Killing Thyme

Spice Shop Mystery Series, Book 3

By: Leslie Budewitz

Narrated by: Dara Rosenberg

In Seattle's Pike Place Market, Spice Shop owner Pepper Reece is savoring her business success, but soon finds her plans disrupted by a killer.

Pepper Reece's to-do list is longer than the shopping list for a five-course dinner, as she conjures up spice blends bursting with seasonal flavor, soothes nervous brides fretting over the gift registry, and crosses her fingers for a rave review from a sharp-tongued food critic. Add to the mix a welcome visit from her mother, Lena, and she's got the perfect recipe for a busy summer garnished with a dash of fun.

While browsing in the artists' stalls, Pepper and Lena drool over stunning pottery made by a Market newcomer. But when Lena recognizes the potter, Bonnie Clay, as an old friend who disappeared years ago, the afternoon turns sour. To Pepper's surprise, Bonnie seems intimately connected to her family's past. After Bonnie is murdered only days later, Pepper is determined to uncover the truth. But as Pepper roots out long-buried secrets, will she be digging her own grave?

©2016 Leslie Ann Budewitz (P)2016 Tantor

great read a page Turner more than a story

love the background material. not just the story of a murder. love the way they put business background personal background thought processes.

Effortless Complexity & Riveting Characters

You have to like spending time with the characters to plow through any series, but this group makes it easy to hang on for the ride. I like them, the world they live in and the relationships they forge. Keep it coming Ms. Budewitz! Getting to know your characters and rooting for them is a great way to spend my free time.

Fun book

Fun book snd series yo read. All the plots are diffetent so it's not easy to guess who none it.

Nice, clean mysteries with a great history of spices and Seattle.

I've enjoyed these books mainly because I like having something to listen to in the late evening. The characters are realistic and the history of spices and Seattle add believable atmosphere. I'm ready for the next one.

Enjoyable!

What did you love best about Killing Thyme?

Cute story. Reminescent of Murder She Wrote... simple spice shop owner gets caught up in solving a murder in her community.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Narrator was good. My only critique is that it was tough to distinguish between characters both male and female at times.

spicey and fun

The third book in the series, this can be read if you are new to the series or continuing. Love the setting and Pepper, I also enjoyed the mystery connecting to the past in this story.

Light hearted murder mystery -

What did you love best about Killing Thyme?

I have enjoyed the Spice Shop Mystery series very much. I appreciate most Ms. Budewitz'
humorous style of writing.

What about Dara Rosenberg’s performance did you like?

It is easy to picture her as she reads.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes, however it was not possible.

Could not figure out the ending

I like books that I c any figure out the bad guy/girl so this was a fun read.

Time and Thyme Again

Retro remembrances of thirty years ago abound in the third installment of the Spice Shop Mysteries . . . when Pepper's mother, Lena comes back to Seattle for a visit, they run into an old acquaintance at the Pike Place Market. Surprised to run in to a potter, calling herself Bonnie Clay, a woman with shockingly blue eyes, sparks fly between her and Lena, making it evident to Pepper that there was something still unsettled from way back when. In the Vietnam War Era, Lena's parents and a few others had lived together in Grace House . . . feeding the homeless, and setting their sights on a higher calling . . . I braced myself for free love, drugs and anti-establishment protests, but alas, and Thank God, none of that . . . just young, idealistic folks (families) trying to work their way through a very tumultuous time in America's history . . . I was very pleased with how the Vietnam war was treated in the book, which can be a firebrand, even now. Best friends, Pepper and Kristen, work together in the spice shop, and lived together with their families as kids at Grace House. Kristen, who now owns the newly remodeled Grace House invites all her friends (including the newcomer, Bonnie Clay) to a party and tour of her home . . . Heading to the market early the next morning, Pepper finds that the new potter is no where to be found . . . when Bonnie is found murdered in her studio apartment, Pepper and the police are stunned . . . and the race is on to find the killer . . . things are never as they appear . . . the sights, sounds and smells of Seattle permeate this series, making it a wonderful listen for those things alone . . . the friendships and closeness that Pepper shares with those around her . . . the good head she has on her shoulders . . . and her unique ability to "sniff" out criminals (despite the angst of her ex, Tag) make this deserving of FIVE STARS!!! When the book started with the opening lines from the song, Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds (from the Book of Ecclesiastes), I knew I was in for a treat . . . one of my favorites, and a verse I live by, To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn) There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn) And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A trip to Pepper's childhood through a murder

Pepper Reece, owner of the Seattle Spice Shop, who has gotten involved in two murders in the previous year, finds herself embroiled in another mystery, this time one that reaches back to get childhood in Killing Thyme by Leslie Budewitz. Learning of a potter who makes the best spice jars, Pepper goes to meet Bonnie Clay, only to have her mother, visiting from Costa Rica, recognize the potter as Peggy Manning, a woman from her young adulthood whom Pepper's mother thought was long dead. Pepper notices serious tension between the women and overhears part of a conversation in which her mother warns someone else about Peggy/Bonnie. Pepper grew up in Grace House, the large family home of her best friend, Kristin, which became the center of social activism in the 1970s, and Peggy was a friend who visited sometimes. So Pepper brings Peggie/Bonnie to a big open house celebrating the remodeling of this house. That night Kristin shows off a valuable diamond and sapphire bracelet she found in the basement. The next morning, Bonnie is found murdered, smashed in the head by a piece of her pottery. Further, Kristin discovers that her bracelet has been stolen.

All of Pepper's friends urge her not to get involved again in murder, but at the same time they keep asking her what she has learned about the case. Learning that her mother had a fight with Peggie, Pepper realizes that her mom is a key suspect, leading her to try to figure out what happened to the murdered woman as well as the bracelet. She has to turn back to her childhood to seek answers.

This book has an interesting plot, but it does not move as fast as the previous two books. Pepper, who narrates the book, spends a lot of time analyzing the details of the case mentally, which gets a little tedious. The quality of the writing is very strong, helping to improve the quality of the book. I have read hundreds of cozy mysteries, and few have as strong a writing style, which includes the vocabulary, sophistication of sentence structure, and research, as Budewitz exhibits. In addition, the degree of details that Pepper gives about the spices in her shop demonstrates a high level of research. I also liked the philosophical and theoretical points that the book uses to help solve the murder.

Dara Rosenberg narrates this audiobook. She sounds realistically like I might imagine Pepper's sounding. My only concern is that Pepper frequently states her thoughts while in the midst of other people, such as giving the response she wants to give before saying out loud something else, and it is often confusing to tell whether she is stating thoughts or words out loud. Otherwise, I was happy with the quality of her performance.

I enjoyed Killing Thyme, which has an interesting story and strong writing. I did wish sometimes for less internal dialogue. I give it four stars.