Book Review: Death by Chocolate

Death by Chocolate by Julie Anne Lindsey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ruby Russel is a modern day June Cleaver with twist. When she finds her husband's little treasure box filled with pictures of a sexy young girl, she whips up a viagra-infused chocolate mousse as an embarrassing payback. And the story only gets crazier from there.

Once her husband is gone, Ruby gets herself into all sorts of trouble with her neighbors, a nosy reporter, a too-do-gooder preacher and a suspicious therapist. With her best friend at her side, Ruby tries to set the record straight with unfortunate results.

Death by Chocolate is a dark comedy likened to if Arsenic and Old Lace met I Love Lucy met Thelma and Louise. The plot unfolds, revealing more and more information to make you suspect that things aren't always what they seem.

(view spoiler)[Ruby begins a remarkably innocent murder with the first kill, but as the list grows by mishap after mishap, you start to see that Ruby is less and less innocent and humble and more and more a product of societal pressures. You find she cracked about the time her son left home and she tried to keep him there instead of accepted to an out of state college. Then you find Ruby met her best friend while in the mental institution. She had been there for "mercy killing" people with drug overdoses. The story starts losing its "Lucy" and starts slipping into just how crazy Ruby still is. (hide spoiler)]

If you are a fan of dark comedies, you will definitely enjoy this book. Well written with subtle social commentary, Julie Lindsey hits the mark.

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