Gone with a Handsomer Man Review

Take one out-of-work pastry chef . . .
Teeny Templeton believes that her life is finally on track. She’s getting married, she’s baking her own wedding cake, and she’s leaving her troubled past behind. And then? She finds her fiancé playing naked badminton with a couple of gorgeous, skanky chicks.
Add a whole lot of trouble . . .
Needless to say, the wedding is off. Adding insult to injury, her fiancé slaps a restraining order on her. When he’s found dead a few days later, all fingers point to Teeny.
And stir like crazy!
Her only hope is through an old boyfriend-turned-lawyer, the guy who broke her heart a decade ago. But dredging up the past brings more than skeletons out of the closet, and Teeny doesn’t know who she can trust. With evidence mounting and the heat turning up, Teeny must also figure out where to live, how to support herself, how to clear her name, and how to protect her heart. ( Synopsis from Barnes & Noble.com)
 
Michael Lee West is the author of five novels featuring Southern women. This book is her first mystery novel and the character of Teeny came to her in a dream and asked  for her story to be told. This is a funny but suspenseful novel about Teeny Templeton, a sometimes baker who has met the man of her dreams ( Bing) and will finally have that perfect life she has dreamed about. In one night she gets un-engaged, arrested for assault ( with a deadly peach) and becomes homeless. Even worse, her collection of old family recipes is still at her ex-fiance's house. When she goes back to the house, she stumbles upon her ex in a bloody mess and finds herself suspected of murder.
 
Teeny meets up with her old beau, Coop, now a lawyer, and asks him to help her. Along the way we get to know Bing's eccentric aunt Dora-a southern lady with a fondness for pink- much to the historical society's dismay. Dora helps Teeny out with money and a temporary stay in a family owned house that gets sold out from under Teeny by one of the scheming naked badminton players. Another interesting character is Red Butler Hill, a crusty private detective who works for Coop. Red and Teeny do not mesh well at first and it was interesting to watch their relationship transform into mutual respect  as the book progresses. I loved Red's character!
 
Teeny and Coop revisit their old relationship but there are complications and just when you think things are settled, a plot twist at the end leaves you wondering. This is a great summer read especially if you like books about quirky Southern life and traditions.
 
RPL notes: This book is available in the Adult New Fiction section. We have one of her earlier books and all are available for request through the BiblioOak catalog.