This is the first book in the Down South Cafe Mystery series. I found it mediocre. I didn't really care about the characters. At one point, a character came into a scene like the reader was supposed to know who she was, and I had no idea who she was or how she related to the other characters in the scene.

The plot about starting a cafe seemed mostly a vehicle for setting up the murder victim while giving at least 2 people a motive for killing that victim. ( )

Listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it. A great plot, likable characters and the narrator on the audiobook made it come alive. ( )

Amy Flowers lives in Winter Garden, Virginia and works at a diner, Lou Lou's Joint - and hates her job. She trained as a chef out of state but moved home when her grandmother became ill. When her Nana passed away, she left her some money. Now Amy wants to buy the Joint and open her dream café, but Lou Lou won't sell.

That evening Amy receives a call from Lou Lou's son Pete, and he tells her he's convinced his mother to sell, and would she meet him at the diner, which she agrees to do. But when Amy arrives, the only person there is Lou Lou...and she's not going anywhere. She's dead, and when Amy can gather herself, she calls the police.

Amy discovers she's a person of interest because she found the body, and even though Deputy Ryan Hall tells her he doesn't believe she's guilty, she still doesn't want it hanging over her head, so decides to do a little investigating of her own. But when she inadvertently gets a little too close to the truth, the killer gets a little too close to her...

I did like this book. I didn't understand, though, why Amy would be so intent on finding the killer when Deputy Hall told her that she wasn't suspected of murder. She somehow had it in her head that she was going to be arrested, and hyperventilated at the thought of it, and this spurred her on to find a murderer. There was nothing pointing to her being guilty, and no one thought she was capable or even had a real reason, yet she was convinced in her mind that it was so.

While Amy isn't stupid enough to walk into situations that will get her killed, she shares all of her findings with Deputy Hall - but he, in turn, doesn't share his information with her, which is exactly how it should be. He keeps his cards close to his chest, and isn't giving her anything she can run with, which is his way of keeping her safe.

However, I did feel that she went to tears and panic a little too quickly; and that didn't ring true for someone who wanted to investigate the way she did. If she's going to be doing this, she needs to get her emotions under control.

Her friends are also an interesting bunch: she works with Jackie, a lifelong friend, and Roger (also a lifelong friend) is doing the construction on her new restaurant, and both seem like they have their heads on straight. Homer is quite deep in his own way, with a new hero every day that he quotes every so often, and more to the point, his quotes fit right in with what's going on. A pretty decent bunch. The one I don't care for is the head of the Chamber of Commerce, who's angry he couldn't get the diner and raze it, but he wasn't in the story much and I sure hope he doesn't become the 'evil nemesis' who wants to make Amy miserable. Even Amy's mom and Aunt Bess are great; and I've taken a liking to Pete, who unfortunately goes from one bad situation to another.

The only thing that seemed odd to me were the many characters who were left by their fathers at an early age; that much didn't seem realistic, and it bothered me a tad. I can't see that Amy and her friends would have been raised in single-parent households and still trusted men. It didn't ring true.

I did find that the book was written well, and I thought the plot was interesting; and I felt that the story is put together nicely, with Amy following a trail to find out who hated Lou Lou enough to kill her, and there are a plethora of suspects she needs to sift through. The woman wasn't well-liked by anyone, treated her employees horribly, and doted on her son. So Amy does a lot of thinking that we are privy to, and eventually comes to a conclusion at the same time as the killer.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, there's a bit of a climactic scene, but Amy doesn't lose her head, preferring to keep it right where it is, thank-you-very-much. And while it isn't at all a nail-biter, it's still done well, and I liked the way everything tied up together. This book is a quick and easy read with a pretty good ending. Recommended. ( )

Meh. I keep looking for a good mystery series. This was banal. A good first draft. Not worth reading the second in the series. But not terrible if you are just getting into reading mysteries.

Reading the next review, I will point out that no doubt "autocorrect" has struck again! Lou Lou's son's name is Pete, not Phil.

The subsequent review seems to think Amy had no business pla, budget, etc., but she told Roger she did. ( )

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review and rated it 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

Dear Ms. Leeson …..you had me at cozy mystery including delicious Southern recipes. For those who know me, it’s no secret that I am both a bibliophile and a foodie, there is nothing I love more than sitting down with my kindle and gnoshing on a snack or meal, so when given the opportunity to read The Calamity Café, it was a no brainer. The first book in a new cozy mystery series is full of colorful characters, delicious food, a solid mystery and a light touch of romance. If you like cozy mysteries, especially those set in a small town in the South, then this is the book for you.

Ms. Leeson does a great job introducing her primary character, Amy Flowers, a young woman trained to be a chef, who had come home to Winter Garden, Virginia to take care of her nana (grandmother) and has been waitressing at a local diner called Lou’s Joint. Owned by Lou-Lou, a bully, who smokes while she cooks, Lou’s joint is just the kind of restaurant that needs new ownership and when she inherits a sizable amount of money from her grandmother, Amy tries to buy it. Only Lou-Lou refuses to sell, at least until her son, talks her into it. When Amy arrives at the restaurant later that night to go over the sale and terms, she discovers Lou-Lou’s dead body and finds herself on the suspect list. I really liked Amy; she’s smart, funny and a generally nice person. I enjoyed watching her character develop and watching her develop her detective skills.

The secondary characters are also colorful and well developed. I enjoyed getting to know Jackie, her cousin and best friend, who also works as a waitress at Lou’s Joint and Sarah, another close friend who works for the towns only attorney. We meet Roger, her oldest male friend, who also happens to be the contractor Amy hires to redesign and refurbish Lou’s joint after she purchases it from Lou-Lou’s only son Phil and renames it The Down South Cafe The list of possible suspects is more than a handful, apparently Lou-Lou never met a person she couldn’t offend, and it was fun watching Amy go through the list. The local sheriff’s office is investigating the case but the deputy, Ryan, doesn’t seem to mind letting Amy gather clues, which she then turns over to him. I found that a very interesting dynamic and different from most cozies where the police are pretty stringent about people staying out of their way.

Ms. Leeson’s voice as an author is clear, easy to follow and enjoyable, something you would expect from an established writer. The story’s pace is good and there are plenty of twists and turns, especially when it comes to the multiple suspects and Lou-Lou’s family’s past, which keeps things interesting. There was no real graphic violence, though there is a bit of suspense near the end. Overall this is a very well written cozy and a great beginning for a new series.

Will Amy discover who killed Lou-Lou and why? Will Amy’s remodel and renaming of Lou’s Joint work out? And will the developing romances between Jackie and Roger, and Amy and Deputy Ryan work out in the future? You’ll have to read The Calamity Café to find out, I enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the next installment. ( )