Mango Muffin Murder

Finished October 29

Mango Muffin Murder by Emma Johns

This novella is the start of a series set in Jamaica, where Petrona McGibben has been coming for years to visit family and has recently decided to move to and open her own bakery. Petrona bought a small bed and breakfast, which a family member runs, and the abandoned bakery next to it, which she fixed up. She lives in a small apartment over the bakery. At first, her usual baked goods were so different from what islanders were used to, she thought she was going to fail. Now she has started acting on suggestions (or dares) from her customers and family. Her newest product is the Mango Muffin, and it appears to be a hit. She's had to make more during the morning as it sells out. But when one of her customers dies shortly after eating one, she becomes a suspect in a murder case.

Luckily her family has a plan to clear her name, even if they don't keep her in the loop at times. She also has goodwill in the community, from her family ties, to her friendly open demeanour. She's a good person, feeding a young man recently kicked out of school for fighting despite his academic success, who now worries about his future.

I liked Petrona, as well as the policeman in charge of her case. I see potential romance in future books. A fun, quick read. Also included is a glossary of Jamaican terms which came up in the novel. 

Midnight Cab

Finished February 18

Midnight Cab by James W. Nichol

This gripping mystery suspense novel has at its center a young man looking for his roots. Walker Devereux was found when he was three years old. He was holding on to a wire fence at the side of a country road in French River. His mother had told me to wait there for her, but she never returned.

Walker was adopted into a welcoming family and grew up loved. He's not looking for a new family, but he does wonder about his past. Now, in 1995, he is nineteen and he figures he can begin to look into any clues he has. At the agency who handled his adoption, he is given a photograph and a letter that were found in his pocket back then. They provide a couple of clues and he decided to go to Toronto to track them down.

In Toronto, he finds a small apartment to rent, and a job driving a taxi. He also finds himself attracted to the night dispatcher at the taxi company, Krista Papadopoulos, a woman a few years older than him, who uses either crutches or a wheelchair to get around. She begins to help him with his research.

Interspersed with Walker's story are short sections about a boy named Bobby. Bobby is bad news. He isn't right in the head, and he uses violence when his words fail him. He also has some kind of sexual issue that is never really clear, but that becomes part of a pattern for him. 

We know that Bobby's story will link up in some way with Walker's, but we don't know how. As the two plotlines slowly come together, the plot takes us from Toronto to Fort Erie, to French River, and to Jamaica. Walker is a smart guy and he trusts his instinct, but sometimes it gets him into trouble. There is menace here, following him and showing itself through acts of violence and destruction. 

I found the story gripping, wanting to know what Walker wanted to know, and wanting Bobby to get caught and stopped.