Review of "Hot Chocolate" by Dawn Greenfield Ireland

I really appreciate a well put together mystery that can entertain me and can fool me. They are getting harder and harder to come by, but they do come around once in a while. So, of course when I was given an opportunity to read and review the mystery "Hot Chocolate" by Dawn Greenfield Ireland, I jumped at the opportunity.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who likes their mysteries full of light-hearted fun and dastardly deeds.

The Alcott sisters, Lila Mae, Madge, and Dorothea, are heiresses to the Alcott Chocolate fortune. Their aged father has become difficult to manage, and  though they have a nurse for him, they feel that they should let the nurse, Bambi, go and put their father in an assisted living facility. They believe that this is the only way to go because none of them can manage him anymore.
When they let Bambi go, her husband, bowling alley owner Jimmy Ray, convinces her to sue the Alcott's for wrongful termination, in an attempt to get more money than the severance package that was offered to her. This situation may cost the Alcott's millions. Or their lawyer could get the whole  thing turned around for them.
When a horrendous crime is committed in the bowling alley over night, it  turns the lives of the  Alcott sisters upside down.

This novel by Ireland is fantastic, populated by characters that were so real I could have them as friends, and that were so amusing that I couldn't put the book down.The sisters make the book for me. the way they are with each other, but also the fact that they are each so different from each other make the character dynamics fun to read.
Lila Mae and her astrology as a way to live her life was a great, quirky addition and made every scene with her seem to come alive. She reminded me of a friend of mine who could not keep from reading her horoscope every day. In addition, Lila Mae's relationship with Detective Chance Walker was fun to read.
Dorothea is middle-aged and so dramatic about every little thing. She was hilarious. She has what Lila Mae says is that "'poor pitiful me' business of hers" down to a science.
Madge is the oldest by four year, and the most neutral of the sisters.
In fact, it is all of the  characters that make this  book the  great story that it is. Even the side characters like Jimmy Ray are complex and interesting.

Dawn Greenfield Ireland has created a story that will warm your heart, make you laugh, pull you into an intriguing mystery and not let go of you until you have turned the last page on your Kindle. I generally do not go for cozy mysteries, but I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great mystery that is populated by great characters. Dawn Ireland has got me convinced and I would buy any mystery she wrote. It is that good! "Hot Chocolate" will definitely keep you amused.
This book receives 5-stars from me, without hesitation! Give it a try!