Bean There, Done That by Sandra Balzo

In Bean There, Done That, Maggy Thorsen becomes involved in the disappearance of her ex-husband's new wife, Rachel. Before she disappeared Rachel had asked Maggy to help her determine if Ted, that's Maggy's ex, was cheating before they got married. It's a little tricky because of course Ted was cheating. He was cheating on Maggy with Rachel. However, Rachel now suspects that there were other women and she's furious. She wants Maggy's help in confirming all of this. In the middle of it all, Rachel goes missing and Ted becomes the chief suspect. Since she's already somewhat involved anyway, Maggy decides to investigate the possibility of the other women as well as Rachel's disappearance.

I really enjoyed this one. This is the third book in the Maggy Thorsen Mystery series and the third one I've read. I don't always read a series in order, but in this case I'm glad to be doing so. This one had a little less to do with the coffee shop business itself, but nevertheless is was enjoyable. I especially loved the twists at the end. Devious, delicious and fun!

As I said in my other reviews, I love Balzo's characters, especially Maggy. I really felt sorry for her when she discovered that Ted could have been cheating on her with more than one woman. It was like opening up those wounds all over again. Somehow, I didn't quite feel the same way about Rachel, though. As for Ted, well, I didn't exactly feel sorry for him either. As with the other books, one of my favourite characters is Frank, Maggy's oversized dog, who rushes the door every time it's opened. That never gets old for me.

New Words:
proffering (page 15): offer
cadre (page 55): core group

Favourite Quote:

Me, I remembered the May blizzard that dropped eight inches of snow on southeastern Wisconsin well enough to be grateful for any day above freezing, regardless of season. I also didn't put the shovel away until the Fourth of July. In other words, I was a native Wisconsinite. (page 14)

Substitute Manitoba for Wisconsin and you have me to a "T".

I also read and really enjoyed the first one, Uncommon Grounds (my review) and second one, Grounds for Murder (my review). I also have Triple Shot on my virtual to-be-read shelf. I hope to get to it soon.

Highly recommended. I can't wait to read the others in the series.

For more information about this book, please visit Amazon.com.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Sandra Balzo's website.

Many thanks to the author for sending me this eBook to review.

Bean There, Done That by Sandra Balzo, Severn House, ©2008. ISBN 9781847510730(e-book/PDF), 235p.