Cover Image: Cherry Slice

Cherry Slice

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Member Reviews

Couldn’t get into it. Trying to hard to be funny and the grammar and language was horrible. I understand it is set in Britain but that is still no excuse for characters who can’t speak well.

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*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley for my honest review.*

Cherry Slice is a new series by Jennifer Stone. Cherry Hinton owns a bakery in Essex, England now after being humiliated on "Caravan of Love" on the Expose TV channel that focuses on Essex locals and reality TV. Cherry was an investigative reporter undercover on Caravan and was outed as a cheat and humiliated by Expose. And when her employer wouldn't back up her story of being an investigator, she was forced to move back in with her parents and take over their bakery.

Two years prior to this story, Kenny Thorpe was killed on live reality TV that was being produced by Expose TV, Big Blubber House. Kenny's murder was aired live and Fat Martin was blamed and confessed to the murder. Now, Kenny's sister, Brooke, is asking Cherry to look into the murder because Brooke received a letter from Fat Martin on his death bed that he is not guilty. Cherry begins to investigate and also starts to get death threat emails. So she knows that something is amiss.

This novel has quite a modern feel to it with Cherry's best girlfriend Kelsey helping her to investigate and settings in local clubs and bars, a transgender murder suspect, an overbearing mother (although, I think that most of the cozy mysteries nowadays have this!), and "vajazzled chocolate muffins" for sale in the bakery. The writing style is very hip and the situations during the investigation were quite amusing. The descriptions of Chris Gordon and his pit stains, for example, are things that I am sure everyone has thought and Stone has put into words so eloquently!

I am looking forward to the next in the series and reading what baked concoctions Cherry can come up with to make amends with her friends.

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This cosy mystery had a reasonable plot and solid characters, however I found myself wanting more. It was a perfectly fine book that I would recommend to someone wanting a quick and easy read, however not one I would likely read again.

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An engrossing and entertaining cosy mystery that made me smile and have fun.
I liked the well crafted plot, the fleshed out and likeable cast of characters and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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When it appears Fat Martin Kenny Thorpe live on Big Blubber it is obvious Fat Martin is a murderer. Two years later his sister Brooke receives a letter from Cancer stricken Fat Martin saying he is dying and wants her to know he was innocent. Brooke visits Cherry Hinton in her new cake shop asking for her help tracking the real killer. The loveable characters and comical storyline made this a very enjoyable read.

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I just couldn't do it. Didn't make it past the prologue.

The conversations the characters and even in that short time led me to believe that I could never enjoy the book.

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I found this very entertaining and quirky, it was easy to read and could most definitely be devoured in one sitting. This is the first in the series and I will definitely be looking out for future books.

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Cherry Slice by Jennifer Stone is a very readable book. It is light and very amusing. It is a sort of cosy mystery but a little more with a wonderful sense of humour.

Normally I would read such a novel quickly - easy to read but also a mystery where you want to know how it ends - however at the moment in 2020 all over the world, life isn’t normal. So I read this novel slowly, to savour the enjoyment of a light hearted story about an ex-journalist who loses her job and starts up a novelty cake shop (with an amusing array of unusual and different cakes) and then becomes involved in investigating an old murder and then a new murder which appears to be linked. The story is also linked with reality TV shows which adds more humour to a story that has many twists and it is certainly entertaining!

The main character is Cherry Hinton and she is a down to earth young woman who reminds me of several other female characters such as Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich’s novels, though not quite as rough; Phryne Fisher from Kerry Greenwood novels, though not as sophisticated; and Corinne Chapman from Kerry Greenwood’s other series, though not obsessed as much with cooking but still an amateur investigator.

All the characters feel real though some a bit quirky. From reality TV personalities to official detectives, to rogue reporters, to Cherry’s parents and her friends.

If your interested in a light and very entertaining novel I would highly recommend Cherry Slice and take the time to savour the delightful humour.


Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Farrago Books for a copy to read and review.

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This was an entertaining mystery. It is a murder that happens on a reality show that makes it seem like you were actually there. So how do you prove that we didn't see what we thought did? Cherry Hinton has her work cut out for her. There are lots of characters to help her along and they are all great. Lots of funny moments and plenty of surprises. A good read!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

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My first book by this author received it from netgalley. I really liked it got in to it from the beginning to the end..good plots lover the character's. can not wait for more.

