REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY! "Baked Alaska" by Josi S Kilpack!

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Goodreads Synopsis:
An Alaskan cruise is the setting for amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller’s latest adventure. Sadie plans to spend time relaxing with her two grown children, Breanna and Shawn, and her boyfriend, Pete, while enjoying the luxury and cuisine of an elegant cruise ship and helping to plan her daughter’s upcoming wedding. But even as the crew prepares to leave port, Sadie has suspicions about the voyage ahead and the relationship between her normally easygoing son and a mysterious female passenger he obviously knows but refuses to discuss. When the woman’s dead body is discovered during the first night at sea, Sadie’s apprehension escalates. Over the last few years, Sadie has developed an extreme dislike for secrets—and it would seem her son is keeping one from her.

My Take:
5-stars!
This was a FUN book to read! This author can write a GREAT 350 page cozy mystery! Her talent really gets us, the reader, involved in it, too! You feel as if you are right there, in the midst of it al!!
Sadie is looking forward to going on an Alaskan cruise! Saide is going along with her boyfriend, Pete, and her two grown kids, Shawn and Breanna. Breanna is getting married to a man named Liam, back in England and and both Breanna and her mother are very much looking forward to planning her wedding together while on the cruise, plus they are all looking forward to reconnecting together as well. Sadie has really been looking forward to this.The plans were made, the plans were going on, but then a wrench is thrown in the middle of it all, interfering with what she had been so looking forward to. 
In the beginning of the book, Sadie's son is seen talking to an unknown woman, and he is not willing to discuss her. Hmmm? A secret Sadie does not like.
Well, as we all know, cruises are very well known for their over-abundance of food, and this one is no different than any other. The author manages to weave in a lot of recipes along the way, too, and mouth watering ones at that! I thought it was kind of neat how she did this. I believe "I" gained weight while reading this book while the characters were living their story! Food is such an integral part of this book, along with a little mystery, too!
There is SO much going on on any cruise ship, of course, that they were definitely kept busy, but not so busy that they happen upon an almost dead body, or so they thought! The woman had such a slow pulse, at first they thought she was dead. They ended up calling for help and the woman ends up getting airlifted to a hospital. Next thing is a woman named Maggie comes forward to ask Sadie for help about the situation and all the things about it, so Sadie ends up putting her detective skills to work, and Pete is a retired Detective, together trying to solve this situation. Other things happen along the way, as well. There ends up being quite a few things to keep Sadie busy on this cruise, and for Pete and her children, too. They all become involved in trying to figure out what happened, who was who, and then adoption issues come into play? Whoa! What's going on?
This is just the tip of the iceberg, too! The woman they found was in Juneau, and had to be air lifted again into Anchorage, while her liver deteriorated continuously. Maggie wants her questions answered, so can Sadie, Pete, and the rest of the family figure this out? There is so much more to this story, it will shock you and keep you glued to the page trying to figure out what was going on.
This book was very interesting to follow, and the characters truly brought this story to life! I found my nose deep in this story, confused as everyone was, trying to make heads and tails of it all. 
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a great mystery and as an added bonus, recipes, too!

In the back of this book, the author has given us a sneak peek of her next book coming out this Fall - 2013! It is called, "Rocky Road"! Oooooo! Imagine the recipes in this book! I really 'do' plan on reading this next book. This author is an excellent writer! She really pulls you into the story, and you find yourself trying to make heads and tails of it all. She is truly on of the few who can do this, and when this happens, I love it! I want to read everything she has written! As a matter of fact, I have a photo of ALL her books! Here it is: 

They are in such pretty colors, too! Also, they ALL have to do with food! Mmmm! I would think there will be MORE recipes in these, too! In the back off the book, under Acknowledgements, there is a story as to how she got some of the recipes. This is SO interesting! She has a ''Test Kitchen'! You have GOT to read at least ONE of these books! I may end up collecting them ALL! (I even had fun writing this review!) I received this book for FREE from the publisher, Shadow Mountain, in conjunction with I Am A Reader, Not A Writer-Book Blast Promotions/Blog Tours, in exchange to read and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html

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About the Author: Josi S Kilpack

Josi S. Kilpack grew up hating to read until she was thirteen and her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began her first novel in 1998 and hasn’t stopped since. Her seventh novel, Sheep’s Clothing, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Mystery/Suspense, and Lemon Tart, her ninth novel, was a 2009 Whitney Award Finalist. Josi was the Best in State winner in literature for 2012 and currently has two books (Banana Split and Tres Leches Cupcakes) as finalists in the 2012 Whitney awards. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her family.

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Baked Alaska: A Culinary Mystery (Culinary Mysteries)
Print Book: $11.43
Ebook:       $10.44