The Chocolate Pirate Plot (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Another cute cozy mystery in a series. I read one that I really enjoyed – this one I didn’t like as much. I think because it got solved quickly at the end and didn’t flow as well with the clues throughout the story. Lee is the manager of Ten Huis chocolates in Warner Pier so there are some references to chocolate and many scenes in her shop. She’s affected by malapropism and her actions because of her word confusion were sometimes really funny. The general story line is kind of related to the Pirates of the Caribbean craze. A movie star that youngsters lust after is in a film that gets mixed rating. Warner Pier boaters are mysteriously visited by acrobatic pirates on their evening cruises. The local Showboat theatre is banking on the pirate obsession There’s also a rumor that the movie star is having a custom yacht built in town and everyone is hoping for a glimpse of him. In addition to the mysterious pirates around the lake, a young man is found dead in the water. It does not appear that he drowned and after some investigation there’s a little more publicity in town along the theatrical lines. It's nice to rate a cozy mystery 3 stars. I've had slim pickings lately, plus I'm not a generous rater. Though the cozy mystery is my favorite genre, and though I do like to read them from cover to cover, they lack the brilliance of a real puzzler. Most of the struggle the amateur detective goes through is because he or in this case, she, is ahead of the police because of chance or due to being singled out for endangerment. All of that is true here. Nevertheless, my favorite minor characters are back, though as usual they do not appear in the end. Well if they had I'd have given this book one more point. Brenda especially has ample time to shine. The nondescript Lindy and her family are not here to mar the fun. Hogan gets a taste of the action. He's okay in my book. It was thrilling when Lee suddenly announced that she'd solved everything. It was an intense moment in the book, and had the solution been brilliant then it would have bowled me over. The truth is that I had a stab at who the guilty were and my guesses were right. Both times. I even hazarded mentally that such and such person had invented a character for his purposes. So yeah, the epiphany of Lee was still welcome. It happens rarely in a mundane lifetime. It happened thrice to me in my life. The moment when a light bursts into your mind with the wattage of a supernova. Look at me, I'm waxing lyrical. This has surely to do with my reluctance to leave this series. How come discworld contains 38 books and I have only 11 Joanna Carl books at my disposal. Joanna Carl is a pseudonym but whatever, she's the author, and she's old. At 77 years, I'm amazed at her creativity. I wish I hadn't run out of The Chocoholic series. This is Miss Marple all over again. I have to say that my favorite authors are all women. Men mostly seem to write science fiction and non fiction and nowadays zombie takes on the usual stories. Not a fan. Until next time.
What do You think about The Chocolate Pirate Plot (2010)?
The Chocolate Pirate Plot was a light and entertaining read. I also enjoyed the chocolate trivia.
—Shin_Seeraj
