Our heroines,  Maggie and Odessa, are two enthusiastic amateur detectives who manage to involve themselves in all sorts of scrapes.  Maggie works for a real P.I. but believes she can do the job better herself, and she enlists the help of her friend Odessa, who is a dessert chef at her family-run restaurant in Queens, New York.

Maggie has a new client, a wealthy businesswoman who wants her future son-in-law investigated.   She thinks he is a gold-digger with his eyes on her money.  Maggie offers herself as a wedding planner as cover for her snooping, and she has only three weeks before the big day to make the arrangements and smoke out the dodgy bridegroom. 

Odessa has her own problems at the restaurant, where her cake making business is taking off and she needs more space, but there is one big obstacle in the shape of George.  There is also a bug exterminator who is trying to kill her using his Bug Mobile as a weapon.  When Maggie gets in a jam, Odessa feels obliged to help out as best she can, trying to keep her friend out of trouble but not always succeeding.  Together they look into the background of the bridegroom and find some very unsavoury characters connected with his business dealings.  They chase around town following leads and finding dangerous corners to get backed into.  There is more than one trip to hospital for our protagonists, as they come across quite a few villains on their quest.

A lively, quick-paced yarn that keeps the reader glued to the page.  The characters are an interesting mix of nice and nasty giving a good balance to the book.  An enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Reviewed on 04/15/2012 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Suzy Watts

I enjoyed Pennywise, the first Maggie and Odessa mystery, by Jill Brock and I liked Semisweet, the third in the series even more. Maggie Swift wants to be a private eye and is working with Frank, a real PI, who thinks she is just doing background checks and similar things for him. Her best friend, Odessa is a dessert maker who supplies cakes and other desserts for her sister's restaurant.

Maggie has taken on the project of finding out more about Henry for his mother-in-law to be. He is a good-looking wealthy man who is about to marry her daughter, Eloise. Both Maggie and Odessa think there is more to this story and they work together to find out about Henry's business. When a building inspector turns up dead after giving them a concrete sample they think there may be problems with the development project Henry is building.

Meanwhile, Eloise is quite a demanding bride to be and Maggie has become her wedding planner and Odessa is making the wedding cake. In addition, Odessa is being chased by a bug exterminator who she thinks is trying to kill her. She is also wondering about her relationship with Lee, her lawyer boyfriend. She has found the perfect dress but wonders if there is a future for them.

Brock keeps things moving and has created a likeable duo. I laughed out loud several times and look forward to reading more about these two and their adventures.

Reviewed on 08/04/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Janice Hidey

Semisweet - A Maggie and Odessa Mystery by Jill Brock
Publisher: CreateSpace
Reviewed for Review The Book

This is the third book in the Maggie and Odessa series, however this is the first I have read. The book is entertaining with distinctive continuing characters, as well as a mixed bag of tricky characters filling out the current book. I found it unusual and interesting that although I believe Maggie is the main character, the story is told by Odessa, like Watson to Sherlock Holmes. Maggie is ostensibly working as file clerk and receptionist for a private eye but she is determined to take on a case of her own. In "Semisweet" she gets her chance, or more correctly, she makes her chance. Odessa, O to her friends and Dessa to her boyfriend Lee, is Maggie's "sidekick". Odessa is a dessert chef, working both privately and at her sister Candace's restaurant, the Blue Moon, when she isn't running after Maggie helping solve crime.

The story opens with a terrified Odessa being held with a knife at her throat in the almost empty restaurant. Good opening, certainly gains the reader's attention, and I liked the humourous touch in this scene as well. We meet Maggie first via cellphone, as the knife wielder is handcuffed and led out of the restaurant. A bright, cheery happy voice breaking the tension.  We meet her in person two days later accompanied by the woman involved in what Maggie refers to as her first case. Her boss was out when she took the call and she decided this was a good time for her to take on a case of her own, licensed or not.

The story revolves around this case, a strange one if ever there was. Maggie is to act as a wedding planner for Mrs. Verde's daughter, Eloise. The well-to-do Mrs. Verde will pay whatever the cost. Odessa is to make the wedding cake and desserts, and even Candace is involved as caterer and assistant to Maggie as a planner.  Strangely, while planning the wedding for Eloise, Maggie is also supposed to be digging up dirt on Henry, the bridegroom-to-be, and make sure the wedding doesn't happen! What could be cosier? If this were not enough, Maggie has to take along her 8 year old Houdini son part of the time, frustratingly helpful as he is. This, then, is the theme of this humourous but captivating book.

Jill Brock has created many opportunities for sleuthing, especially when finding any dirt is not panning out very well and time is running out. When strange events start gearing up, usually with Odessa as a victim, things get interesting.. This causes the story, though focused, to take several changes in direction. These events run the gamut of lies to murder, but who is really involved? Is Henry, the fiance, really Mister Nice Guy, or is he an expert at illusion? There is a lot of fun and adventure in this cozy mystery, with enough questions to mull over and enjoy. I predict these characters will become favorites.

Reviewed on 03/12/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Betty Gelean

Sweet Slice of Mystery

Maggie & Odessa are back! Wife, mother, and private eye to-be Maggie Swift takes on her first solo case. Enlisting the help of best friend, dessert chef Odessa Wilkes, they investigate whether a groom-to-be is marrying for love or for an ulterior motive. In between looking for clues and planning a wedding, Odessa is being stalked by a psycho bug exterminator who tries to kill her in the opening pages.

I love this series! Jill Brock's details and realistic characters are quite entertaining. The book is a great blend of chick lit, mystery, light suspense and humor. My only pet peeve with Semisweet are the sprinkled typos and grammatical errors. The text is peppered with question marks instead of periods, "than" instead of "then," "to" instead of "too," "pass" instead of "past," and "of" incorrectly placed with "off." After the first few detected errors, I wondered if the final draft was reviewed by a professional editor. Without the misspellings and errors, it would be an excellent book. Nevertheless, it didn't take away from the story. As always, I look forward to reading the next installment in the Maggie & Odessa Mystery series.  

Literary Marie's Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Reviewed on 03/10/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member L Marie Harris