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A bright, perky thriller Cherry Slice features a private Investigator Cherry Hinton who was once an investigative reporter. When a celebrity on a TV show gets murdered, his sister approaches Cherry to delve deeper into the crime. Cherry who has been fired from her job and has been humiliated in front of the world when her cover in an expose blew off, has come to a small town and opened a cake shop. She is already not very happy in life when the murdered man's sister approaches her but finds herself getting more and more involved in the investigation of a murder that already was making bells go off in her head.

Will Cherry be able to solve the murder mystery and salvage her reputation? Will she finally taste the sweet success as an investigator or will she be left again with cake her face? Read how Cherry uses her skills et as a reporter to crack this one.

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Cherry Slice is the first in a series featuring Cherry Hinton, a former investigative journalist now working at her parent’s bakery in Essex, England. Brentwood, the street where the bakery is located, is filled with stores operated by many reality stars and is a tourist attraction. Cherry’s previous career path was ended went she went undercover to investigate a reality show and was filmed canoodling with one of the actual contestants.

Two years earlier, Kenny Thorpe, a contestant on Big Blubber, was stabbed to death on live TV. Rival contestant Fat Martin confessed to the murder and died in prison. However, shortly before his death, he wrote to Kenny’s sister Brooke declaring his innocence. She asks Cherry to investigate and find the real killer. Cherry then works through a bizarre list of suspects, all somehow connected to reality tv shows with very politically incorrect names.

Cherry Slice is a guilty pleasure. The plot is well placed, the characters, although odd, are vivid and Jennifer Stone’s writing skills soar over the confusing world of reality tv. There’s a future for Cherry Hinton but I hope she leaves Brentwood behind. 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Duckworth Books and Jennifer Stone for this ARC.

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I liked this book!! It was a good story!! Received this book from Duckworth books from netgally!! It was pretty interesting story!!

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I really struggled to get into this book. Sorry, didn't finish it. I'm sure that it will be very popular but I just couldn't relate to any of the characters or the storyline.

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This was a very interesting mystery. The characters were likeable and the story was very engaging. After kennys murder on national tv cherry cant get it out of her mind. She thinks theres more to it. After suffering a humiliation on tv in front of evetyone she moves back to brentwood to hide away and forget her humiliation. She opens a cake shop to start a new life and suddenly kennys sister walks in with a letter so whats a snoop suppose to do? I really loved this book and I want to read more by this author.

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This was a new author for me. I liked the story. Would recommend to anyone looking for a new author or book.

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From Farrago Books comes a new cozy mystery, Cherry Slice, written by Jennifer Stone.

From the beginning, I had issues with this cozy book. I did not like the characters, any of them. None of them seem to care about much of anything; none were overly memorable. Even the suspects were out for themselves with a constant need to be validated in one form or another. The locations weren’t described well, so anyone not from Essex would have no idea where the famous celebrity shops were or where the action took place.

It was fairly obvious who the killer was almost from the beginning. Unfortunately, reality TV is not an original theme and has been done multiple times, and much better than in this cozy. I am not even sure if this book qualifies as a cozy as it borders on vulgarity most of the time. I found no humor in this story and took offense at the continuous use of the fat-shaming or prejudice names given to characters, especially those who were different or dead. I know this was meant to be humorous, but with the world we live in, it was merely offensive. In all, I had a difficult time finishing this book or finding anything redeeming within its pages. I cannot recommend this book to any readers. If you like your cozy books to have mystery, enjoyable characters, and a writer with a flair for storytelling, I would suggest you look elsewhere.

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In the first of the Cherry PI series, disgraced journalist Cherry Hinton is asked to investigate the murder of Kenny Thorpe - a former Big Blubber contestant.

As someone who watches quite a lot of reality TV this book did not disappoint. In a world that can make or break you, Cherry is trying to move on from an incident that saw her half naked on TV across the nation and reclaim her professional integrity. When Brooke Thorpe asks her to investigate the death of her brother Kenny, Cherry embarks on a journey to discover the truth. Did Martin really kill him or is someone else responsible.

Jennifer Stone writes in such a humorous way and Cherry is a great, fun character. Stone manages to develop an Essex that is celebrity obsessed and explores everything that is potentially wrong with being a local celebrity. A great read - I look forward to the next instalment!

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This book was one of the strangest things I’ve ever read. The way it was written seemed really off and I just did not care about the characters. The book was full of swearing and profanity and it felt pretty gratuitous. It was just odd.

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This book was full of profanity, ridiculously nasty for no literary reason! I could not take more than four chapters before quitting the book! It is insulting to my intelligence. That is the first time in thousands of reviews that I have said something so negative, it is my honest opinion!
carolintallahassee.com

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