mini review: Murder Makes Scents (book #2: Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery series) by by Christin Brecher

Posted on November 17, 2020 by rolopolobookblog

Stella Wright loves creating candles at her Nantucket store—and she also has a burning passion for justice. Now, after visiting a perfume conference, she must solve a vial crime . . .

Stella and her globe-trotting mom, Millie, have come home from a perfume industry conference in Paris, where their trip was marred by witnessing the stabbing death of a young man. It’s a relief for Stella to be back on her picturesque island, with the comforting company of her cat, Tinker. But lingering danger may have followed them back across the ocean.

After someone breaks into her candle store, the Wick & Flame, Stella starts feeling spooked. And just as things threaten to ignite, Millie suffers a blow to the head. Stella receives an anonymous note claiming that her mother smuggled a secret formula out of France—and threatening her life if it isn’t returned. Now Stella’s picked up the scent of a cold-hearted criminal and an intriguing puzzle, and things are about to get wicked . . .

Source: Purchase Rating: 3/5 stars

The Bottom Line: I’m pretty sure this sophomore effort from Christin Brecher is going to be the stinker in the series. I had a hard time with this book on two counts: 1) Stella’s mother and 2) the feasibility of the plot. Stella’s mother is far too flighty for my liking and the plot, even in a fictional story is just too far-fetched for believability. From international spies to false identities to Stella being the only one in the know, I kept thinking it was all going to unravel as a huge joke. Turns out, the joke was on me and it was all “real.” The characters I liked in the first book are still characters I liked in this book, the setting is still idyllic, and the candles are still cool, but the plot in this one just doesn’t hold up.

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