Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. The recipe reviews and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.
A Very Woodsy Murder : A Golden Motel Mystery #1
Ellen Byron
Kensington Publishing Corp.
The Golden motel is a hidden treasure nestled in the Sierra foothills, a respite for sitcom writer Dee Stern and her data analyst ex-husband Jeff Cornetta. Neither have hospitality services experience but are giving it a go as budding moteliers in the rustic mountain setting. Unfortunately, the motel isn’t the only thing that is in the woods and no I not referring to Stoney the bear. This was not how Dee saw her new venture going, nothing like finding the dead body of your first guest, writer Michael Adam Baker. Dee remembers Michael Allen as being the most devious backstabbing writer whom she ever had the displeasure of working with. There goes that Yelp review he was holding over their heads. The suspects are plentiful, was it someone from Michael’s past in Goldgone or someone from his present. The guy was no prince and while some(one) might have heralded him as a “son” of Goldgone there were plenty of people who had nothing good to say about him.
Ellen Byron has done it again, created another awesome cozy mystery. Ms. Byron has a flair for creating characters that are characters. From the Goldsgone Mercantile and Emporium owner named Verity Donner - yes that Donner Gillespie to Elmira Williker the Foundgold shop owner who can’t bake but is one heck of a cook plus she’s the Mayor. There is also the extremely helpful older couple Ma’am and her husband, Mister Ma’am who live a stone’s throw from the Golden and sort of come and go out of nowhere. My favorite character by far is Serena Finlay-Katz, wife to a big time Hollywood agent and the creator of amazing charcuterie snacks. The funny thing about Serena, you just never know if she is carrying the baby in the sling and the dog in carriage or the other way around. Thankfully there is a “Who’s Who” at the front of the book to help keep the players straight. There are quite a few colorful characters, heck I don’t think there is a single ordinary person out of either town.
This cozy does a great job of keeping
you entertained and intrigued. Each new character adds another layer of enjoyment
and suspicion as the clues mount and the red herrings are running up stream. By
the end of this well spun yarn you will find yourself craving trail mix and
down home cooking while considering how to work “tarnation” into your next
sentence. Even though this isn’t technically a culinary cozy, there are some
mighty fine vittles mentioned in the book and I am glad to see that there are
recipes in the back. I tried out the Cowboy Casserole which was both simple and
delicious. I am looking forward to the next installment and recipes.
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