Battered

Whipped & Sipped Mystery, #1

by

G.P. Gottlieb

Fun, intriguing start to this healthier culinary-themed cozy mystery series.

Battered is the clever first book in G.P. Gottlieb’s fun and intriguing Whipped & Sipped Mystery series, and in it, the author serves up a puzzling murder, complex character backstories, and plenty of delicious food talk. With its engaging and relatable main character, I was hooked from page one. 

Alene Baron is the new owner of Whipped & Sipped, a bakery café that came with some strings attached: a couple of legacy employees related to the former owner were to be kept on the payroll. However, kindness is Alene’s middle name, and she does her best to keep all her coworkers happy, healthy, and working at a job they love. Alene is relatable as a single mom with a pain-in-the-butt ex. She is also at the age where her father, with whom she and her three children live, is starting to show signs of needing a little extra help himself; the lady has got her hands full. The author does a fabulous job introducing not only the main character but also many secondary characters, giving them more than a superficial mention; I really felt like I knew these people. 

As the first book in the series, the author does the heavy lifting of not only introducing everyone but also establishing the world where the stories will unfold. Her Chicago setting is vibrant, and those familiar with the area will recognize many of the locations mentioned. Because of the buildup, the murder doesn’t occur until well into the book. However, this later development also serves to provide a goodly number of plausible suspects in the victim’s death whom Alene must eliminate from consideration. By this time, I, too, was quite invested in everyone and in Alene’s efforts, and read the entire book through before I knew it. I couldn’t quit until I found out the final resolution. 

I recommend BATTERED to cozy mystery readers who enjoy culinary-themed plots. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.