Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes is the first book in Sandra Jackson-Opoku’s new cozy mystery series, named after the main character, Savvy Summers, and it was a fun, entertaining mystery.
Savvy Summers finds herself embroiled in controversy after a regular customer drops dead in her café, and rumours start to spread that his cause of death was poisoning by her famous sweet potato pie. Savvy’s pie is soon discounted as the cause of death, and the death is not considered to be suspicious by the police, but Savvy is not satisfied with this verdict. And when another man from the neighbourhood suddenly dies, she believes her suspicions to be correct.
This book is filled with memorable, although not always likeable, characters, and witty dialogue. I really enjoyed the Ebonics it made the story more immersive, and although I didn’t have trouble translating, I loved the inclusion of Great-Aunt Essie’s Epithets at the back of the book.
I really enjoyed the mystery in the novel, there were so many threads that it was hard to figure out who was behind the murders, and the ultimate motive since they seemed similar yet there was no clear link.
Although this was a relatively light hearted book, I also found myself interested in reading more about Black history in the United States. As a Canadian, although I’m aware of the history I’m not exposed to the culture since I’ve done very little travelling so I’m probably going to be picking up a few books to better educate myself. I love when a book I’ve picked up mostly for entertainment pushes me to delve into history, and to consider new perspectives.
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes was a fun mystery, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves cozy mysteries. Personally, I look forward to future entries in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes will be available on July 29 2025.
Life, Tea, and Everything 