Hot Wings and Homicide: Food Truck Mystery #2 by Carmela Dutra

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.

Hot Wings and Homicide
Food Truck Mystery #2
Carmela Dutra

I thought the series starter was good, well this second book is even better and does a great job as a stand-alone plus it doesn’t give any spoilers if you want to go back and read the series starter.  This clever cozy mystery is based on an inherited family food truck business. Twins, Bethany (Beth) and Seth Lloyd are the owners of the Kluckin Good food truck left to them by their Aunt Dolly. This truck comes with a mascot suit that is proudly worn by Beth’s bff Rylie, who as of recently is also Seth’s girlfriend. After the fatal fiasco that was the reality food show/contest The Food Truck Showdown, Kluckin Good has never been busier, what with Beth helping to solve a murder and all while providing great food. So here we are, at the annual Flavors of the Bay Food Festival and Beth finds herself stumbling upon another body. Oh, but not just any body, the body of the weasel who broke her heart while professing his love karaoke style to another woman. Of all the food events in California, why did Brad Dawson, new food critic for The City and Beyond magazine, have to show up strutting like he was all that and a chicken leg too?

Of course, there was a very public confrontation and some shouting, plus maybe a punch was thrown as well as a napkin, so both Beth and Seth are at the top of the detective sheriff’s suspect list. Since this is not the city jurisdiction, Detective “Pretty Boy” Kane is not in charge of the investigation. Grover County Detective Pamela Wilcox is asking the questions and when it comes to being questioned, Beth, with her little bit of sassiness, has an inability to keep completely quiet. Seth, who is a lawyer when he isn’t helping with the food truck, is constantly telling her to invoke her 5th amendment right. 

Great aspects of this book include the back and forth of the siblings, the “might be flirting” with Kane, the Kluckin’ Clues list, plus a magically small, confined space. Don’t let all the funny bits fool you, Beth’s sleuthing skills are quite good and ruffle more than one feather as she manages to add more than one suspect to her list. It turns out that Brad was not well liked by anyone from restaurant owners to former best friends. Plenty of suspects means that there are plenty of opportunities for red herrings and I was led astray a few times.    

Needless to say, this cozy is going to keep you clucking, I mean chuckling. The emotional support chicken is one spoiler that I just have to share because it is BRILLIANT. Not every cozy mystery pet has to be furry, and Teriyaki adds that little extra flavor to another great plot. Speaking of extra flavor, this book comes with two amazing recipes, Golden Gate Heat Wings and Plucked and Truffles Fries.

 

The Body in the Kitchen Garden: A Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery #2 by Paula Sutton

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.  

The Body in the Kitchen Garden
A Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery #2
Paula Sutton

Daphne Brewster and family have settled into country life in the quiet town of Pudding Corner near Pepperbridge. Where village life is quiet and pleasant because the locals are sure to observe that rules are followed. Where everything has its place and everyone must be kept in theirs. This is the second book in the Hill House Vintage Murder Mysteries series. Where the majority of the story is from the point of view of our sleuth, Daphne Brewster whole relocated with her family from the urban sprawl of south London and after helping to solve a murder, she has been more or less accepted as one of the villagers.  

Daphne is a strong character, with a kind heart and a desire to defend the excluded, overlooked, and even cranky. Like the concern and care she shows to Patsy Warburton after the unexpected loss of her older sister, Nancy. Patsy swears that Nancy, regardless of her age and saggy stockings, did not fall off of the ladder and die. Patsy believes that it was not an accident that there are foul dealings afoot. Well of course there are, just ask Augusta Papplewick and Marianne Forbes who both want something done about the youths who are congregating on the green, as they must be up to no good, what with the rash of petty thefts and random assaults. Not to mention that there is a disheveled stranger who may or may not be a Fagin-style vagrant and has been seen lurking around town.  Daphne doesn’t necessarily go looking for answers but there are things that happen to cause her to ponder and try to make sense of the big and little picture. Inspector Hargreaves would like it if Daphne would stick to her antique furniture shop business and leave the detecting and career-defining moments of glory to himself. I am not sure how she has time to do all that she does, what with helping Helena Carter, fiancé of Lord Hugh Darlington, the prodigal son who has returned from abroad, by remodeling and repurposing antiques in order to try and save the family estate.  Did I mention that Daphne makes wonderful baked goods such as Bakewell Slices and is also happily married with three children and an adorable miniature dachshund named Byron.

