What I Thought:
This was another great read in the Down South Café Mysteries. I really enjoy visiting Amy and the rest of the inhabitants of the small town of Winter Garden, VA. In this installment George Lincoln falls dead in the Down South Café. Amy is not suspected because it is thought to be from natural causes. But George had a lot of enemies, so there is no shortage of suspects in this mystery. Amy tires not get herself too embroiled into finding out who the killer is, but somehow, she ends up right in the middle of the investigation. Of course her boyfriend, Ryan is helping to investigate. Amy has a lot going on in this story, what with the victim dying in her café, her wild and reckless aunt showing up unannounced, and injuring herself at the café. This one kept me entertained and turning the pages till the very end. I kind of had the killer pegged part ways through the book, but then I was not really sure, so there are some twists and turns to keep a person guessing. I look forward to more in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

An ok followup that's not quite a sophomore jinx. First, I took off for the poor job the publishers did putting it in ebook format. Then the basic cozy mystery start and it was ok. A guy dies in Amy's café and, in a nice surprise, she isn't a suspect. She tries to figure it out.

The rough spot was the annoyance of the victim's brother, who was too cardboard for belief.

Spoiler

Then, it's always annoying when non-thieves can easily break into a house, and this time it's two people getting in at the climax.

Dumb, but most of the story's good so average.

Enjoyable mystery story.

Cute and nicely written. The culprit was not a surprise, which was disappointing, but on the whole it was entertaining.

SILENCE OF THE JAMS has a well thought out plot but more than that, is character driven, bringing the story to life. Amy Flowers owns the Down Home Café and has been in business only a short time. Her best friend and cousin, Jackie, helps her run it. Jackie’s mother abandoned her and as a result, is estranged from her mom, even though she pops into town every so often. Jackie’s story was hinted at a bit in the first book, but in SILENCE OF THE JAMS, her unfortunate circumstance is fully explored. Ms. Lesson captures the essence of the emotional distress and upheaval the situation causes Jackie and her family, weaving it into the mystery plot, creating layers of tension. The social issue of substance abuse is also a part of the equation, highlighting not only illegal abuse but abuse of prescription drugs and how willing people are to share their own medication with others which can result in dire circumstances. This theme is quite apropos with what is currently happening in our society, but the author does so in a manner that isn’t heavy handed and fits right into the plot. I appreciate when an entertaining book can tackle current social issues, making the reader give pause and consider the message given.

Even though there is the subplot of Jackie and her family, Amy is still the central protagonist. She is deeply involved with Jackie’s dilemma, while at the same time trying to find out who murdered the Director of the Chamber of Commerce as he was eating breakfast at her café. She worries people will think it was her fresh batch of strawberry jam that killed him! The author provides plenty of suspects, each with viable reasons why they wanted him dead. One of the supporting characters, Homer Pickens is a truly likable and admirable man. I loved the scenes he showed up in with his wit and couldn’t wait to find out who his daily hero was for inspiration.

Of course the Down Home Café has plenty of mouth-watering food to keep the townspeople coming back! Thankfully, Gayle Leeson has included many delicious recipes at the back of her book and her Peanut Butter Pie recipe. I’ve heard of this pie before, but have never tried it…. and I discovered I’ve been missing out! The recipe was easy to follow and I especially loved the author's trick for making stress-free meringue.

I willingly provided a review after receiving an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

SILENCE OF THE JAMS by Gayle Leeson
The Second Down South Cafe Mystery

Amy Flowers is gearing up for the Independence day holiday when George Lincoln stops by her Down South Cafe. Although he doesn't pester her as much as usual, he ends up causing more trouble when he drops dead right after eating his breakfast! Although everyone is sure he keeled over from a heart attack, including the doctor sitting with him at the time, Amy wonders if he may have been murdered. After all, George rubbed most people the wrong way. Amy decides to look into who may have wanted George dead in order to protect her reputation and that of her cafe, especially since it turns out George was poisoned!

This second Down South Cafe is a fast paced culinary treat. Not only to we have the mystery of George's death, we also have the repercussions of Renee's return to town. Amy's aunt is a fly by night wreaking havoc and upturning the lives of her family whenever she flits into Winter Garden. A solicitous doctor, a threatening brother, an unhappy wife, and a secretary who may have her own agenda make enthralling characters. Gayle Leeson also tackles the serious topic of addiction. The author handles this subject matter realistically without detracting from the storyline.

SILENCE OF THE JAMS combines the love and interdependence of family with a well plotted mystery amidst a backdrop of lip smacking comfort food to create a delectable read.

Recipes included.

FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.

This small town is intriguing and the townsfolk are people I would want as my neighbors! Well except the killers!

This second book is very delightful and of course I love that it is centered around a cafe...which means food! Thankfully the author gives us some recipes at the end and I will be trying out a few of them.

The mystery was well written and while I figured out the killer it wasn't really from any clues, but just a gut instinct. This character just seemed to be up to something shady, and I was right!

There is also another character that turned out to be a surprise and one of the good ones. You wouldn't think that from how this character is portrayed. I can't say too much, don't want to give away any secrets or plot twists.

I even like that the romance continues between Ryan and Amy. It seems rather sweet. And her cousin Jackie even has something going with a long time friend. I also like that the author throws in a drug addicted mother and the agony a family probably goes through dealing with that addiction.

Overall a delightful book and series, definitely check it out if you haven't yet.

This is the second book in the Down South Cafe Series and I find that I enjoyed the characters just as much the second time around. Amy is down to earth and the relationship with her mom, cousin and great aunt is terrific. I have to say that I think I enjoyed Aunt Bess the most. She is a feisty, fun person and says what she thinks. There were a couple of instances where I chuckled out loud at her antics. I think the author has done a terrific job with the character development so far. They are all personable, likable and have a genuine feel to them.

I thought the mystery was a bit predictable in this installment. I almost never figure out "whodunit" in the mysteries I read, but for me, I felt the identity of the killer was pretty obvious. While I didn't know the motive initially, I thought it was transparent as the story unfolded.

I'm on the fence about this series and not sure if I plan to continue.