The Poppy McAllister Mysteries by Libby Klein

Images provided by Kensington Books.

    Sometimes with a series there is a book that puts me on edge.  I have a hard time reading it.  Sometimes I don’t finish it at all.  If I don’t finish it, I tend not to continue on with the series.

    That is something that almost happened with The Poppy McAllister Mysteries.  I loved the first book, Class Reunions are Murder, but the second book I had a really hard time with.  There were so many annoying characters!  Something told me to keep going, though.  I found the annoying characters evened out, and I was able to finish Midnight Snacks are Murder.

    Then came Restaurant Weeks are Murder.  I enjoyed this book, so I read the fourth, Theater Nights are Murder.  With this fourth book, I fell in love with the series all over again.  Now I am greatly looking forward to the fifth installment to see what happens next.          

    Poppy McAllister is a widow.  She returned to her New Jersey hometown to care for her Aunt Ginny, and is now opening a bed and breakfast.

    I say “care” very loosely, since most of what Poppy does is try and keep her aunt out of trouble.  A task Poppy is very unsuccessful at.

    When not trying, and failing, to keep her aunt under control, Poppy bakes gluten-free products for a local coffee shop.  She also tries to figure out a love triangle she is embroiled in.  Oh, and she solves murders.

    The murders are not something Poppy seeks out.  They just happen.  Usually with herself, Aunt Ginny, or someone else they care about, as the suspect.  Their involvement in these murders is so bad, the police aren’t even surprised anymore when they find Poppy or Aunt Ginny on the scene.  They’re not happy about it either, but they certainly aren’t surprised.

    The police also aren’t happy when Poppy investigates.  They get really upset when Aunt Ginny and her friends investigate.  When these senior citizens become involved in the case, there tends to be police complaints.  Another thing for Poppy to try and keep under control.

    While the police would probably not be thrilled with any citizen becoming involved in the case, it may be more of a conflict with Poppy because the officer most often in charge is Officer Amber Fenton.  Amber was a classmate of Poppy’s, and they do not get along.  This adds more tension to an already stressful situation.

    Although, by the end of Theater Nights are Murder, Amber’s hatred seems to be softening.  Maybe she’s figured out the anger and bad feelings are not worth holding onto.

    The same realization cannot be said for Gia and Tim, the two men vying for Poppy’s affection.  Personally, I am not sure either one is a good match.  Tim definitely isn’t, as he seems to be more in love with the Poppy he once knew, instead of the woman she is today.  He doesn’t pay much attention to or spend time with Poppy as he is always busy with his restaurant.  Which is understandable to a point.  Then one has to wonder what Tim’s true feelings are.

    Add in Gigi, Tim’s mentee, and the situation worsens.  Gigi treats Poppy badly right in front of Tim, regularly, and he says nothing.  No, Tim is not a good match.

    Gia is different.  He gives Poppy a lot of attention.  Only his mother hates her, and his sister isn’t too fond of her either.  Gia doesn’t quite let these two women get away with treating Poppy badly as much as Tim does with Gigi, but he could do more.

    Then there are Gia’s views on certain gender roles.  Things like a man cannot be seen being driven by a woman.  This may sound like a small and petty thing, but it makes me wonder what other controlling things will come up in the future.

    At the end of the fourth book, nothing in the love triangle is settled.  This is probably a good thing, because there is a lot going on in Poppy’s life.  Her husband didn’t die all that long ago.  The B&B is just getting up and running.  As the business increases there, Poppy will have less time to concentrate on other things in her life, including the two men vying for her affection.

    At least Poppy hopes the B&B business will increase.  She will have a better chance of that happening if crime, vengeance, and a cat named Figaro stop wreaking havoc.  Some of these things Poppy can try and control.  The cat, not at all.