This is a well throughout stand-alone mystery, but readers be warned, there are spoilers in the second book that retell the solution to the mystery of the first book. As with the last book, I thought that I had it figured out, but I was wrong. It is so much more complicated than I realized and there are some sly red herrings that make one go down a rabbit hole.

Masher of Ceremonies: A Vintage Kitchen Mystery Book #13 By Victoria Hamilton

 Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

Masher of Ceremonies
A Vintage Kitchen Mystery Book #13
Victoria Hamilton
Beyond the Page

Have you ever been to an afternoon tea? I mean a proper afternoon tea with all the bells and whistles and overseen by Queen Victoria and her consort. Not a high tea, that is something completely different, as explained in the story. I have not but sure do wish that this wonderful plot point was an actual event that I could add to my cozy mystery location/event bucket list.

Masher of Ceremonies, the 13th book in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series and it starts out with the annual Tea with the Queen event. Every year for decades, Tea with the Queen has taken place in Queensville, Michigan and is a major tourist event. This year, our sleuth, Jaymie Mueller, is in charge of the event and she has been told that the event needs to show a decent profit or else it will cease to continue. Talk about a pressure cooker of a situation. There are so many moving parts to this event and the last thing that Jaymie needs is for it to be spoiled by an extortionist or worse, a murder. Not to mention that Jaymie is trying to balance the volunteer event with the impending opening of her new business venture with tea shop owner and friend Val. It makes me tired just wondering how Jaymie is balancing so many things. 

This was my first time reading a Vintage Kitchen Mystery and Masher of Ceremonies did not disappoint as a good stand-alone with a relatable sleuth. There is also a cast of characters at the beginning of the book to introduce the reader to the characters before the story begins. I also liked that there are unexpected and real-life aspects to the story such as Jaymie’s fur baby, Hoppie, a three-legged Yorkie-Poo, Jaymie’s daughter, Jocie, who considers herself a little, little person, and possible clashes with her mom over certain life choices. 

Suspects include Ryan the belligerent blackmailer, Nigel the temperamental blackmail target, Sterling the stylish yet suspicious spouse, Charlie the snooty sister, and her husband Rudy the frozen food Chef. I honestly thought that Ryan the blackmailer would end up being the victim because he is sneaky, arrogant, and relentless, so I was completely fooled by the who and the why. This story does a great job of laying out the clues but not making them obvious. This was not an easy one to solve as an armchair sleuth, but you are rewarded at the end of the book with a very tasty and savory sounding recipe for Schinkennudeln, which I will be making for dinner this weekend.

Some Like It Fudgy: A Candy-Coated Mystery with Recipes by Nancy Coco

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

Some Like It Fudgy
A Candy-Coated Mystery with Recipes
By Nancy Coco
Kensington

Oh, my goodness but this one was a roller coaster ride. Book 14 of the Candy-Coated Mystery series starts off with a dead body and of course, Allie (newlywed) Manning finds it.  But wait, there's more, the victim and Allie had a contentious relationship, the victim was the ex-wife of Allie's husband, police officer Rex Manning. You don't have to be familiar with this series to enjoy the mystery, the characters, or the recipes, but it does make you shake your head at times regarding Rex's less than stellar performance. Speaking of recipes, I had to make the Black Forest Fudge, and it was amazing!

There are the usual characters such as the book club ladies, a mature set of sleuth sidekicks, they remind me a little of the Sherlock Holmes Irregulars and introducing...Rowan and Finn. Rowan is an island native who has been away for about 10 years, so she knows EVERYONE. Is she a suspect or is she a new gal pal. Fin is her adorable and highly trained rescue Dane, so she can't be bad, right? Looks like she has past and current history with Melanie and none of it is good.

