Originally posted on my blog: The Bibliophile's Corner

Ruby Russell is a hoot. She is such a character. My favorite quirk about her is her curse words. She uses food words like ‘crepes’ and ‘biscuits’. And also to note, she is certifiably crazy. For real. After discovering her husband has been a cheating bastard, she concocts some Viagra infused chocolate mousse.

As for other characters, Charlotte really takes the cake. She is also, certifiably crazy. She is constantly frazzled, clumsy, and as Ruby’s best friend they are stirring up all kinds of trouble. Then we have Michael, Ruby’s son. I still have no idea how I feel about him though.

The only problems I had with this book were strictly formatting. Julie warned me ahead of time that the NOOK books were kind of funky and they were. The change of scenes and the dialogue were a little weird. I had a hard time figuring out who was taking every now and then.

Now for the plot. Holy moly. It’s crazy! Seriously. I think I counted 20 something murders. In one book! When I was reading this book I felt that parts were so surreal. That there was just no way in hell this stuff could be happening. And at times, things were so over the top. But that’s why I liked it so much. It was so refreshing.

I definitely recommend this book to lovers of cozy mysteries. The twists, turns, and drama will keep you wanting more. ( )

Julie Anne Lindsey does a fantastic job of providing funny, witty and adventurous characters to fuel our imaginations.
Ruby is a real gem and deals with the escapades of her husband in her own way. Charlotte her dear friend is like a
close partner in crime. When the two get together you will soon find yourself wondering what they will get into next.
From the local church, bakery, homeless center, to their neighborhood and friends you will find yourself being entertained
with surprise after surprise.
I am happy this will be a series and additional books will be forthcoming. It will be an adventure I'm sure for each of us
as we continue the journey of chocolate.
4 of 5 stars ( )

Death by Chocolate is full steam ahead from the very first pages. It amazed me how quickly Ruby piled up a body count using her baked goods to tempt people. Of course she never intentionally killed anyone but she never stopped adding special ingredients to her recipes either. I love how in the beginning she comes across as a housewife who has simply had enough but as the book continues her history reveals her to be much more cunning than she first appears. The same is true for her friend Charlotte in an even more dramatic fashion. The exploits of the two friends are strangely funny considering the circumstances as they react in extreme ways to small events and generate even larger problems as they try to cover up previous mistakes.

The supporting characters in Death by Chocolate are great too. My favorite is Ruby's therapist, Dr. Kessler. I love how he becomes more and more concerned about Ruby's behavior considering their past history yet he is unable to substantiate his suspicions enough to go to the authorities. Emma Eaken, the reporter, is another fun character as she tries to connect seemingly random deaths to create a big story and boost her career. One character that I didn't really care for was Michael, Ruby's son. I didn't really understand his approach to introducing his fiance to Ruby with the knowledge of what happened the last time he brought a major change into her life. It seemed he would have been a bit more apprehensive or sensitive to the situation considering Ruby's fragile mental state.

Overall, Death By Chocolate is a really fun book with crazy characters and a fast moving plot. The only thing that was missing was the recipe for Ruby's famous chocolate zucchini muffins. ( )