Title: Charm City Crab Puff

Author: Pamela Kyel

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Romance

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Length: 280 pages

Reviewed by Gloria Johntel

Author Pamela Kyel takes her readers on a fun romp through Baltimore with her Charm City Crab Puff. As the title suggests, it’s not a heavy read, but it has its charm. The main protagonist Major Laci Duvall is a quirky, iced-tea-obsessed, sometimes silly but sometimes badass special agent, who is out to solve the murder of her ex husband Zach Wheaton. As the story unfolds, Laci is met with unexpected situations, from having to work on the case with her old, still flaming-hot ex-boyfriend to dealing with Zach’s emotional wreck of a second wife showing up teary-eyed on her doorstep with two screaming toddlers.

In this heartwarming cozy mystery, it’s fun to watch the characters grow and develop bonds with each other through their shared circumstances. Seeing how Laci changes throughout the story is particularly rewarding as she comes across a little prickly and jaded at the beginning. All throughout the story, the author writes with a consistent style and creates a world in which everything that happens in the story makes sense and falls into place by the end. 

While a little predictable, there isn’t much to dislike about this mystery if you like cozy reads. The title itself is a bit of a mystery as it has nothing to do with crab puffs, but it does take place in Charm City. The comparisons Laci makes between the people in her life and different types of iced teas is kind of fun, and it adds a playful side to her character that we don’t see at first. The way the other ladies in the story bring out that side of Laci is also fun to see, and it aids in both the story development and Laci’s character growth. 

Overall, Charm City Crab Puff is a delightful, easy read if you need a light mystery or to add a little summertime cheer to your day. 

Author Bio: 

Gloria Johntel lives in South Central Wisconsin with her husband and baby girl. She has been writing novels since she was a tweenager and has always loved being a part of people’s literary journeys from working as a writing tutor, a library assistant, and being an active participant in her college literary society. She loves to write romances, both historical and contemporary, but she reads just about anything.