Rex having been one of Melanie's ex-husbands is removed from investigating, and his temporary replacement is a joke and a blowhard. Officer Laird, who has held a grudge since police academy days is looking to blame Allie, making this an easy open and shut case.  Allie can't risk being tossed in jail for obstruction so she will need to change her usual routine and do something that no other sleuth has done...be unpredictable. 

There are just a few suspects, since Melanie was not the nicest of people. From a plumber to a mystery man named Oscar who sent poisonous flowers. Nope it wasn't the flowers that did her in, it was the ... nope not going to tell you. The one thing I can tell you is that fur baby Mal is sniffing out clues and dragging Allie with her. This one was a nail biter, ire-inducing, snort producing mystery so be sure to get plenty of snacks before you settle in. There are plenty of snack recipes to choose between the chapters.

Confessions of an Amateur Sleuth: A Bainbridge Island Mystery by Lynn Cahoon

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

Confessions of an Amateur Sleuth
A Bainbridge Island Mystery
Lynn Cahoon
Kensington

This is the second book in the Bainbridge Island Mystery series, and it has a very good plot, engaging characters, and words of wisdom. Megan Gates, an islander who has boomeranged following a very, very, very bad, engagement break up. While she is learning to be happy at home she is also learning to be happy with family. She is also learning to try new things, like pickleball. Did you know that pickleball was started on Bainbridge Island in the late 1960s. The things you learn from cozy mysteries are the best, from history, to sleuthing tips, and even recipes are found in the pages of this one.

Most of us both adore and sometimes abhor family, which includes our sleuth, Megan.  I think that Meg's boyfriend was quite insightful when he said, "Family is hard, but I believe each and every member of yours loves you the best way they can. And as adults, it's up to us to acknowledge it and find friends that fill in the gaps." What an absolutely brilliant observation. Dalton is my favorite sort of love interest character, one who will be super supportive and bring out the best in our sleuth. This is definitely a time when Megan is going to need to try her best to be the better person. First, she finds herself having dinner with an overly critical food critic who meets an unfortunate end. The event leaves a bad taste in Meg's mouth, a mysterious note, and a fabulous diamond tennis bracelet. This mystery propels her into sleuth mode with a good dose of research and a commitment to getting down words for her amateur sleuth "how to book" for at least 30 minutes every day. The 30 minutes a day with fingers on the keyboard has reminded me that I need to do the same thing, so thank you Meg! 

The quest to figure out why victim, Lee Anderson, left his gratitude and a pricey bracelet keeps Meg busy and a little distracted. Nonetheless, she is still able to complete the work tasks for her second job, (my dream job), as well as taking up pickleball, and show grace under pressure as a result of family dynamics and her mom's new relationship. Meg has certainly had some personal development and made significant progress on her book. Between the personal interactions and the plot twists it is very easy to become engrossed in the story. Who killed the critic? Was it a chef? Was it a past girlfriend? Maybe someone from his days at the   

As with the series starter, I was entertained and educated, plus there was an opportunity to eat something tasty. The Crime Scene Chicken sandwich recipe found at the conclusion of the story is the perfect way to finish this book. The story and the recipes were both easy to follow, and both brought a smile to my face. For "dessert", there is the tantalizing first chapter of book three, so we forewarned that if you read it you are going to be wanting and waiting.  

Homicide on the Range: Hometown Mysteries #6 by Rosalie Spielman

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.

