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Ill-Fated Fortune: A Magical Fortune Cookie Novel by Jennifer J. Chow
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About Ill-Fated Fortune
Ill-Fated Fortune: A Magical Fortune Cookie
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series ~ Setting - California
Minotaur Books (February 20, 2024)
Mass Market Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250323037 ISBN-13 : 978-1250323033 Digital ASIN : B0C1X7YG71
Felicity Jin grew up literally hanging onto Mom’s apron strings in their magical bakery in the quaint town of Pixie, California. Her mother’s enchanted baked goods, including puffy pineapple buns and creamy egg tarts, bring instant joy to all who consume them. Felicity has always been hesitant in the kitchen herself after many failed attempts, but a takeout meal gone wrong inspires her to craft some handmade fortune cookies.
They become so popular that Felicity runs out of generic fortunes and starts making her own personalized predictions. When one customer’s ill-fated fortune results in his murder, Felicity’s suspiciously specific fortune has the police focusing on her as the main culprit. Now Felicity must find a way to turn her luck around and get cleared from suspicion.
REVIEW:
A clean cozy mystery featuring a cast of quirky characters, interesting settings, and a sprinkle of cultural history . . .
The author has created a strong ensemble of characters for this new series. Gold Bakery owners/operators Felicity Jin and her mother and Felicity's best friend, Kelvin, are the heart of the cast in my opinion. The addition of Felicity's Godmother Alma plus some supporting characters draw readers into the mystery involving the death of a Gold Bakery customer.
Several settings were created by the author in the fictional small town of Pixie located near Fresno in the Central Valley of California. The Gold Bakery has an ambience that is unique and appealing. The flower shop owned by Kelvin—Love Blooms—sounds like a place I would love to visit; the mysterious candle shop owned by Alma—Paz Illuminations adds some eccentricity to the story.
Several locales in Fresno are essential to the plot. I liked the fact that a local landmark—Forestiere Underground Gardens—became part of the adventure. (I visited this amazing California Historical Landmark which is also part of the National Register of Historic Sites a few decades ago. It was a very memorable experience.)
The book's back matter includes a recipe for Fated Fortune Cookies, Floral Tips from Love Blooms, and Candle Embellishment from Paz Illuminations. Due to my personal hobbies of cooking and gardening, I enjoyed this bonus content.
The story is completely clean in language and content. I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. All of my thoughts and opinions shared here are solely my own.
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About Jennifer J. Chow
Jennifer J. Chow writes cozies filled with hope and heritage. She is an Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award-nominated author. Her newest series is the Magical Fortune Cookie mysteries; the first book is Ill-Fated Fortune. Jennifer’s previous series is the L.A. Night Market Mysteries. Death by Bubble Tea was reviewed by the New York Times, featured in Woman’s World, and hit the SoCal Indie Bestseller List. Jennifer currently serves as Immediate Past President on the board of Sisters in Crime and blogs at chicksonthecase.com. She is an active member of Crime Writers of Color and Mystery Writers of America. Connect with her online and sign up for her newsletter at JenniferJChow.com.
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Thank you for reading Ill-Fated Fortune! I'm so happy you enjoyed it, June! (And the underground gardens *are* amazing.)
ReplyDeleteyou are a new author for me-after reading the excerpt I would like to read this book-thanks
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