Death Is Semisweet: A Heaven Lee Mystery

By Lou Jane Temple

Book Overview

Heaven Lee has lived in Kansas City a long time, and she thought she knew as much as there was to know about her hometown. But when her longtime friend Stephanie Simpson starts a new business as a chocolatier after divorce, Heaven is surprised and delighted to find out that Stephanie is getting back to her family roots with her new enterprise. As it turns out, her mother was heir to the famous Foster's Chocolates fortune, a chocolate company that is a Kansas City institution. That is, untilher brothers, Stephanie's uncles, swindled her out of her share lo these many years ago.Still, Stephanie is excited to be back in the family business, albeit in a small way with her own downtown chocolate shop, and Heaven can't wait to learn all about chocolate. She's got a restaurant to run, of course, and is always on the lookout for new ways to use traditional ingredients. The pair's excitement turns suscpicious, however, when a giant blimp advertising the 50th anniversary of Foster's is shot down almost directly on top of Stephanie's new store, its pilot dead before he hitsthe ground.Is this terrible event a direct threat to Heaven's friend's new business? Or is it all just a big coincidence? Heaven suspects the former, and when her friend's livelihood, not to mention her life, is on the line, no one can stop her from getting at the truth. She'll figure out what's going on and be back in time for dessert in Death Is Semisweet - a smart, saucy entry in the Heaven Lee Culinary Mystery series from fan favorite Lou Jane Temple. Complete with many sinfully delicious chocolate recipes!

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312301227
• ISBN13: 9780312301224
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A chocolate lovers delight - it's heavenly!

I've read all the Heaven Lee series thus far - and I think this one is just as good as, if not better than, the others. And the recipes are fantastic! I know that's not a reason to buy a novel but it's kind of a fun extra bonus! This mystery is a quick read and I enjoyed it. I do agree with another reviewer who said they don't feel the chemistry between Heaven and Hank. He seems like a great guy, but I keep waiting for Heaven to meet someone who really lights a fire in her!

tasty amateur sleuth

The plaza, a shopping center in Kansas City, is festive dining the holiday season and Foster's Chocolates blimp just adds to the glittery atmosphere. Chef Heaven Lee and her friend Stephanie are eating at a restaurant in the plaza when they hear gun shots. Somebody shot at the blimp and killed the man operating it.Foster's Chocolates is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary in business when a man trying to destroy them is murdered on the property. Heaven, always interested in solving a murder case, does a little snooping. She discovers that the Foster family is divided against itself and everyone had a motive to kill the man. Things turn really weird when Foster's Chocolates and Stephanie's Chocolates shop are vandalized, but Heaven is incensed when somebody trashes her restaurant too. She's very determined to find out who the perp is and bring that individual down.This culinary mystery should come with a calorie warning: Do not read when hungry. The recipes, mostly chocolate, are easy to follow and taste delicious (don't say a word). The who-done-it is excellent because there's seems as many legit suspects as the number of carbo grams in any of the recipes. Lou Jane Temple has written another tasty amateur sleuth novel.Harriet Klausner