Tiffy and her posse claim no knowledge of Daisy’s disappearance, though Savannah is sure she can break one of the girls if she can just get her alone.  Savannah and Dirk make very slow process, Savannah very intent on finding Daisy alive to sooth her conscience from a case many years ago when they were unable to save a young girl. 

On the night before Tiffy’s Halloween extravaganza that makes a Friday the Thirteenth movie look like a birthday party, Tiffy’s father Andrew is found dressed as a vampire in a coffin, a stake through the heart.  Tiffy blames her new stepmother who she hates and is sure is aware of her father’s new girlfriend.  Savannah and Dirk aren’t so sure, and when they find the gun that actually killed Andrew under Tiffy’s bed, things start not looking so good for the young socialite. 

But, there is a missing girl to be found, and Savannah’s assistant Tammy, along with visiting Granny, pull their resources and come up with a unique (and unlikely way) to locate the young girl before it’s too late.  

Poisoned Tarts is a fast-paced enjoyable mystery. Savannah is a fun character, a good mix of street tough, no nonsense and soft touch.  She is a good foil to gruff Dirk, though he is beginning to soften where his relationship toward Savannah is concerned, making him more likable.  Tiff and gang are very unlikable, spoiled children and will remind readers of many of the young women in today’s headlines. 

The mystery is well plotted and there are many different angles to consider.  Andrew’s manner of death seems a bit dramatic, even after the murderer is revealed, but then it is Halloween.  The one thing that doesn’t ring true occurs during the search for Daisy – Gran and Tammy go to the public library where they are sure that Daisy would have used a public computer because hers was not working. 

The librarian not only confirms to two non-official women (without a search warrant) that Daisy had been using the computers, but tells them which computer and when and allows them to look at the cookies Daisy would have left. All of this would be highly unethical for a librarian and very unlikely, as most libraries have some sort of security on their computers to wipe out the history and cookies of previous users. 

Other than that (which will most likely only bother librarians like myself), Poisoned Tarts, lucky number thirteen in the Savannah Reid series, is a fun read with a good mystery and some great characters.                                                              

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry