The Chocolate Cat Caper (Chocoholic Mysteries, No. 1) | 
| Author: Joanna Carl
Publisher: Signet
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 48425
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0451205561
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780451205568
ASIN: 0451205561
Publication Date: March 1, 2002
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Book Description
Looking for a fresh start, divorcee Lee McKinney moves back to Michigan to work for her aunt's chocolate business-and finds that her new job offers plenty of murderous treats to chew on.
When a high-profile defense lawyer dies after eating a cat-shaped chocolate laced with cyanide, it's up to Lee to find out who tampered with the recipe-before she and her aunt end up behind not-so-chocolate bars.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 Not Diane Mott Davidson April 4, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Although I enjoy just about any mystery, this book's annoying "hook" makes it hard to read. The main character's quirk is that she misspeaks - often embarrassingly so - when stressed: "goon" instead of "guard", etc. I can't even tell you if it's a good mystery because this is so distracting. Also, to be honest, the chocolate trivia is not nearly as interesting as some good old recipes. It's not horrible but it's not great either.
 A sweet debut! March 23, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Twenty-eight-year-old ex-Texas beauty queen, Lee McKinney, always thought that money was the solution to everything. After witnessing the downfall of her parents marriage over finances it seemed that nothing could be more true. However, after surviving five years of marriage with money-hungry millionaire, Rich Godfrey (aka Mr. Gottrocks), Lee is fed up, and decides to leave behind her trademark Texas trophy wife coiffed hair, and bright red lipstick, along with everything else she has accumulated during her marriage, and head back to Warner Pier, Michigan. Armed with nothing more than a suitcase full of clothes, Lee makes her way back to the tiny resort town, where she'll act as accountant to her Aunt Nettie's booming business, TenHuis Chocolade. Lee is thrilled to finally have the opportunity to show off her smarts for numbers, and, forming a quick bond with her spunky Aunt, dives headfirst into the world of chocolate making. However, after little less than a week on the job, Lee quickly realizes that not everything in the world of chocolate creations is as sweet as it appears. When Clementine Ripley, a celebrity defense attorney with a penchant for getting even the guilty acquitted, contacts TenHuis Chocolade with an order for thousands of dollars worth of custom chocolates that resemble her champion cat, Champion Myanmar Chocolate Yonkers, Lee knows that they can't refuse the order - no matter how much Aunt Nettie fusses over having nothing to do with the woman who, in her opinion, is responsible for her husband's death. So, with word that she will collect payment before dropping off the scrumptious looking chocolates, Lee heads to the Ripley mansion, where she finds herself in awe of her surroundings. Those surroundings, of course, do not include the demanding, downright rude Clementine, who appears to have nothing but unkind words for everyone she comes in contact with. So it's truly no surprise when the woman who everyone loves to hate ends up dead at her charity shindig. The surprising part comes, however, when Lee learns that the cause of death was none other than a cyanide-laced chocolate from TenHuis Chocolade. Lee knows that her Aunt had nothing to do with the crime. But that leaves very few other suspects who would have had time to inject cyanide into the box of chocolates that did Clementine in. Now, in an attempt to protect TenHuis Chocolade from the bad press that is about to befall the hometown sweet shop, Lee decides that it is up to her to do a little snooping around Clementine's cohorts to pinpoint the real culprit. But the deeper Lee moves into her investigation, the more that she realizes that Clementine had more enemies than the average person, and fingering the correct person for murder may prove harder than she originally expected. Lee won't give up, however, for if she does, the police may just throw her and Aunt Nettie behind bars, where the taste of chocolate will evade them for the rest of their days.
As a self-professed chocoholic, I couldn't resist picking up JoAnna Carl's debut, THE CHOCOLATE CAT CAPER. From the very first sentence, I was impressed. Lee is a bold, brazen new character, whose sleuthing skills are delectable; while her ability to basically win over everyone around her is a wonderful feat. Lee's interactions with the grandmother-ly, Aunt Nettie, are enjoyable, as she is constantly trying to convince Aunt Nettie about the evils that some people possess. However, it's Aunt Nettie's naivete that make her so lovable, and really adds to her character. Lee's speech impediment, which makes her mix-up words on a fairly usual basis can sometimes confuse the reader, as one wrong word strongly changes the dynamics of the sentence. However, it is this character trait that makes Lee so memorable, while displaying a raw side of her personality that is extremely relatable. The backdrop of a chocolate shop is supremely quaint, giving readers an inside peek at how, exactly, chocolates are made - and sold - and leaving you salivating for one of Aunt Nettie's divine creations. The chocolate facts thrown around between chapters were also quite interesting, as they give die-hard chocoholics the opportunity to learn more about this scrumptious treat - from the different types of chocolates there are, to the history of how chocolate came to America; while the little chocolate pop quiz at the end of the book is a fun addition, as it gives readers the chance to test their chocolate knowledge. A sweet debut!
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
Nothing to write home about. January 19, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Decent book, but nothing spectacular. Not a bad bit of entertainment but certainly not memorable.
 How could Chocolate be so bad? November 3, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
No one could ever mistake JoAnna Carl for Joanne Fluke (writer of the Hannah Swenson Cookie Jar Series)! The character development was seriously lacking, the story was choppy, there was no emotion behind the words and it was not entertaining! The Chocolate facts between the chapters were the most interesting thing about the book but not really useful, they were more of a distraction than anything else.
A Treat September 18, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Chocolate Cat Caper is the first in the Chocoholic mystery series by JoAnna Carl. Like a candy bar, the book goes down easy and leaves a sweet taste in your mouth. Soon, you will want another (book, that is). The story is about former Texas trophy wife Lee McKinney as she begins a new life in a Michigan lakeside resort town. Lee helps her beloved Aunt Nettie run an upscale chocolate shop. At a catered affair at a wealthy but hated resident's home, the hated woman dies after ingesting Aunt Nettie's chocolates. A man from Lee's teenage past is the victim's widower. He clashes with the woman's personal assistant, who has taken the murder very hard. Can Lee exonerate her chocolate shop before it is forced to close from lack of business?
This book would make a great TV episode a la Murder She Wrote. It is entertaining with a solid mystery for the reader to solve, but does not contain any very dark subject matter, sex, or profanity like so many other mystery series out there.
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