give away spoilers in my reviews, so, you will just have to read the book to experience for yourself all the intrigue and details. I do not believe you will be disappointed. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cozy mystery with a splash or two or three of romance. I am looking forward to reading more from Pepper Frost. Inasmuch as I was gifted an advance reader’s copy of this book; this review is my voluntary and honest opinion.
I just finished A Sleuth is Born by Pepper Frost, her second book. It's a wonderful sequel to the first (The Return of Betty Snickerdoodle). The characters were very well developed, and the story was written in a way that made it easy to keep track of who's who. The plot was intriguing and kept me guessing. Each time i thought I knew "whodunnit", I was wrong. Once you pick this book up, you will not want to put it down. This new author will becom a household name.
"Bea decides to try her hand at mystery writing. Just like her role model, Jessica Fletcher, Bea digs into amateur detective work -- to bring realism to her writing, mainly, but also because a mysterious death a the high-stakes charity poker tournament at her brand new inn just might be murder."
An absolutely wonderful entertaining book to read - another you just can't put it down once you start!
Snarky Bea and unsure of herself Angela have a new inn to get ready to open and books to write. But the offer they get to open early for a private event seems to be too good to pass up even if it might also be too good to be true. This book like the first one in the series is a fun and hilarious read.
The characters are fun, and Be a is over the top. The typos and editing are a little hard to follow at times though. Still, I recommend the book to anyone who enjoys clean mysteries.
Bea and Angela are back with a new Betty Snickerdoodle themed in. When they get asked to host a poker tournament things start to get weird. With Aseem, Pat, and Perry, Bea and Angela are on the case! Very cute and cozy.
Bea Sickles, aka Betty Snickerdoodle, keeps getting better and better. She continues to be a hoot! In this particular story, Bea or Betty has bought an Inn that will hold Bettycon, a fan convention on all things Betty Snickerdoodle-related. Before the Inn is officially open, a poker tournament hostess approaches Angela to inquire if the Inn can step in for their usual venue, which was destroyed in the 2018 Camp Fire. Angela immediately agrees, although Bea is naturally suspicious. The tournament has all kinds of twists and turns and the beginning of a romance. The series is funny, smart, witty and laugh out loud mysteries. The characters are engaging and would become my friends if they were actual people. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Bea/Betty and Angela are back and this time they are living and running the Inn preparing for the Betty Snickerdoodle convention. But a group with a high stakes poker game wants to use the Inn before it opens. This brings a whole new set of interesting characters to the Inn giving Bea some experience in sharpening her PI skills. Aseem is there and Angela is still oblivious to his interest. Pat, the San Francisco PI joins to help with Bea’s PI training and also to provide security for the game. Office McGregor, from the local police, is not opposed to the rag-tag amateur sleuths helping since the town doesn’t have much of a police force. I’m sure we’ll see plenty of him in the future. Angela doesn’t seem like the sharp business woman she should be but by the end she has definitely had a learning experience and had her eyes opened. Bea is super sharp. She is such an awesome character. She seems to know everything that’s going on at all times and if she doesn’t, she’s quick to adjust to correct things. Fun adventure and looking forward to many more with Bea/Betty. I received an advance copy and the opinions are all mine.
” A Sleuth Is Born - A Betty Snickerdoodle Mystery (#2)” By Pepper Frost is a tale of one Bea Sickles aka Betty Snickerdoodle.......the reformed reclusive author of her famed Treacle Town’s various Christmas themed novels..and her newly acquired Christmas-themed Napa Valley Inn & Ranch. Her trusty friends....Angela...Aseem....Perry..Pat... and of course...”Rebecca” are all present to help Bea host a High-Stakes Charity Poker Tournament ...complete with a host of shady characters...just days before Christmas. Bea is her usual outlandish self ...as she and her newest buddy Pat...delve into the machinations of amateur detective work ...with Pat as the instructor. And as luck would have it...the moment the Poker Tournament begins...all manner of crazy machinations start to occur. Get the book... grab a seat at the poker table...hold your cards close ..and ante up...as this is one WILD Poker Tournament you don’t wanna miss. Much enjoyed and Highly Recommended. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book.
A great read. Not quite as good as the first as her quips are slightly muted and not as cutting in this one. Plus although it's got a lot of action, it still seems a shadow of the first book. The plot is a mixture of murder, theft and greed all based on a high stakes game of poker played by millionaires and high rollers. Plus it sees a return of the 'villain' from book 1. A nice mix of characters that cover all classes and types thus giving the read more flavour. A troll has hit her reviews and now a proposed game of high stake poker has been suggested at her newly acquired Inn. Her mind screams 'scam but Angela is adamant that all is above board. Death, cheating, pictures, security breakdowns and more troll incidents follow. Can Betty pull on her Jessica Fletcher persona (suffering from writers block she's thinking of changing her genre) and get to the truth behind it all?