Mystery Book Review: Goody Goody Gunshots by Sammi Carter

Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Goody Goody Gunshots by Sammi Carter. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.

Goody Goody Gunshots by Sammi Carter
An Abby Shaw Mystery

Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-425-22332-9 (0425223329)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22332-1 (9780425223321)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $6.99

Review: Paradise Colorado candy shop owner Abby Shaw searches for a dead man who suddenly isn't, then unexpectedly is, in Goody Goody Gunshots, the fourth mystery in this series by Sammi Carter.

After dropping off her nephews and while returning home from her brother's house one evening, Abby nearly runs into a disheveled man at an intersection called Hammond Junction. A few seconds later, Abby hears what seem to be gunshots and the man goes down. Fearing her own safety, she leaves the area and contacts the police. But when the authorities search the area, no body is found. A couple of days pass and Abby sees the unkempt man again, clearly alive, but soon thereafter she stumbles across his dead body. Abby is determined to sort out the true circumstances of the mysterious appearance and death of this man in her small town.

Goody Goody Gunshots is subtitled A Candy Shop Mystery yet Abby as a candy maker and her candy shop Divinity play absolutely no relevant role whatsoever in the story. They seem to merely exist as props, and infrequently used ones at that. Abby could have been portrayed as a dentist or accountant or construction worker and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference to how the story plays out or concludes. The plot itself is fine, a bit derivative, but otherwise workable as a template for a murder mystery. And it can't be said that the book is poorly written or that its characters lack depth and interest. But couldn't the author have done something, anything, to make candy or sweet treats an integral part Abby's investigation or its resolution? In some ways it seems all rather pointless, but in the end it's simply just disappointing.

Special thanks to Penguin for providing a copy of Goody Goody Gunshots for this review.

Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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Synopsis (from the publisher): When Abby Shaw witnesses a stanger being gunned down on the highway, she's convinced she's seen a murder. Problem is, there's no body. But days later, when a body does turn up, wishy-washy witnesses make things sticky. Even elbow-deep in hot syrup, Abby is determined to find out the truth. And it's not as if she can take her sweet time figuring it out -- she's busy running Divinity, training a new employee, and helping to coach her nephew's basketball team. Not to mention that nosing around for too long could get her killed ...

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