Homicide on The Range
Hometown Mysteries #6
Rosalie Spielman

Welcome to the Hometown Mysteries Series which pays homage to those who have served as well as giving a shout out to she-canics (female mechanics). This is book six of the series and the author does a great job of giving background information as she introduces each character. Tessa is ready for a little time away from home, so she and her gang have left the quiet town of New Oslo, Idaho and headed east, to spend some time at fellow veteran Jaime Juarez's ranch, the Triple J, located in Montana. The Triple J is part of a veteran’s program called Vets and Cows…Let’s Moooove Out, that provides an adventure vacation alongside workshops and professional counseling sessions which are led by Jaime’s wife, Hannie, to help provide coping skills for vets who have returned to civilian life. The ranch aspect reminded me a little of the old movie City Slickers. There are a few differences, number one, there are soldiers instead of city slickers and the comedy from the 90s did not include finding a dead body in the freezer or the threat of a wildfire.

As with most cozies, the victim is a particularly odious individual. Aimee Orinoco, the very tall and overbearing cook, was no one's cup of tea and seemed to go out of her way to torment the other guests as if she knew their individual triggers. Much of the tension came from the history shared between the guests/suspects and Orinoco. It is very easy to sympathize with the suspects as Tessa juggles crime scene processing, suspect questioning, and wildfire chaos. As Tessa gets closer to the truth, the wildfire gets closer to the ranch and essentially imprisoned the New Oslo crew with a murderer.

It never ceases to amaze me as to the level of research that cozy authors put into researching their stories and the details. I was fascinated by the description of all of the work involved with prepping the ranch and cattle herd for the impending wildfire. As a resident of California, I am well aware of the wildfire season and fortunately I have never been affected by one. The story had definite Agatha Christie aspects with a little added humor thanks to the Prunns, the octogenarian sisters who are quirky and quick witted and wear fascinating fascinators.

If Books Could Kill: A Tomes & Tea Mystery by Karen Rose Smith

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

If Books Could Kill
A Tea & Tomes Mystery
Karen Rose Smith

What should have been a fun Winterfest event in the town of Belltower Landing, complete with ice sculptures and a fun “date night” scavenger hunt, turns into a chilling encounter with death. Jazzi Swanson is no stranger to murder mysteries, she watched her mom, Daisy Swanson Groft, a talented albeit reluctant amateur sleuth, solve or help solve more than her share in Pennsylvania (check out Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series). Jazzi never expected to be following in her mom’s footsteps. One of the reasons for going away to college and choosing to live in Belltower Landing was to desire to live somewhere where her mom’s mystery solving reputation didn’t overshadow the person whom Jazzi is trying to become. 

Matilda, the thoroughly organized head librarian, met with Jazzi to get advice about friction with a new employee, Tinsley Riva. Matilda and Tinsley were not meshing well at all, there wasn’t animosity per se, but something seemed tense. Matilda respected how Jazzi’s crew at Tea & Tomes seemed to be a friendly bunch who worked really well together. Matilda also respected Jazzi as a fellow bibliophile. Matilda loves really old, really valuable books as well and even gives Jazzi a peak at some rare first editions. Matilda was also experiencing a problem with a romantically inclined yet pushy library patron who was not taking no for an answer, to the point of needing a restraining order. So of course, Matilda is the victim and Jazzi feels the need to uncover the truth. With the disappearance of the hidden books, one has to ask themselves, was this a robbery gone wrong or a stalker related situation, either way Jazzi cannot help but to be drawn into yet another mystery. 

Jazzi begins with a suspect list and some insight from members of her reading group which meets at Tea & Tomes. Speaking of the reading group, the format is different from most book clubs. Each person brings a book that they are reading and shares some insight rather than the whole group reading the same book. It exposes a reader to multiple books, one of which might turn out to be their next great read. Much to Detective Milford’s dismay, the locals bless Jazzi with helpful and sometimes not so helpful information. I was happy to see Daisy make an appearance in this book. She reminds Jazzi of the benefits of speaking with a therapist or counselor, which is great advice and it applies to more characters than just Jazzi.

This story does a very good job of broaching some tough topics such as therapy, growing up as an adopted child, growing up in an abusive home, and letting a friend know that you value them but are not attracted to them. As with the preceding books, the clues are laid as to not be obvious, the red herrings are not overdone, and the baked goods make my mouth water just reading about them. I have so many questions based on the ending, but I don’t want to leave any spoilers.