Assault and Pepper

Publisher's Summary

Pepper Reece, owner of the Seattle Spice Shop, thinks she can handle any kind of salty customer - until a murderer ends up in the mix.

After leaving a dicey marriage and losing a beloved job in a corporate crash, Pepper Reece has found a new zest for life running a busy spice and tea shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are the talk of the town, and everyone stops by for a cup of her refreshing spice tea, even other shopkeepers and market regulars.

But when a panhandler named Doc shows up dead on the store's doorstep, a Seattle Spice Shop cup in his hand, the local gossip gets too hot for Pepper to handle - especially after the police arrest one of her staffers, Tory Finch, for murder. Tory seems to know why she's a suspect, but she refuses to do anything to curry favor with the cops. Convinced her reticent employee is innocent, Pepper takes it on herself to sniff out some clues. Only, if she's not careful, Pepper's nosy ways might make her next on the killer's list.

©2015 Leslie Ann Budewitz (P)2016 Tantor

Good read :0)

Great listen too
Hope to hear more with these characters
Loved it!!!
Didn't want to stop the story.
Keep writing and keep narrating
The narrator had a good feel for the characters and was able to bring that to the reader/listener

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

I'm a little late to the party

Where does Assault and Pepper rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's above average but not the best. The story makes me want to visit the market.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Assault and Pepper?

I like the descriptions of the market and the surrounding areas.

Which character – as performed by Dara Rosenberg – was your favorite?

Pepper was great. A heroine who is kind and smart. The only thing that bothers me about these kinds of books is the propensity of the main characters to leave their places of business for large chunks of time to run around chasing clues. That spice shop is a major investment for her. It makes no sense that she would leave it to search for clues for someone who won't even talk to her.

15 of 18 people found this review helpful

Nice cozy mystery

I read some other reviews and was quite surprised by some of them after I listened to the story. Someone complained about the in depth descriptions of spices, IT TAKES PLACE IN A SPICE SHOP, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT!!! Another complained about how a Southern Gentleman addressed Pepper as Miz Pepper. The reviewer is from Texas so I'm surprised by that as well. I have lived in New York, California, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and presently live in Virginia. It is considered a respectful manner of address to people older than yourself. Miz/Miss Jane or Mr. John is not uncommon in these states in present day. It has nothing to do with the color of your skin. When our daughter was young, I preferred for her young friends to address me as Miz/Miss Sonia verses the more formal Mrs. Hagenberger. The South Eastern United States still maintains that genteel manner of living, I hope it never changes.
Now as far as this story, it was as described. A nice cozy, easy, breezy mystery, read very well and was very entertaining. It deserves a 4.5 but since there's not a 4.5 , I gave it a 5.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I Want Pepper as my BFF!

What made the experience of listening to Assault and Pepper the most enjoyable?

The narrator - absolutely!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pepper - definitely. She's real. I can identify with her.

Any additional comments?

The story is so easy to follow and very intriguing. The author is very descriptive of the scenery of Seattle and the Pike Place Market. So much so that you almost feel transported as you listen.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good Listening!

Would you listen to Assault and Pepper again? Why?

I might enjoy it again as I am familiar with the locations and I liked the way it was referenced.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Well thought out.

What about Dara Rosenberg’s performance did you like?

I appreciated the change of tone and performance

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The consideration shown to the "unhoused"

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Good story.

It had a good story but began slowly. Characters were complex and interesting, fully fleshed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Interesting

I found it fun and interesting. I would be interested in other books by this author.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Spice of Life in Seattle

Settled in as the owner of a spice shop after years in the corporate world, Pepper Reece has come into her own, following her divorce from cheating husband (and cop), Tag. But circumstances keep bringing them together, and now its a murdered homeless man on the doorsteps of her Spice Shop, that brings Tag and the rest of the police department to question Pepper and her staff . . . and ultimately to arrest one of Pepper's best employees, Tory Finch for the murder . . . convinced that Tory is innocent, Pepper sets off to find the real killer . . . the book is a cozy mix of Seattle culture, spice lore, stories of Pepper and her loyal friends and the hunt for a killer . . . its clean, artsy and quirky . . . and right up my alley . . . I didn't see the resolution coming and was hooked until the very end . . . BRAVO!!! Great new series for me!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Narrator

Unfortuately 'Great Narrator" is the best thing I can say about this book. The main character Delaney is SOOOO obnoxious I had a hard time making myself read this book to the end. The story line is kind of OK but again the main character is so annoying it is difficult to get past it. I will definitely not be reading more in this series or by Leslie Budewitz.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A great easy listen

I enjoy series related books with a mystery theme. When I found this one, I was pleased. A lot of mysteries are heavy and can be dark in nature. This one is not heavy nor dark, just good clean mystery. Like the game Clue. I kept trying to figure out 'who done it'. Now I am on to the next one in the series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful