Casserole Casualty (Twister Sisters Mysteries Book 2), by Mildred Abbott

 

I just came off reading a much faster paced book, so it did take me awhile to sort out the characters and settle into the slower pace of this one. I love the use of illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. They reveal who will be the focus of that particular chapter. The Twister Sisters, sisters Cordelia and Pamela and friend Wanda, run a catering service that also delivers to the elderly and shut ins, utilizing their uniquely decorated "Hippie Wagons". Each of those is unique to the characters, too, with Cordelia's flowers, Pamela's hearts, and Wanda's stars. Unfortunately, one of their customers is found dead and it is later proven to be murder. Cordelia seems to be the one most driven to find out "whodunit", which causes even more problems than usual with some of the residents that she has had perpetual trouble with for decades. Think small town America, long time residents, long time grudges and feuds. I won't detail the plot further as it is readily available.

Despite it taking me awhile to settle into the rhythm of the story, I enjoyed my visit with the Twister Sister and those about them. Well, most of them. I'd be giving Lester a wide berth, I'm afraid. I liked that they are older, too, although the overall cast of characters seems to offer a diverse range of age, color, and attitudes. Race is addressed in the story, btw. Being set in a small town, many of the characters are related, either by blood or marriage, something I found a trifle hard to keep straight, lovely illustrations or not. This is only the second of a series, of course, so I expect all that to be better sorted as the series goes along. For those coming from the Cozy Corgi series, there is not only a dog here, Ursa, but a fun goat named Breakfast that provides humor. There is also a nod to Katie of Corgi Cozy when a shared recipe is mentioned. Two very different books but nice to see them tied together occasionally.

Bottom line, an enjoyable ride. For me it isn't quite great yet, which may be on me as much as on the book, but it was still fun to follow along as the truth is discovered bit by bit, clue by clue. Romance seems to be blooming, too. And, oh, did I mention there are a couple recipes at the end? A fun read which shows promise as the series continues.