VANISHING INTO THE 100% DARK
By Amber Royer
Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Golden Tip Press
Pages: 288
Publication Date: March 4, 2025
SYNOPSIS
Bean to chocolate maker Felicity Koerber has been invited to be part of a chocolate festival in Tokyo. It’s a big deal for a Texas gal with a chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand, so a whole group of her friends come along to support her. It’s intimidating enough to be giving a class on chocolate making with the help of a translator – she also stumbles across the scene of a murder, where a quirky group of international actors and stunt performers are making a monster movie. Felicity has already solved half a dozen murders back in Texas, so at this point her friends basically expect her to get involved – even before the young media influencer in Felicity’s group becomes the main suspect. Felicity has taken on the role of chaperone for Chloe, so she can’t imagine how she could explain what went wrong to the girl’s mother. Which gives her even more motivation to figure out the real killer.
In the meantime, things get complicated at the chocolate festival when a rival chocolate maker tries to get her disqualified from the awards competition – and claims that her amateur sleuth status is bringing undesirables into the festival. And things are even more complicated as the stress of being in an unfamiliar place brings out secrets about Felicity’s friends – and her fiancé.
Honda the calico cat makes an appearance on the movie set, making Felicity homesick for her pet bunny, left at home. But the cat may know more about what happened than she is letting on. Can Felicity solve the murder in time to keep Chloe from getting arrested, while making things right with the people she cares about, and presenting a good showing at the chocolate festival?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse space opera series and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She is also the author of Story Like a Journalist: a Workbook for Novelists and has co-authored a chocolate-related cookbook with her husband. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach.
REVIEW
The magic of Amber Royer lies in her ability to weave multiple narrative threads that run simultaneously throughout the story. Some serve as red herrings, while many contribute to the final “aha” moment.
Vanishing into the 100% Dark is no exception. The eighth book in her Bean to Bar series follows Felicity Koerber and her friends as they travel to Japan for a chocolate festival.
As in the previous novels in the series, when Felicity receives a book—in this case, a first edition of The Honjin Murders—she knows that murder is not far behind. This time, she finds herself in the midst of jaw-dropping action as the mystery unfolds.
Felicity’s foray into a foreign country kept me riveted throughout. The twists and turns of this installment kept me guessing, while, in true Royer fashion, I learned more about both Japanese culture and chocolate-making.
I especially enjoyed the supporting cast, particularly the teenage YouTuber, Chloe. Receiving updates on Felicity’s loyal friends from previous books was satisfying, as was gaining more insight into both Felicity’s and Logan’s pasts.
Of course, no review of a Bean to Bar book would be complete without mentioning the featured animal. In Vanishing into the 100% Dark, Honda the calico cat steals the show. Her presence—often abrupt and inexplicable—ultimately helps solve the murder.
I appreciate that Royer’s mysteries are layered and challenging to unravel. It wasn’t until I reached about 95% on my Kindle that I began to suspect the true culprit—in contrast to most stories, where I typically identify the villain within the first 25%.
Overall, I highly recommend Vanishing into the 100% Dark. It’s a delicious read you won’t want to miss!
If you enjoyed this book, you might also enjoy: Only Murders in the Building, High Potential, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
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Think you for such a kind review! Chloe is such a fun character to write. She will definitely show up in some of the subsequent books.
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