Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils is book two in Sandra Jackson-Opuku’s Savvy Summers Mysteries series, and as much as I enjoyed book one, I found book two even better.
After catering a work event for a friend, she returns to the office to retrieve her air fryer, when one of the employees is stricken and needs medical assistance after eating one of Savvy’s po’boys. The next day Savvy is informed that the woman died at the hospital, and she is once again drawn into a murder investigation in the hopes of clearing herself and saving the reputation of her café, Essie’s Place.
Although this is book two in the series, Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils is easily read as a standalone novel. There are some recurring characters, but they are always introduced well enough that a new reader would not be lost.
There is no shortage of suspects in this book, which kept me guessing throughout the story. Just when I would settle on who I thought the murderer was, some new development would pop up and make me doubt my assumptions. I rather enjoyed that, I find it less interesting when I can guess the culprit easily.
As in the first book the author has provided a glossary of terms at the end of the book, but in most cases I don’t think it’s really necessary to check as even if you are unsure of the meaning of a word, you can generally work it out based on the context. Additionally there are several tempting recipes for dishes that were mentioned in the book.
I really enjoyed Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils, and I look forward to the next book in the series. I’m interested to see how some of the issues mentioned in this book work out in Savvy’s personal life, not the least of which is how she handles the changes coming for her café. I would recommend this book to any lover of cozy mysteries, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils will be available on July 21 2026.
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