Murder at the Taffy Shop - (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery) by Maddie Day (Paperback)

Murder at the Taffy Shop by Maddie Day is the 2nd book in A Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series. The book can be a little confusing in the beginning, but everything a new reader needs to know is soon provided. There is a group of friendly characters in this series. I like the members of the book group as well as Mac’s family, especially her spunky grandmother. Mac’s African Grey, Belle is a delight. He has some great lines with my favorite being, “Cheese it, call the cops.”. Westham, Massachusetts is a cozy town with some charming shops. I enjoyed the descriptions of this tourist town (I want to visit). I did find the pacing to be on the slow side. The story needed more action. There is also a repetition of information that is annoying. In the first third of the book, it is mentioned a minimum of four times how Mac is not ready to marry and have children (I got it the first time). Case details are repeated as well (how the body was found especially). The whodunit had several suspects since Beverly rubbed most people the wrong way. I found it particularly easy to solve this whodunit (my mother says it is because I read so many mysteries). I have no doubt that most readers will solve this one long before the reveal. I enjoyed the references to other cozy mysteries. I would love a cozy mystery book group in my complex. Cozy mystery readers who like warm, relatable characters living in a cozy town where they can follow their day-to-day activities, will enjoy this book. Murder at the Taffy Shop is a cute cozy mystery with a bothersome Beverly, a verbose Belle, a gregarious Gin, a cute Cokey, and a well-meaning Mac.

When Mac Almeida is visiting her parents, who live just down the street in her town of Westham on Cape Cod, she encounters Beverly Ruchart, their neighbor. Beverly is always complaining about something, be it the local soup kitchen or Mac’s parents’ puppy. Two mornings later, Mac finds her friend Gin crouched over Beverly’s dead body. When the police begin to suspect that Gin had something to do with the death, the Mac and the rest of the Cozy Capers, a book group that reads nothing but cozy mysteries, jump into action to clear one of their own. But can Mac piece together the clues everyone is finding? I enjoyed the first in the series, so I was anxious to get back to visit Mac and her friends again. We do get a lot of characters, but the important characters stand out, and the rest are subtly reintroduced when they appear on the page again, so it is easy to track them. I have to give a special shout out to Mac pet, an African Gray parrot who gave me a couple good laughs. I did have a harder time tracking all the suspects early on, and especially their connections to each other. I suspect that might have been me being distracted by real life, and as I read, I was able to sort everything out. The plot gives us plenty of twists to keep us engaged. The ending was a little abrupt but logical. I enjoy the nods to other cozy series we get here, and as a bonus, we get five recipes at the end of this book for a variety of treats. Cozy lovers will enjoy solving a case along with a cast of characters who love cozies as much as they do.