Considering her temperament and disposition, Eleanor has a fairly loyal group of employees: Marie, her housekeeper, Kaitlin her producer, and Sydney, her chauffeur. Eleanor also has a dysfunctional daughter Louise and a precocious grandchild Gilly. All these people watch Eleanor suffer a fatal heart attack during the filming of her show, after having sampled a decadent looking, but decidedly inedible, chocolate cake.

Even though Savannah's police buddy Dirk Coulter writes off the death as natural causes, Savannah feels guilty that she was unable to prevent Eleanor's death and vows to learn who is behind the threatening letters. As she probes, though, she becomes suspicious of Eleanor's death and convinces Dirk to investigate further. The deeper Dirk and Savannah delve into Eleanor's life, the more they realize the illusion that was Eleanor's everyday life.

Savannah's younger sister Cordele is along for the ride, attempting to make some sort of peace with her (and Savannah's) upbringing. Having her own dysfunctional past, one she has successfully overcome, makes Savannah not see the investigation as clearly as she might otherwise have as she becomes concerned for the welfare of young Gilly.

Death by Chocolate, the eighth Savannah Reid mystery, is another solid entry in this series. Middle-aged, full-figured Savannah is a tough, no nonsense woman when she needs to be, but also has a warmer, tenderer side. In several previous novels, other of Savannah's siblings have appeared, each one shedding more light on her past and the things that have made her what and how she is, as Cordele does in this book.

The mystery is well laid out and plausible suspects abound. One character, Eleanor's twin sister Elizabeth, appears and disappears without adding much to the plot, other than to confirm Eleanor's rotten disposition. While most of the clues are presented, the last piece to the puzzle is concealed until the very end, though astute readers may figure it out.

Death by Chocolate is a fast-paced mystery with a delicious setting and a wisecracking lady with a soft spot for family.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry