4-STAR REVIEW: THE CLOVER CITY FILES MYSTERY SERIES by Barbara Howard

The Clover City Files Mystery Series: Books 1-2
Publication Date: December 5, 2023

The Taste of Rain
Novella, multi-generational, diverse, young adult, clean, cozy, college town.In The Taste of Rain, we follow the story of Amira, a college student who works part-time as a health aide at a local nursing home. One day, she meets an elderly resident, Claire Stewart, who confides in her that her husband was killed years ago, but nobody believed her.
Amira is hesitant to believe Claire at first, but as she gets to know her better, she realizes that there might be some truth to her story. Amira decides to investigate the case and help Claire find the killer.
She must navigate through the complexities of the past and present to find the truth and bring justice for Claire.
Along the way, Amira faces challenges both personally and professionally. She must balance her college studies with her part-time job and her investigation. She also learns to confront her own biases and assumptions about aging and the elderly.
The Taste of Rain is a mystery that explores the themes of trust, aging, and justice. It is a heartwarming tale of the unlikely friendship between a young college student and an elderly resident, as they work together to uncover the truth, and solve a decades-old murder.

The Spice Code
Culinary Cozy novella, multi-generational, diverse, young adult, clean, college town.
In the heart of a quiet college town, restaurant owner and chef, Raphael Parera, finds himself entangled in a web of deception that threatens not only his culinary career but his very life. Charmed by the enigmatic beauty of his new girlfriend, Isabella, Raphael is unaware of the darkness lurking beneath her captivating smile.
As their relationship deepens, Raphael suddenly disappears without a trace, leaving his cousin, Amira Cooper, frantic with worry. Unbeknownst to Isabella, he manages to send a cryptic message through a seemingly innocent bag of groceries – a silent clue hidden within a recipe’s ingredients.
Desperate to save her beloved cousin, Amira embarks on a perilous journey to decipher the clues concealed within the grocery bag. Will Amira decipher the ingredients’ hidden meanings in time to rescue Raphael, or will Isabella’s twisted game end in a tragedy that will forever alter their lives? Get ready to indulge in a mystery where every twist and turn will leave you craving more.

The Clover City Files Mysteries by new-to-me author Barbara Howard included the series’ first two books. The two titles are The Taste of Rain and The Spice Club, and there was a nice flow from one story to the next, especially with the same central characters—whether leading or secondary.

Amira is a college student with a lot on her plate with family issues, school, and working at a nursing home where she and a resident, Claire, cross paths. Several storylines are woven throughout, but in The Taste of Rain, I often felt we were supposed to know some of the background already, which sometimes made it choppy.

The Taste of Rain introduces the readers to several characters but Amira and her caring for Claire is one of the central themes. Claire is convinced that her husband’s death was not an accident, as the police ruled it, but that he was murdered. To everyone’s chagrin, Almira believes her and sets her sights on figuring out whodunnit.

Amira takes everything Claire tells her at face value, and when Claire disappears from the nursing home, Amira doesn’t know what to think. Amira has an organized mind and is straightforward in her sleuthing, but some don’t like her sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.

The story has twists and turns, along with bad guys and some fretful moments. There are layers to the story, and attention is definitely paid to the details. When Amira solves the crime, no one is happier than Claire, and almost everyone is surprised by the outcome and whodunnit. There is closure, and life seems to be back on track, but is it?

The Spice Club was the more enjoyable read for me. The murder takes more of a central stage with the whodunnit front and center, but there also seems to be another crime that needs to be solved. Of course, there is a murder suspect, but the police seem to be way off base. There are clues for Amira to sift through for not only the murder but also the mysterious disappearance of her cousin, who owns a local restaurant but has higher aspirations. There are vivid descriptions of the food, the small business, and the various locales where the story occurs.

The story has a good flow, and it kept my interest throughout. I was rooting for the crimes to be solved and for Claire to have a better quality of life. There is still some family strife, but things do improve on that front, along with some romance or what’s perceived as romance sprinkled throughout. There are some happier times which did lighten up the gloom and doom.

There is closure in solving the crimes, especially with help from unexpected sources. I look forward to meeting up with these characters again. The inclusion of so many recipes in the back of the book was a nice surprise, and I plan on making a few of the dishes that were also featured in the books.

The Clover City Files Mysteries are set in a small town with many clues sprinkled throughout that had me turning the pages to see what would befall the characters next. It also was nice to read the first two books back-to-back.

Barbara Howard is the author of two cozy mystery series; Finding Home and The Clover City Files. Her stories feature a female amateur sleuth, diverse characters, and a dash of romance.  She is a first-generation tech geek turned master gardener. She returned to her Midwestern hometown after an extensive career as a Department of Defense Project Manager at the Pentagon and spends most of her time treasure hunting, spoiling her fur-babies, growing veggies, and plotting whodunits.

January 15 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 

January 16 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 17 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

January 18 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 19 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

January 19 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

January 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST

January 21 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

January 22 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – Both Books

January 23 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST

January 24 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

January 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

January 26 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW – Both Books

January 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

January 28 – The Book Diva’s Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST